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As course architect Pete Dye stood on the 12th green at the TPC Sawgrass during a steamy late summer morning in 2006, he took in the massive renovation going on around him. Bulldozers worked to soften spectator mounding, mowers cut newly grassed fairways and construction trucks and equipment zipped about like Tonka toys.

From the turf to the clubhouse, everything at the TPC Sawgrass is gleaming and new. (Chris Condon/PGA TOUR/WireImage)

From this spot on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course, Dye remembered more than 25 years ago when this pristine piece of ground in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., was nothing more than a swamp.

"We had spent six months out here working and working on drainage so that we could just build a course," Dye said of his initial work in the late 1970s. "Then we had this rain, about 3 or 4 inches worth one day, just a good summer storm. The next day I took a rowboat with a little motor on it, and I could go all over the property."

Dye's work debuted in 1982 as one of the most memorable new courses when Jerry Pate won THE PLAYERS Championship. As a reaction to the course's difficulty, Pate proceeded to toss Dye and then-PGA TOUR Commissioner Deane Beman into the adjacent lake on 18.

The transition took another step forward last November when the THE PLAYERS Stadium Course reopened after a summer-long restoration, six months before THE PLAYERS' new May 7-13, 2007 dates as a part of the inaugural FedExCup competition.

"We're not only taking THE PLAYERS Championship to a higher level all around, but the benefit to golfers everywhere is going to be duplicated for resort guests throughout the year," said David Pillsbury, the president of PGA TOUR Golf Course Properties. "That goes beyond the golf course, to the caddie program, to the clubhouse, to the TOUR Academy, the hospitality at the Sawgrass Marriott and other areas. Everything drafts off THE PLAYERS. Our vision is to offer one of the most unique, special and memorable golf experiences in the world."

Beginning last April, the tees, fairways and greens were rebuilt with new sand and a modern drainage system to encourage "firm and fast" conditions. Offline shots are more likely to roll into difficult spots among or behind 200 newly planted trees (oaks, pines and palms). Natural waste areas, lower-level bunkers, greenside chipping areas and water hazards may also come into play more often. The course will not be over-seeded with ryegrass, as was necessary for the previous March date of THE PLAYERS, resulting in a faster playing surface year-round.

Dye, who had visited the course a dozen times as of mid-August 2006, said the quick turnaround in improvements was due to "the driest summer here in more than 20 years" during construction and the installation of drainage technology that didn't exist or wasn't affordable during the original course work.

Sand by the truckload (16 football fields' worth) was brought in to replace the 6 inches of organic material skimmed off the top of the fairways. New MiniVerde bermudagrass for the greens came from a south Georgia sod farm. A SubAir subsurface mechanical drainage system was installed under the greens, vacuuming water in wet conditions and injecting air, if necessary. Cart paths on nine holes were moved farther away from the fairways and greens or new plant landscaping was added to disguise them on other holes. More native grasses were added on the periphery of most holes.

The course layout was tweaked a bit. Tee boxes on the par-4 first, par-3 eighth, par-5 11th, par-4 14th, par-5 16th and par-4 18th holes were extended by 15 to 25 yards each. That will give THE PLAYERS tournament officials the flexibility of lengthening the course by approximately 100 yards for the tournament, to just over 7,100 yards. Three new fairway bunkers were added to the right of the landing area on the par-4 seventh hole. The green on the short par-4 12th was raised and reconfigured to allow for additional hole placements. Other greens had slopes softened to allow for more hole locations.

Some of the large spectator mounds on the course have been reshaped to allow for more fans. Most noticeable will be the enlargement of the arena that surrounds the 16th, 17th and 18th holes. Mounding was added behind the 16th green and 17th tee, and the slope to the left of the 17th green is more gradual to allow for more seating. Fans can walk the entire final three holes via an elevated, continuous walkway instead of the previous path down below. For THE PLAYERS, grandstands will be added above the area where players exit the 17th green and walk to the 18th tee, with the players walking through a "tunnel" toward the expanded 18th tee.

Input on alterations was received from current and past champions, local players; design, rules, agronomic and executive staff; broadcast partners; and a cross-section of golf industry experts. Approximately 30 players were interviewed since early 2005.

Jim Furyk, a Ponte Vedra Beach resident who plays and practices at TPC Sawgrass, interjected that he wanted to see more options around the greens instead of just thick rough. Therefore, numerous chipping areas were added where players can either bump and run shots or loft the ball. Two-time champion Steve Elkington suggested restoring the greenside bunkers to their original depth to compensate for today's 60-degree wedges.

But more than the changes, Dye said the alterations will allow for one basic tenet: a better course year round.

"The big change we'll see is the condition of the golf course," said Dye, who turns 81 on Dec. 29. "The golf professionals will notice a new tree or chipping area and things like that. But the ardent golfer will notice simply that the grass is better.

"The condition is something that makes a tremendous impact on his thoughts. He won't notice that the bunkers are higher or lower. He'll see 17 and 18 and the new clubhouse. But the first thing he'll remember is how well conditioned the course is. That will bring him back again. This work has made this happen."

A new TOUR Academy, complete with two indoor hitting bays, is in place on the right side of the revamped and enlarged practice facility. New practice putting greens are located near the first and 10th tees and a new short-game area is within close proximity of the practice facility.

Dye's Valley Course, which underwent $1 million in improvements over the last year, remained open during the reconstruction. The course, which hosted the 1988 and 1989 Senior Players Championship, has drawn raves for its conditioning and the presence of new trees and landscaping.

The adjacent Sawgrass Marriott Resort and Spa underwent a multi-million dollar refurbishment last fall. A new ownership group, Ireland-based Redquartz Boundary Ltd., and its investment partners purchased the facility last summer with plans to make it a world-class resort destination. A plan to build new condominiums in a wooded area left of the 13th green and 14th tee is in the works.

Near construction is the new 77,000-square foot, Mediterranean Revival-style clubhouse, which is scheduled to be complete in time for the tournament. The facility, built on the same site as the original clubhouse, will accommodate at least twice as many special events, house historical artifacts about the PGA TOUR and THE PLAYERS and be fronted by an 11,000 square-foot lawn where fans can gather. There will be premium views of the ninth and 18th holes and a view down the first fairway.

"I'm just thrilled to death at all these enhancements," Dye said. "As the course gets older, it gets better. When I drive around the whole area, all of this property, I think it will look spectacular."

Spoken like a proud father.

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