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THE ULTIMATE SET OF GOLF CLUBS

Sports enthusiasts dream of stepping up to the plate at Yankee Stadium, riding a horse wire to wire at Churchill Downs, hitting a shot at the buzzer at Madison Square Garden, or shooting a puck past the goalie at the Boston Garden. But these are generally just dreams.

For golfers, however, their big-time duffer dreams can become realities. Thanks to the PGA TOUR's Tournament Players Clubs (TPCs), any golfer can play where the pros play. Quite simply, the TPCs are the ultimate set of golf clubs.

In 1980, the PGA TOUR moved its national headquarters to Ponte Vedra Beach in northeast Florida and also ushered in the stadium golf concept with the opening of the TPC at Sawgrass. The PGA TOUR and then-Commissioner Deane Beman had wanted to create a more enjoyable experience for the golf spectator and this was achieved by providing amphitheaters and strategic mounding around the tees and greens.

Because of this concept, professional golf now involves the spectator like no other sport. TPCs also led to much larger crowds and corporate hospitality events, meaning that more than $50 million has been generated for charities in the past ten years, thanks to the PGA TOUR's active charitable activities. But the same concept that made for great professional golf also created great venues for everyday play.

Following the success of its first club, the TPC Network grew quickly. There are now more than 25 facilities domestically and overseas. The courses continually receive awards and recognition for being among the world's best courses. For instance, Golf Magazine's 1996 rankings included the TPC at Sawgrass and the Stadium Course at PGA West as among the 'Top 100 Courses You Can Play in the U.S.' and ranked the TPC at Heron Bay as 'Top Ten to Play' for 1997.

"The TPC Network has continued to expand nationally, as well as internationally, reflecting the growing interest in golf worldwide," says PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. "Throughout this expansion, the Network has remained dedicated to maintaining only the highest of standards."

These standards mean using some of the top architects in the business to design the courses, including Pete Dye, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Arthur Hills, Jay Morrish, Tom Weiskpf, and Bob Von Hagge. A recent example is the TPC at Heron Bay in Coral Springs, which just opened last year and was designed by long-time TOUR member Mark McCumber. The course is the new home of the Honda Classic.

The PGA TOUR also secures the services of its members as design consultants. Among the contributors are Ben Crenshaw, Fuzzy Zoeller, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Ed Sneed, Hubert Green, Craig Stadler, and Al Geiberger. Raymond Floyd served as design consultant for the TPC at The Canyons, home of the Las Vegas Senior Classic. While creating a strong championship venue, Floyd was particularly sensitive to helping create a golf course that will be enjoyable for the daily fee players who will be pursuing their golf dreams the other 51 weeks of the year. "A TPC has to satisfy unique tournament needs while maintaining the character, drama, and strategy of any great championship course," says Chris Gray, Director of Design for PGA TOUR Design Services.

Besides great courses, TPC standards also include excellent amenities. All TPCs offer attractive clubhouses, comfortable locker rooms, award-winning golf shops, tournament quality golf course maintenance, excellent dining facilities, golf instruction, and generally giant practice facilities (that's how the pros get so good). Many of the TPCs are also associated with top-notch resorts, like the Marriott at Sawgrass and the Princess Hotel at the TPC of Scottsdale.

But what about playing where the pros play? There are a variety of memberships offered at the various TPCs, depending on the club concept. Thanks to reciprocal aggreements, most memberships enable you to perfect your game at your home TPC course and then take it on the road to other TPCs in the Network.

But many of the courses are also available for daily fees or to resort guests. It's thus easy to play where the pros play, even if you aren't a TPC member (you'll soon want to be).

Currently, TPCs available to the public (through daily fees or for resort guests) include: the TPC at the Canyons in Las Vegas, Nevada; the TPC at Heron Bay in Coral Springs, Florida; the TPC at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida; the TPC of Scottsdale in Arizona; the TPC of Tampa Bay in Florida; the TPC Las Colinas at the Four Seasons Resort and Club in Irving, Texas; the Stadium Course at PGA West in La Quinta, California; and the TPC at the Woodlands in Texas.

Other TPCs in the U.S. include: the TPC at Avenel in Potomac, Maryland; the TPC at Dearborn in Michigan; the TPC at Eagle Trace in Coral Springs, Florida; the TPC at Jasna Polana in Princeton, New Jersey; the TPC at Piper Glen in Charlotte, North Carolina; the TPC at Prestancia in Sarasota, Florida; the TPC at River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut; the TPC at Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee; the TPC at Sugarloaf in Atlanta, Georgia; and the TPC at Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition, overseas courses include three TPCs in Japan, two in Thailand, and one in China. TPC courses are also planned for Valencia, California; San Diego; King County, Washington; and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The TPC at Sawgrass was the first TPC to hold a PGA TOUR event, becoming the permanent home of The Players Championship in 1982. Others soon followed. In 1996 alone, 15 PGA TOUR or Senior PGA TOUR events were held on TPC courses.

But the rest of the year, these courses mean great golf for non-pros. You literally have a chance to hit a bunker shot just like Jack Nicklaus may have had the previous week on ESPN. But you don't necessarily have to play from the pro tees or you may never finish your dream round.

"A good plan for playing TPCs is to forget about where the pros hit from--called 'TPC tees'--and step up to the middle or forward markers," says Peter Morrice, an editor at Golf Magazine. "If the pros outdrive you by 30 or 40 yards, take a head start from the tee and you'll face the same approach they do--those same shots you see on tournament telecasts. It's a more authentic experience than playing from the tips and wearing the finish off your 3-wood."

But no matter which tees you choose, you'll soon walk in the same fairways (or, golfing gods forbid, the rough) as the likes of your buddies Jack, Arnold, Tom, Greg, and many others. It's almost better than hitting a home run at Yankee Stadium.

--For further information, contact the individual TPCs or the PGA TOUR at 112 TPC Boulevard, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082, (904) 285-3700.