Inside the course: TPC Boston

Badz/PGA TOUR
The 16th hole at TPC Boston reflects the fact that it's the second event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.
August 26, 2008
PGA TOUR staff
Fast facts
Original architect Palmer Course Design Co. (2001)
Course remodel Hanse Golf Course Design (2006/2007)
Course superintendent Thomas Brodeur
Number of TOUR events as host venue 6 (including 2008)
Course ranking Ranked 36 (out of 55) in difficulty on the PGA TOUR in 2007
Yardage history 7,415 yards (2003-2006)
7,207 yards (2007-present)
Grass Princeville creeping bentgrass (tees, fairways); A-4 creeping bentgrass (greens); Kentucky bluegrass/fescue (rough)
Tournament Stimpmeter 11.5 ft
Sand bunkers 52
Water hazards 5
Course tour Click here
Course record
 Player
Vijay Singh
 Year
2006		 Round
3rd		 Finish
2nd
Holes-in-one
There have been 4 aces recorded during the Deutsche Bank Championship.
Player Hole Year
Robert Allenby 16 2006
Jonathan Byrd 11 2006
Kevin Stadler 3 2005
Garrett Willis 11 2003
2007 Rankings
Most Difficult Hole
The par-4 492 yard 5th
The TPC Boston really starts to show its teeth on the 5th hole. Drives must be long and accurate to avoid a strategically placed bunker on the left side of the fairway. This will lead to a mid-iron approach shot to a 3-tiered green, with trouble left and right.
2007: 0 eagles, 24 birdies, 212 pars, 66 bogeys, 5 double bogeys, 2 others.
Easiest hole in 2007
The par-5 528-yard 18th
This par 5 finishing hole will undoubtedly be controversial. Players can choose to carry two bunkers in the middle of the fairway and leave themselves a chance to reach the green with a fairway wood. Or the longest hitters can carry the right fairway bunker around 320 yards, giving themselves a mid-iron approach for a chance at eagle. The players choosing to lay up on their second shot will still need to avoid a pot bunker in the center of the fairway in order to score well. There will be plenty of birdies, bogeys, and heartbreak on this finishing hole.
2007: 18 eagles, 170 birdies, 155 pars, 27 bogeys, 4 double bogeys, 0 others.
TPC Boston2007 rankings Last 5 years
Hole Par Yards Avg. Score Rank Avg. Score Rank
1 4 365 3.925 14 3.899 15
2 5 554 4.711 17 4.762 17
3 3 184 2.997 10 3.051 10
4 4 298 3.714 16 4.028 12
5 4 466 4.187 1 4.195 2
6 4 465 4.045 9 4.135 7
7 5 600 4.850 15 4.813 16
8 3 213 3.128 6 3.145 6
9 4 472 4.152 2 4.191 4
10 4 425 4.056 8 4.041 11
11 3 231 3.142 4 3.204 1
12 4 461 4.112 7 4.099 8
13 4 451 4.150 3 4.164 5
14 4 495 4.139 5 4.195 2
15 4 426 3.976 11 3.996 13
16 3 161 2.963 12 3.090 9
17 4 412 3.944 13 3.907 14
18 5 528 4.543 18 4.646 18
NOTES: The only par-5 on the back nine holes is the easiest hole of the course.
• The 5th hole was ranked 198 (out of 990) in difficulty on the PGA TOUR in 2007 and was considered the most difficult hole of the course.
• The easiest hole on the course, the 18th was ranked 953 out of 990 on the PGA TOUR in 2007.
Course origins
The TPC Boston project started as a 600 acre parcel of land, with 155 acres deeded to conservation trusts by partnership. The facility has 3,800 linear feet of wooden bridges crossing the 265 acres of wetlands found throughout the site.
Four acres of land were given to the Massachusetts Golf Association to be used for an on-site headquarters. Allied golf associations also will be headquartered in the same building. Additionally the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund and the Ouimet Museum will be housed in the golf association building with 90 acres at the entrace to the TPC being utilized for an office park and hotel, at a future date.
The golf course site was formerly used for charcoal production for the jewelry, brick and iron industries, lumber for ship construction, gravel mining to build the adjacent Interstate 495 and most recently as a flea market. -- Source: Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
Tournament course history
Course Location Years
TPC Boston Norton, Mass. 2003-present

The second event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup will be held at TPC Boston in Norton, Mass. Here's all you want to know about the course: