17th hole at TPC Sawgrass

The 17th hole at The Players Championship is probably the most recognisable hole in professional golf. Most pros only use a wedge or a 9-iron, depending on wind, so why do so many of them come unstuck there?
Balls in water since 2007:
2007: 93
2008: 64
2009: 30
2010: 29
2011: 40
According to the golfer's bible, Agonisng Golf for Pros, it's because 99 percent of pros have absolutely no empathy for that which is the most precious thing to them.
Their golf ball.
Rather than focussing on their target or technical aspects of their swing, the pros should take the time to understand the hole from the ball's point of view. There it is, perched on a tee, with the crowd willing it to end up in the water. It's future depends on a golfer with sweaty palms and shaky nerves. Now if the pro could just channel that feeling, his brain would focus completely on the ball, and all the extraneous imaginings would disappear. He'd think only of the yardage and a solid strike.
So, how do the 99 percent of pros get that viewpoint?
Simple. In the practice round, they set up as if they're going to tee off but, instead of hitting the ball, they throw themselves in the water. Those who are serious about mastering the hole will do a couple of somersaults, for verisimilitude, before they hit the water.
The pro will stay under the water as long as they can hold their breath. (Ideally, they would take a long straw with them and stay under for half an hour, but play at that hole already takes too long).
They must then finish the hole, dripping wet.
The first pros to try this did it in 2008 and, as you can see from the table above, numbers of balls in the water dropped every year until 2011. That abberation was caused by the Players management telling the pros to take a long shower instead. Statistics show how unsuccessful that was.




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