Inside the course: PGA National, Champion Course

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Mar. 1, 2010

The TOUR heads to the East Coast this week for The Honda Classic at the PGA National Resort and Spa - Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Learn more about this venue.

Expert's Overview

Steve Voguit, Head Instructor for The PGA TOUR Golf Academy at World Golf Village, analyzes PGA National:

After last week's shoot-out at the 2010 Waste Management Phoenix Open, the PGA TOUR is heading Southeast to what is looking to be a very sunny and comfortable week in southern Florida. This predicted docile weather, however, does not mean the players are without challenge for this week's 2010 Honda Classic. The tournament will be played on PGA National's Champion Course, which has proven to play as the ninth most difficult course on the TOUR's 54 course schedule. Designed by Tom Fazio and later redesigned by the legendary Jack Nicklaus, the Champion has many foreboding challenges to offer. In fact, Nos. 15, 16, and 17 have been given the name "The Bear Trap." For the past three years, the scores over these three holes have been increasingly over par. A par 3, par 4 and par 3 make up "The Bear Trap," each with demanding tee shots to very limited landing zones. So, what is defending champion Y.E. Yang going to have to do get on the other side of "The Bear Trap" in good standing this week?

The answer: He is going to have to display the mental toughness shown in last year's head-to-head competition versus Tiger Woods in the 2009 PGA Championship. For those of us at home looking to be mentally tough, the best exercise is to develop a pre-shot routine. A routine is the vehicle that gets a player through the toughest of times. It helps us relax, concentrate and focus on the job at hand. This routine has many dimensions, but all have a beginning and an end. Let's look at how the TOUR players get their routines rolling. To start their routines, they use a cue to let them know it's time to focus. It could be as simple as adjusting a shirt, or belt, but what is key is that they do it before every single shot. Getting your routine started is half the battle. Watch this week as the players start their shots and see if you can identify their cue.

To learn more about the TOUR Academy, please click here.

Fast facts

Course Superintendent	Blair Kirby
Original architect	Tom Fazio (1981)
Redesign	Jack Nicklaus (2001)
Par value	70
Number of TOUR events as host venue	4 (including 2010)
Course ranking	Ranked 7 (out of 51) in difficulty on the PGA TOUR in 2009
Yardage history	7,241 (2007)
	7,158 (2008-present)
Grass	Bermudagrass; perennial ryegrass (tees, fairways, rough); Tifeagle bermudagrass (greens)
Tournament Stimpmeter	10.6 ft
Sand bunkers	78
Water hazards	26
Course tour	Click here

Course record

Player
Luke Donald
Greg Chalmers

Year
2008
2009

Round
1st
2nd

Finish
2nd
T22

Holes-in-one

Player	Year	Hole
Ben Crane	2009	No. 5

2009 Rankings

Most Difficult Hole

	The par-3 190-yard 17th Although there are eight sets of tees for recreational play, this shortest hole on the Champion Course is by no means the easiest. With the wind in your face or when it's blowing left to right toward the water to the right -- and a bunker long and left -- the only place to put your tee ball is on the green. With just a 30-foot landing area there, the toughest pin is middle left. 2009: 0 eagles, 27 birdies, 264 pars, 99 bogeys, 36 double bogeys, 9 others.
Easiest hole
	The par-5 538-yard 3rd Nicklaus' redesign eliminated the mid-fairway water hazard, making it a fairer hole. The second shot is a gamble for those wishing to try for the green in two. A long bunker keeps balls from rolling into the water. It's a straight shot to the green from left center of the fairway, but a bunker on the right makes a pin in the back right hard to reach. 2009: 0 eagles, 144 birdies, 247 pars, 37 bogeys, 7 double bogeys and 0 others.

PGA National			2009 rankings		Last 3 years
Hole	Par	Yards	Avg. Score	Rank	Avg. Score	Rank
1	4	365	3.88	15	3.913	17
2	4	464	4.009	13	4.081	10
3	5	538	4.786	18	4.763	18
4	4	376	3.88	15	3.919	16
5	3	217	3.06	11	3.128	7
6	4	479	4.366	2	4.377	1
7	3	226	3.085	9	3.089	9
8	4	427	4.115	8	4.067	12
9	4	421	4.051	12	4.061	14
10	4	508	4.117	7	4.201	4
11	4	450	4.083	10	4.186	5
12	4	427	4.143	5	4.076	11
13	4	388	4.126	6	4.091	8
14	4	465	3.979	14	4.065	13
15	3	179	3.322	3	3.273	3
16	4	434	4.168	4	4.177	6
17	3	190	3.395	1	3.305	2
18	5	604	4.823	17	4.951	15

Course origins

One of Florida's most notable golf challenges is found on the legendary Champion course. Originally designed by George and Tom Fazio, Jack Nicklaus redesigned the Champion in 1990, adding the feared "Bear Trap" grouping of holes 15, 16 and 17.

The Champion is currently the home of the PGA TOUR's Honda Classic, benefiting the Nicklaus Children's Healthcare Foundation (and an integral part of the FedExCup) and has been the site of the 1982 PGA Grand Slam of Golf, the 1983 Ryder Cup, the 1987 PGA Championship and the PGA Seniors' Championships from 1982 to 2000. It has also been the site of the PGA Junior Championships from 1980-1987, 1989-1992 and 1994-2000 and the PGA Club Professional Championships in 1980, 1982, 1983 and 1993.

The Champion is a "must play" stop on any avid golfer's list and is included in the "Top 100" resort course rankings of several golf publications. In 2006, writer Brad Klein of GolfWeek magazine described The Champion as "an old Florida classic, core golf experience."

The PGA of America is located on course property.

--Source: Golf Course Superintendents Assocation of America

Tournament course history

Course	Location	Years
Inverrary G&CC (East)	Lauderhill, Fla.	1972-1983
TPC Eagle Trace	Coral Springs, Fla.	1984-1991, 1996
Weston Hills G&CC	Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.	1992-1995
TPC Heron Bay	Coral Springs, Fla.	1997-2002
CC at Mirasol (Sunset)	Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.	2003-2006
PGA National (Champion)	Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.	2007-present

This week's Kodak Challenge hole

HOLE: The par-4, 434-yard 16th at PGA National
LAST YEAR: The 16th played to a stroke average of 4.185, with players recording 0 eagles, 44 birdies, 295 pars, 77 bogeys, 17 double bogeys and 2 others
DESCRIPTION: This dogleg right is the toughest par 4 of all of PGA National's 90 holes. Off the tee, everything slopes toward the water on the right, but a bunker was added to catch balls that roll too far right. Those who bail out left are faced with a 220-yard second shot over water, into the wind.