This week will mark the 50th anniversary of The Players Championship–the showcase event on the PGA Tour. From Jack Nicklaus (winner in ‘74, ‘76, and ‘78), to Greg Norman (’94), to Tiger Woods (’01 and ’13) to Rory McIlroy (’19) and Scottie Scheffler (reigning champion), The Players has been a magnificent stage for the greats of the game to display their immense talent.
Rory is still at the top of his game if he holes a few putts (ranked No. 2 in the world), and Scottie Scheffler is on fire as the hands down favorite this week (No. 1 in the world, 2023 Players champ, and fresh off a dominating 5 shot victory at Bay Hill last week), but the field is extremely deep with a host of major champions and talented young stars, so the odds are good that a new name will be etched on the 2024 Players Championship trophy.
Scottie and Rory: 1 and 2 in the World Rankings
Preview
Wyndham Clark, the reigning U.S. Open Champion, is coming off a breakout season in 2023 where he recorded 8 Top Ten’s including 2 wins, and missed only 3 cuts. Thus far in ’24 he has made 5 of 6 cuts with a win at Pebble Beach in February and a runner-up last week at Bay Hill. Clark crushes it from the tee, so if he’s finding fairways this week you will likely see him among the last groups to go off on Sunday afternoon.
Wyndham Clark: Reigning U.S. Open Champion
Will Zalatoris, one of the premier ball-strikers in golf, is making only his sixth start following back surgery that cost him the bulk of the 2023 season. Not only did Will miss nine months of competitive golf, he was forced to make a major swing change to reduce the stress on his back. Recipe for a tough comeback year, right? Nope–in fact with his new putting approach (Broomstick Putter), he may be better than ever.
Will Zalatoris: Amazing Comeback
Zalatoris heads into the Players following a runner-up at the Genesis in LA and a T5 last week at Bay Hill—this may be the week when all that hard work delivers the ultimate payoff.
Xander Schauffele has not missed a cut since the 2022 Masters (40 consecutive events). And while he didn’t win in 2023, and hasn’t had a win yet this year, Schauffele has recorded 15 Top 10’s in his last 29 events—a level of performance only surpassed by Scottie Scheffler (22 Top 10’s).
One thing’s for sure—Xander is due (but will the putter cooperate down the stretch?). Speaking of players that are due, Victor Hoveland has made the cut in all four events he’s played this year without recording a Top 10. Considering his 2023 season included 9 Top 10’s and 3 wins, you have to believe a big week is looming (plus one of Victor’s Top 10’s last year was a T3 at the Players).
Viktor Hoveland: 3 Wins in 2023
After a disastrous 2023 campaign, Justin Thomas has righted the ship with a T3, a T6 and two T12’s in 5 events this year. With a pair of major championships under his belt and a win at the Players in 2021, don’t be surprised if Justin is lurking on the leaderboard come Sunday. There are quite a few young players to keep an eye on as well, including Sahith Theegala, Ludvig Aberg, Jake Knapp and Nick Dunlap.
Sahith Theegala: Looking for the Big Win
Theegala has made 6 of 7 cuts this year including 3 Top-10’s, on top of 8 Top-10’s with a win in 2023. Ludwig Aberg, the long hitting Texas A&M standout from Sweden, has made the cut in all 6 of his starts this year including 2 Top-10’s. Jake Knapp recorded a win at the Mexico Open in February, and has made 6 of 7 cuts with 3 Top 10’s. Twenty-year old Nick Dunlap bested the field at The American Express in January while still a student at Alabama, the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Phil won the Northern Telecom Open all the way back in 1991.
Nick Dunlap: First Amateur Win Since Phil
Dunlap is a long shot for sure, particularly because experience goes a long way at TPC Sawgrass, but he has the power and precision—so maybe he’ll deliver an all-time shocker (he already did it once this year).
In the early 1970’s, former PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman wanted to create a championship that would showcase the talent and power of professional golf in America, and shine a bright light on the PGA Tour—home to the greatest golfers in the world.
Initially called “The Tournament Players Championship,” Beman’s vision immediately gained momentum as Jack won the inaugural event in 1974, and three of the first five. The next step was to build a permanent venue that could stand with the four majors, demanding championship golf at the highest level—and so Pete Dye was brought aboard. Not only did Beman want a course that would be a stiff test of golf, he also wanted breathtaking visual appeal and viewing areas that would maximize the experience for fans.
TPC Sawgrass: Pete Dye Masterpiece
Pete Dye delivered precisely what was ordered, and then he added icing on the cake with classically positioned risk and reward holes to build maximum excitement and drama—thus creating a treasure trove of moments to be remembered and discussed year after year.
The Stadium Course at TPC at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL is perennially ranked by Golf Digest among the top 100 golf facilities in the U.S., and is one of Pete Dye’s crowning achievements. And to guarantee the field is maintained at a major championship level, the PGA Tour has continuously raised the purse over the years, making The Players the richest golf event in the world by a wide margin (this year the purse stands at $25 million).
Memorable Moments: Be The Right Club Today
Most everybody has seen the clip of Hal Sutton intently staring down an approach shot, saying “Be the right club…be the right club today!” 2000 Players Championship, eighteenth hole, eyeball to eyeball with Tiger Woods at the very top of his game.
Every golfer has heard the saying “drive for show, putt for dough,” but you’ll find that’s pretty far from the truth once you’ve logged a round or two.
Think about your best days on the course. No doubt you holed some putts—but it’s pretty much guaranteed the driver was operating at or near full capacity. Golf is a whole lot easier from the middle of the fairway—and exponentially so when you’re hitting wedge into the green as opposed to middle or long iron.
You also have to work pretty hard to make a double after a solid drive in the fairway, but a snap hook tee ball that disappears in the woods or a weak flare that settles down in heavy rough a couple hundred yards from the green generally spells bogey at best.
A good way to demonstrate the paramount importance of driving is to look at the top echelon players in professional golf—and they have almost universally been big hitters down through the years.
Tiger and Jack: Power and Greatness
The Longest and Greatest
Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods are without question the greatest players in golf history, and also among the longest off the tee. Many consider Nicklaus the longest of all-time (according to Bobby Jones, Jack was ‘playing an entirely different game, and one which I’m not familiar with”). Unfortunately, official driving stats weren’t tracked by the PGA Tour until 1980 when Jack had already hit 40, but he still came in at No. 10 in distance and No. 1 in total driving with accuracy factored in (he hit 71.5% of the fairways).
Before knee and back injuries slowed him down in 2008, Tiger was in the top 10 for distance every year with the exception of 2003 (11th) and 2007 (12th). In 1999 Tiger was 3rd in distance and 4th in Total Driving, while piling up 7 Tour wins plus a major and 7 additional Top 10’s.
In 2000 Tiger amped up the big stick even further, finishing 2nd in distance and No.1 in total driving on his way to 3 major championships, 7 more regular tour titles and another 7 Top 10’s,
Driving and the World Number 1’s
Since the World Golf Rankings were established in 1986, twenty-five players have reached number 1 in the world and the vast majority have been long off the tee. Bernhard Langer was the first to hold the Number 1 moniker after his win at the ’85 Masters (yes, the same Bernhard who is still winning on the Champions Tour). Although Langer was not generally regarded as a long hitter, he ranked 17th in distance on the PGA Tour in ’85.
Following Bernard’s brief tenure as No. 1, the top spot oscillated between Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros though the end of 1990. Norman held World Number 1 longer than any player other than Tiger (331 weeks), and he is also regarded by many as the greatest driver of all time.
From 1984 to 1994, Norman was among the top ten in driving distance every year but two (No. 15 in 1989 and No. 32 in 1992). Not only was he long, but he was straight as well—No. 1 in total driving in 1988, 1989 and 1993 plus 5 years in the top ten.
Seve Ballesteros played predominantly on the European Tour (now the DP World Tour) and driving distance stats are sketchy, but he possessed a powerful (though somewhat erratic) tee shot. Seve drove the green on the Par 4 10th hole at the Belfry a number of times, a 290 plus yard carry over water calling for a high cut, including at the 1989 Ryder Cup where he dropped an Eagle putt from inside twenty feet. Keep in mind he was using a persimmon driver with a soft ballata golf ball, and the average distance off the tee on the PGA Tour that year was just under 262 yards.
Tiger held the top spot in the World Golf Rankings from 1999 through 2010 with the exception of 6 months in 2004/2005 when Vijay Singh (another fantastic driver of the ball) briefly moved into the No. 1 position. In all, Tiger was World Number 1 for an astounding 683 weeks—and an intimidating presence on the tee.
Between 1997 and 2007, Tiger was among the top five in distance six times, and the top ten every year but two (11th in 2003 and 12th in 2007).
Rory first reached number 1 in the world back in 2012 when he had just turned 23 years old, and has held the Number 1 position on and off for a total of 122 weeks (most recently from October ’22 through February ‘23).
And of course, McIlroy can bomb it with anybody (picture that majestic high draw that seems to carry forever). Since 2017 Rory has been either first or second in driving distance every year but one (4th in 2020) and led the Tour in distance last year averaging 326.3 yards.
Brooks and DJ: Big hitters Rising to #1
Dustin Johnson ascended to World No. 1 in 2017, and is behind only Tiger and Greg Norman for the longest time at the top (135 weeks). From 2009 through 2021, Johnson ranked among the top 5 in distance every year but 3 (6th in 2018, 10th in 2020 and 7th in 2021).
After winning the CJ Cub on the heels of two major championships (US Open and PGA), Brooks Koepkafirst assumed World Number 1 in October of 2018, and through February of 2020 he spent 47 weeks at the top. Between 2014 and 2019 Brooks finished outside the top 10 in driving distance only once (19th in 2016).
Knee and hip injuries at the end of 2019 through 2020 severely impacted Koepka’s driving distance and his ability to compete, but after rehab he was injury free in 2023 and recorded a runner up at the Masters, a win at the PGA and a top 20 at the US Open (where he was also second in driving distance averaging 320.6 yards).
Scheffler and Rahm: Battling for #1
Scheffler and Rahm
Jon Rahm or Scottie Scheffler have occupied the top spot in the World Golf Rankings since June of 2021 with the exception of DJ for a week in July of ’21 and Rory from October ’22 through February ’23.
Not surprisingly, both are fantastic drivers of the ball. Since 2017, Rahm finished outside the top 20 in distance only once (22nd in 2020) and was #1 in Total Driving twice—2021 and 2022. Scheffler has plenty of distance (16th in ‘20 and 19th in ‘22) while finishing among the top 10 in total driving 3 of the last 4 years (his lowest ranking was 13th in 2022).
The Putting Factor
There is no question that both Jack and Tiger were amazing putters, particularly on critical putts under maximum pressure, but while putting prowess separated them further from the field, the incredible record they each achieved would not have been possible without the power game.
Jack and Tiger: Power and Putting
Luke Donald possesses one of the finest putting strokes ever seen on the PGA Tour, finishing first in putting from 2009 through 2011. Luke was also a fantastic iron player, but struggled from the tee throughout his career.
In 2010 Donald ranked 186th on tour in total driving, but made a dramatic jump in both distance and accuracy in 2011, allowing him to ride that great putter all the way to #1 in the world. Unfortunately, Luke’s difficulties from the tee returned in 2013 and as his driving numbers dropped each year, so too did his world ranking—even as his putting stroke remained as silky as ever.
This is not to minimize the importance of putting, only to illuminate the fact that driving is far and away the biggest factor in determining success on the golf course. Power players have reached #1 in the world without being particularly good putters (Freddie Couples and Vijay Singh come immediately to mind), but some of the greatest putters in modern history who were not great drivers of the ball are conspicuously missing from the list of #1’s (Ben Crenshaw, Corey Pavin and Brad Faxon for example).
Bottom line is you drive for the dough, and putt for—well, some additional dough perhaps…
When you start to ponder the next golf get-away, Myrtle Beach is a destination that should immediately come to mind—and if you haven’t had a chance to get down there yet, now is the time to start getting a plan together. With more than 80 golf courses to choose from within an hour’s drive, great food, and fantastic beaches for when you want to cool out, MB is truly a golfer’s paradise.
And while you consider your options, take a good look at the Hammock Coast Golf Trail running along the coast just a touch south of Myrtle Beach. South Carolina offers many of the finest public courses in the country, and the Hammock Coast Trail includes many of the best.
In addition to Jack’s great track at Pawley’s Plantation Golf & Country Club (recently updated) and TPC Myrtle Beach (a fantastic Tom Fazio layout), the Hammock Coast Trail also includes two amazing courses laid out by Mike Strantz—Caledonia Golf & Fish Club and True Blue Plantation.
Although Mike Strantz passed away tragically at only fifty years of age, he left us with some of the greatest courses in the world (including Tobacco Road in Sanford, NC and Royal Kent in Providence Forge, VA).
In 2000 Strantz was named one of the “Top 10 Greatest Architects of All Time” by Golfweek Magazine and his work has been heralded by many respected golf publications, including Golf Course Architecture.
All of the courses on the Hammock Coast Trail are terrific, so you won’t go wrong if you add this group to your list—and you’re pretty much guaranteed a trip to remember.
The GolfDay Rating is based on a variety of criteria, including the stature of the architect(s) who did the original design(s), updates that have been done on the course(s), USGA Course and Slope Ratings, the quality and diversity of practice facilities, general course conditioning and current reviews.
Searching for courses that offer particular features? Click the GolfDay Search Engine to narrow it down.
Want to see all of the public courses in South Carolina listed by GolfDay Rating? Click S.C. Public Courses.
Practice Facilities: Wedge Range, Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunker (Full Grass Driving Range and Steve Dresser Golf Academy available at True Blue Course).
When it’s time to start formulating a plan for the Spring golf trip, South Carolina should come immediately to mind. In addition to great resorts like Kiawah Island, Sea Pines and Barefoot, SC boasts more than 30 non-resort public courses that received a GolfDay rating of 90 or higher (premium)—and over 100 that are rated above 80 (very good).
And of course, Myrtle Beach is the centerpiece to this golfing wonderland. Golf Trails can make it a lot easier to choose courses that are not too far apart, and MB has a couple of teriffic Trails to look at—the Myrtle Beach Golf Trail and the Hammock Coast Golf Trail.
Keep in mind there are plenty of nice hotels and fantastic restaurants to choose from throughout South Carolina (and particularly in the Myrtle Beach area), so you can also reference GolfDayto build your own trip.
Course Architecture
Tom Jackson is #1 for laying out premier public courses in South Carolina with original designs at 5 of the Top 35, including Mount Vintage in North Augusta (No. 7) and River Hills in Little River (No. 8).
Clyde Johnston is close behind with original design at Springfield Golf Club (No. 25) in Fort Mill, Glen Dornoch, Little River (No. 26) and Old South in Bluffton (No. 27) as well as updates to the Donald Ross design at Lancaster Golf Club (No. 9).
Rees Jones, always among the prominent names when listing great golf courses, contributed 2 original designs among the Top 35 (Oyster Reef, No. 10) and Arcadian Shores, No. 14) as well updates to the great Robert Trent Jones, Sr. design at The Dunes (No. 1).
Mike Strantz: Caledonia Golf & Fish Club
Mike Strantz left us 2 wonderful layouts in Pawleys Island before his tragic passing at only fifty years of age—Caledonia (No. 2) and True Blue (No. 4). In 2000 Mike was named one of the “Top 10 Greatest Architects of All Time” by Golfweek Magazine.
Pete Dye added his brush to the Myrtle Beach golf panorama at Prestwick Country Club (No. 3, with P. B. Dye) and Jack Nicklaus recently completed updates to his terrific layout at Pawleys Plantation.
The GolfDay Rating is based on a variety of criteria, including the stature of the architect(s) who did the original design(s), updates that have been done on the course(s), USGA Course and Slope Ratings, the quality and diversity of practice facilities, general course conditioning and current reviews.
As every golfer has experienced now and again, standing around on the tee box while waiting to hit is absolutely no fun. It’s particularly galling when you have a good round going and suddenly hit a wall, losing your rhythm and gradually stiffening up like a board (especially if you’re a little older like me).
And I can’t count the number of course reviews I’ve read saying “great track, but the round took forever so it turned out to be a lousy day,” and suddenly a 4-star review turns into 2 or 3.
Often the review will bemoan the lack of a marshal on the course, but should we really need course police to keep things moving?
18 holes of golf shouldn’t take more than 4 ½ hours—here are a few suggestions that will help everybody get a whole lot more enjoyment from a day at the course:
What Courses can do:
Strive for 10 minutes between tee times.
Keep pin positions more centrally located on greens, and not close to steep fall-offs.
Maintain rough at a reasonable depth.
Provide proper number of rakes for bunker size.
Provide adequate signage.
Keep course clear of debris (particularly in the Fall)
Employ marshals.
What golfers can do:
Select the correct set of tees for your experience level.
Begin preparing for your shot as you approach your ball, and commit to the shot you decide to play (and limit your practice swings).
Watch your shot until it lands, making a mental note of line and distance with reference points.
Pay attention to the other members of your group when they are hitting so you can help locate their ball.
Limit your search for lost balls to a minute or two—and have a spare ball in your pocket.
If you are in a bunker, grab the rake while you are waiting to hit.
Once you’re on the green, begin lining up your putt as other players are making their putts.
Mark your score when you arrive at the next set of tees, not while you’re standing on the green.
Play Ready Golf (meaning, in the order of who is ready– not who is away.)
Never allow a hole ahead to open up.
Be mindful of the players behind, and allow faster groups to play through.
Swing tips are great, but save lessons for the Driving Range.
Of all the states in the country, South Carolina has the highest percentage of public courses receiving a GolfDay Rating of 90 or higher (Excellent), and a very large number received a rating over 80 (very good), so it’s certainly no surprise that some of the best golf resorts in the country can be found in SC as well.
The Resorts below are listed by their GolfDay Rating, and we have included links for course description, accommodations and golf academy (if available). A link to the Resort website is also provided, as well as a link to Google Maps for each location.
Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Fazio dominate the landscape at the premier golf destinations in South Carolina. Dye and Nicklaus collaborated to create the iconic Harbour Town Links at Sea Island Resort, and each contributed their signature to the spectacular courses at Kiawah Island—Pete Dye with the Ocean Course and Jack with Turtle Point. Nicklaus also laid out the wonderful track at Montage-Palmetto (May River.)
Tom Fazio contributed his architectural genius at Kiawah with Osprey Point, designed one of the terrific courses at Barefoot Resort, and both courses at Wild Dunes Golf Links.
Davis Love III has also continued to burnish his reputation among the top modern day course architects with his work at Sea Pines Resort (Atlantic Dunes), Barefoot Resort and Fripp Island Resort (Ocean Creek)
The GolfDay Resort rating is based on a variety of criteria, including the stature of the architect(s) who did the original design(s), the variety of courses located at the property, updates that have been done on the course(s), USGA Course and Slope Ratings, current local and national rankings by Golf Digest and Golfweek, the quality and diversity of practice facilities, general course conditioning and current reviews, as well as the quality of accommodations and level of service.
Click Top 10 South Carolina Resorts for a map overview of the resort locations (hover over a flag and the resort name will come up, and click for details).
Course Architects: Pete Dye/Jack Nicklaus/George Cobb/Clyde Johnston/Davis Love III/Scot Sherman
USGA Course/Slope Rating
Harbour Town Links: 79.5/152
Heron Point: 74.8/140
Atlantic Dunes: 74.3/143
Practice Facilities: Grass Driving Ranges with Targets (Harbour Town and Heron Point/Ocean), Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunkers. Range Balls and Fore Caddie (Harbour Town) included with Greens Fee.
Practice Facilities: Lighted and Covered Grass Driving Range with Targets, Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunker. Dyer and Greg Norman Golf Academies.
Practice Facilities: Grass Driving Range with Targets, Wedge Range with Target Greens, Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunkers (6). ProV1 Range Balls included with Greens Fee.
Fripp Island Golf & Beach resort/Seascape Hospitality
Holes: 36 (2 Eighteen Hole Courses)
Course Architect: George Cobb/John LaFoy/Davis Love III/Paul Cowley
USGA Course/Slope Rating:
Ocean Point: 74.0/140
Ocean Creek: 72.1/139
Practice Facilities: Grass Driving Range with Targets, Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunker (Creek). Irons Only Grass Driving Range with Putting Green (Point).
Course Architects: Robert Trent Jones, Sr./Arthur Hills/George Fazio/Roger Rulewich/John Harvey
USGA Course/Slope Rating
Jones: 74.8/141
Hills: 73.5/139
Fazio: 74.2/145
Practice Facilities: Practice Facilities: Grass Driving Range with Targets, Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunker (Hills/Fazio)/Driving Range with Bunker and Toptracer Technology (Jones).
With Pinehurst, Pine Needles and Talamore, North Carolina golf resorts are among the finest in the country—but the Carolinas are the heartland of American golf, and there are a ton of fantastic public courses throughout N.C. that are not part of a resort property.
If you’re looking for great golf without breaking the bank at a high-end resort, take a look at the Top 40 courses below–keeping in mind there are plenty of nice hotels and restaurants to choose from throughout North Carolina.
While each of the Top 40 has a GolfDay Rating above 90, North Carolina offers 91 independent public courses with a rating of 85 or higher (premium) and 141 with a rating of 80 or more (well above average).
Dan Maples leads the list for premier public course design in North Carolina with original work or updating at 6 of the Top 40 public courses, including The Pearl Golf links in Calabash (No. 11), Keith Hills at Cambell University (with father Ellis—No. 23) and Longleaf Golf & Family Club in Southern Pines (No. 28).
Rees Jones is close behind with design at 4 of the leading public courses in N.C., including original work at Bryan Park (Champions) in Browns Summit (No. 13) and The Currituck Club in Carolla (No. 18). Rees also updated the wonderful Robert Trent Jones, Sr. design at Duke University (No. 4)
Mike Strantz: Tot Hill Farms
Although Mike Strantz passed away tragically at only fifty years of age, he left us with some of the greatest courses in the world, including two among the N.C. Top 40–Tobacco Road in Sanford (No.2), and Tot Hill Farm in Asheboro (No. 14). In 2000 Mike was named one of the “Top 10 Greatest Architects of All Time” by Golfweek Magazine.
The King made his presence felt in N.C with Palmer designs at Occano in Merry Hill (No. 9), Oak Valley (No. 22), and Lonnie Poole at N.C. State University (No. 24).
The GolfDay rating is based on a variety of criteria, including the stature of the architect(s) who did the original design(s), updates that have been done on the course(s), USGA Course and Slope Ratings, the quality and diversity of practice facilities, general course conditioning and current reviews.
Select Top 40 North Carolina Public Courses for a map view of locations (click a flag for course name and details).
Still thinking a resort is the best bet? Check Top N.C. Resorts for a listing by GolfDay Rating.
Course Architects: Robert Trent Jones, Sr./Rees Jones
USGA Course/Slope Rating: 75.2/145
Practice Facilities: Expansive Grass Driving Range with Targets, Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunker (Unlimited Callaway Balls included with Greens Fee).
Course Architects: Arnold Palmer/Eric Larson/Brandon Johnson
USGA Course/Slope Rating: 74.7/142
Practice Facilities: Driving Range (Grass: Friday-Sunday/Mats: Monday-Thursday) and Putting Green. Short Game Facility with Bunker–Members and Golf Team Only.
