The Players Championship has the richest individual purse of any tournament in professional golf and its host venue is inching toward having the richest tee time in golf, too.
While industry leader Shadow Creek in Las Vegas recently upped its green fee to a staggering $1,250 from an already wallet-crushing $1,000, TPC Sawgrass, host site of the PGA Tour’s signature event and home to its corporate headquarters, is following suit.
After topping out last winter at $840 per golfer during its peak season, a check of the Stadium Course’s booking site reveals the peak rate is now $900 for a morning tee time at the famed Pete Dye track.
While the course lists starting rates of $650 per person during the September to May peak season, a quick check of the booking tool reveals scant availability, except for a few scattered tee times in November. In fact, as of this writing, one of the few respites from the $900 tee time is a generous $112 discount for two times (9:10 a.m. and 9:40 a.m.) on Thanksgiving morning at $788 for one to three golfers.
Those rates include your green fee, cart fee, forecaddie base rate and a bag of balls at the practice range. Gratuity for the forecaddie is on you, and we recommend being generous, as your looper will be tasked with guiding you through one of the toughest and most treacherous tests in golf. The course suggests a tip of $40.
For those wishing to hoof it, you can upgrade to a walking caddie, which is an additional $125 per person for a single caddie or $85 per bag for a caddie to double bag. Again those are not inclusive of gratuity, which the course recommends $50 per bag.
And if you want to go all-out, you can splurge on the Tour Player Experience which includes a two-night stay at the Sawgrass Marriott, one round each on the Stadium Course and Dye’s Valley Course, a walking caddie, player locker-room access, meals and more swag. That will run you $2,554 a head and is no longer offered without the overnight stay and second round at the Valley course.
Off-season rates from June to August start at just $450. All of these rates blow away those of Dye’s Valley course which start at $300 during peak season and $175 during the summer.
Not everything at the course will cost you an arm and a leg, however. The restaurant and golf shop are both open to the public and you can also get a complimentary tour of the clubhouse and 17th hole from one of TPC Sawgrass’ “Storytellers.” The tours start hourly from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This isn’t the biggest price increase for the Players Championship host, which features perhaps the most famous hole in golf with the island green, par-3 17th. For winter 2022, greens fees skyrocketed $120 from the previous peak rate of $720.
If you’re planning on visiting, keep in mind the course is currently closed until November 5th and also closes for about a month in the lead up to the Players. In 2024, the course shuts down on Feb, 19 and reopens March 19, after the tournament.
Jack Hirsh is the Associate Equipment Editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.
