Island Greens Decide Two Championships; Experts Say 'Eliminate One Side'

Last week's professional golf headlines were dominated by "island greens."

The PGA Tour Players Championship, which concluded on March 16 (Korea time), and the KLPGA Tour Rejuran Championship, which ended the day before, were both coincidentally held at courses featuring island greens—and both tournaments were decided on those very holes.

The 17th hole (par 3) at TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium Course (par 72) in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida—permanent home of the PGA Tour's "fifth major"—features a circular green surrounded by water, connected to land only by a narrow walkway. The 17th hole (par 3) at Amata Spring Country Club (par 72) in Chonburi, Thailand, which hosted the KLPGA Tour season opener, takes the concept further: its green floats alone on a lake with no bridge at all, requiring players to take a boat to putt after their tee shots. Island greens paying homage to—or imitating—Pete Dye's iconic design are scattered worldwide, making such coincidences hardly unusual. Amata Spring even mirrors Sawgrass through the 18th hole (par 4), which features a lake along the left side of the fairway.