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By Dave Shedloski
PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent

Last year's renovation of THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass is notable for the juxtaposition between the subtleties of the alterations and the dramatic difference they will make in the character of golf course when THE PLAYERS Championship is contested for the first time in May.

The famed 17th green has been recontured. (WireImage)

UNIQUE EXPERIENCE

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.   • Complete story,  click here • Number Crunch,  click here • Photo Gallery,  click here

What is not visible is what ultimately will make THE PLAYERS Stadium Course a different test when the PGA TOUR's flagship event begins May 10. "We peeled it all back like Velcro and made a new golf course from underneath," says Fred Klauk, the longtime superintendent at the TPC Sawgrass.

A new sub-air system for the greens, which also have been rebuilt to USGA specifications, a new irrigation and drainage system in the fairways, and the installment of nearly 27,000 tons of sand in place of 6 inches of tired organic material comprise the most crucial upgrades in ensuring that the Pete Dye-designed layout presents a test seldom achieved during the 26 previous years when THE PLAYERS was held in late March to culminate the TOUR's Florida Swing.

The fairways and the greens are likely to be as firm and fast as anyone has seen them. Such characteristics will more readily bring into play the rough, the greenside hills, swales and bunkers, and the many water hazards.

"The whole golf course is going to play totally different," Klauk assures. "The whole course is going to play pretty fast. Players are really going to have to plan out their shots, particularly off the tee. Most of the time, the game has been played solely in the air. That's not going to be the case anymore."

"When we play a firmer, faster golf course, the fairways that are 25 and 30 yards wide become half that, because any kind of curve on the ball ... it's not going to stay in the fairway," says Stephen Ames, who won the 2006 PLAYERS by six strokes over Retief Goosen. "It's just going to be even more of a challenge."

While the golf course was undergoing its facelift and tummy tuck, the TOUR took the opportunity to make other alterations, all of them under the direction of Dye. Several PGA TOUR players also had a chance to submit ideas for improvement to setup or design, including former U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk, who has a home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., and two-time PLAYERS champion Steve Elkington.

First of all, length, 122 yards to be precise, has been added to six holes: Nos. 1, 8, 11, 14, 16 and 18, bringing the par-72 golf course to 7,124 yards from the championship tees. While this might seem to play into the hands of some of the longer hitters, care was taken to reconfigure landing areas in many of the fairways. The downslopes were extended so longer and shorter hitters get about the same amount of roll out on drives in the short grass.

The 16th and 18th are more than 20 yards longer, making the dramatic three-hole finishing stretch potentially more intriguing. As for the middle hole in the set, the famous island par-3 17th, the green has been re-contoured. It's flatter in some spots, including in the front right so that a new hole location closer to the bunker could be added. The back has been raised slightly, though shots hit too long still will meet a watery doom.

Other alterations:

• No. 4: The green has been softened and a collection area now exists right of the putting surface.

• No. 7: Three new fairway bunkers down the right side, the latter at nearly 300 yards, squeeze the landing area.

• No. 12: The green has been raised and re-contoured on the short par 4 with collection areas around the back and right, and the large mounds on the left of the fairway are even more penal.

• No. 13: The green was softened slightly.

• No. 14: The mounding on the right side has been remolded and will penalize wayward drives in the form of some awkward lies.

• No. 15: The bunkers to the right of the green were made deeper and more challenging.

Additional changes in the flora category also are worth noting. More than 200 new trees -- oaks, palms and pines -- have been planted, most significantly at the sixth, ninth and 18th holes. The greens have been carpeted with a new Bermudagrass strain, MiniVerde, which came from Georgia. The gnarly St. Augustine grass that lined some greens and was tough to chip from has been replaced by Bermuda. Most important of all, because the tournament was shifted to May, the need for a rye grass overseed has been obviated.

"We're totally Bermuda grass for the first time ever," Klauk says with an air of satisfaction. "That's just one more nice thing about how we can set up the golf course."

That allows for rough heights of about 2 ½ inches compared to 4-5 inches of ryegrass rough and presents a different challenge for players in terms of decision making. While some lies might prevent players from going for the green, others might be just good enough to take the risk. Some flyer lies also are possible.

In the end, THE PLAYERS Stadium Course retained its identity as a worthy challenge for all types of players with more of a demand on strategy and accuracy.

"We've had a lot players tell us that the course is in great shape and that it's a fair setup as long as the greens don't get too fast," Klauk says. "Fortunately, we have more control over the conditions than we ever did before and we can get the golf course just how we want it, which is the way it should be for a major championship."