The satisfying cup-cutting process at TPC Sawgrass' 17th hole

Every day at THE PLAYERS Championship, the elite agronomy team at TPC Sawgrass cuts the hole location for the iconic Island Green on the 17th hole. On days where the transition happens from round-to-round in the middle of the day, fans get to see the hole cutting. Take a behind-the-scenes look at the process that goes into cutting the hole locations at one of the most famous holes in golf.
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TPC Sawgrass will once again host THE PLAYERS Championship, with 43 of the top 50 golfers in the world teeing it up at the iconic event. After a brilliant run that has seen him claim three wins in six starts on the PGA TOUR this year, World No. 1 Jon Rahm will lead the field. Reigning FedExCup Champion and winner of THE PLAYERS in 2019 Rory McIlroy will be confident in challenging for glory after an impressive showing at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational saw him finish T2, just one shot behind eventual winner Kurt Kitayama. All 14 players who have won on TOUR this season will be competing, including Max Homa, who currently sits in second in the FedExCup Standings. The Californian shot an impressive 6-under-par 66 in the final round of last year’s event to finish T13. 2021 winner Justin Thomas will be looking for his first win since the 2022 PGA Championship. The World No. 9 has recorded just one top-10 finish so far in 2023 and will be looking to recreate some of the magic that saw him shoot a combined 12-under-par across rounds three and four to secure THE PLAYERS two years ago. 30 players will be competing in the event for the first time, including 2022 Wyndham Championship and Shriners Children’s Open winner Tom Kim.
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[@jopo7996]

I can't believe I just watched the hole thing.

[@WSB732]

we're golf fans

[@andrewinfosec]

bravo sir

[@mototaco2132]

me too

[@lgpf8346]

I see what you did there

[@jonathanduarte1318]

Love watching people do this! I know the guy who was making the hole! Huge shout out to him! Worked with him for a year at my golf course and it was an honor to work with him!

[@usmclongrangebrainsurgeon]

I worked with him too. He never took criticism well, would cut you a new hole if you said anything bad about him

[@jeffmartin3406]

Nothing gets the whole club talking more than picking a bad pin location. It is an art form.

[@Jerryklocke]

I owned a golf course for 10 years and cutting the holes was one of my favorite things to do. Sometimes I would take my kids with me and they really had fun picking out the pin locations.

[@steviewonder2492]

🤯

[@XB10001]

I would love to own one one day. I was advised against it many times, though. Was it worth it financially?

[@Jerryklocke]

@@XB10001 In my case it was not. The course was in rough shape and needed a lot of work. We under estimated how much time and money it would take. I don't regret it and I learned so much. I don't complain anymore about a course I'm playing because I have seen and worked the other side.

[@XB10001]

@@Jerryklocke same thing I heard. And you need a ton of permits as well. Thanks for the reply. I still hope to own one one day. 🤷‍♂️

[@demonof9]

Work of art.

[@egacordero168]

One of the most gratifying job , setting up the course together with cup cutting.. shout out to my mentors Darren Moore and Jim Sprankle. With them, I polished details on golf course maintenance, bunker reconstruction etc. Need to mention likewise Boy Escaño for his contribution to the success of the Philippine golf course maintenance industry.

[@XB10001]

Imagine practicing random acts of kindness with the same amount of care and dedication!

[@BB--13118]

Pin locations are usually chosen before the tournament. They are usually marked on the green with little dots of paint. Before the hole is put in, officials will come out and test the green and the location. Green. They'll use the stimpmeter to test the speed and they will roll or putt balls towards the predetermined location. They will use that information to fine tune the location. Next time you go to a tournament, if you're there for any round but the final round, watch the caddies on the green. You'll see them look for the marking for the next day's pin location. That helps their golfer out the next day

[@ronniepainter5198]

Today I worked on learning cup cutting….i want to be this great

[@Fat40YearOldGolfer82]

Legit amazing

[@HughJorgan1]

The randomness of the spot is surprising. It’s generally in the traditional Saturday location (“Better than most!”) but you’d think they’d measure an exact spot.

[@CosmicApe]

It is measured exactly. Someone would have gone around beforehand and measured exact pin locations and marked the green with a small dot. That's what the first guy is using to line up the black pad exactly where it needs to be.

[@TheTalesofPolishRoyalty]

I want this as a job. I would be so good at it.

[@aakashaessa]

Someone should send this to John Allen at Arroyo Del Oso in Albuquerque NM,

[@kale.online]

How do you get this job?

[@markdowse3572]

My goodness! 😲 What an exacting process... The use of the small scissors was the true touch of sheer professionalism. Excellent! 👍🤗 One down, 17 more to go! 😁 M 🦘🏏😎

[@billosborne5070]

It might look like fun but this guy has to do it 17 more times,think about doing it in the rain! Been THERE done that

[@egacordero168]

And practice putting greens as well cheers ⛳

[@jakabokbotch99]

If you're going to complain, just ride around and appear as though you serve a purpose.

[@elscruffomcscruffy8371]

People will applaud anything 😅

[@steviewonder2492]

This was great, but I have seen better ones

[@Allen-zm7yd]

I thought it was a game

[@Ryanthegolfer]

did he butcher the lip?

[@BB--13118]

If you're referring to the use of the scissors, when he pulls the plug out, some of the small blades of grass are pulled upwards. Trimming them with the scissor evens out the grass around the cup.

[@scottprisk4886]

He definitely did

[@user-ln2km3bh6v]

Bro this is a one person job

[@pjludda4323]

S A C R E D ...@_@

[@lafawnduh1543]

It takes two azzholes to make a hole in the earth? Lol. I love how they look at each other confirming something??? Should've busted out a level to double confirm.

[@jakabokbotch99]

Everybody here are experts at cutting cups. There's no way that paint job would pass PGA standards. Oh...wait...it probably did because they were too distracted by LIV.

[@matthewyoung7246]

🥴🥱🥱👎