Tournament Players Club (TPC) is a chain of public and private golf courses operated by the PGA Tour. Most of the courses either are or have been hosts for PGA Tour events, with the remainder having frequently hosted events on the second-tier Nationwide Tour or the over-50s Champions Tour.
The first Tournament Players Club was TPC at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, designed in 1980 and now the headquarters of the PGA Tour. TPC courses are designed to accommodate the large crowds attracted to high profile tournaments. One of the drivers for the development of the chain by the PGA Tour, is that by holding tournaments on its own courses, it avoids sharing the proceeds with external course owners.
In 2007, the PGA Tour reached an agreement with Heritage Golf Group for the sale of four TPC courses; TPC Eagle Trace, TPC Michigan, TPC Piper Glen, and TPC Prestancia. Although they would be owned and operated by Heritage, all would retain their TPC branding. In February 2008, TPC Tampa Bay became the fifth course to be bought by Heritage Golf Group. The Tampa Bay course also retained its TPC branding under a licensing agreement.
Famous quotes containing the words players and/or club:
“The players have often mentioned it as an honour to Shakespeare, that in his writing, whatsoever he penned, he never blotted out [a] line. My answer hath been, “Would he had blotted a thousand.””
—Ben Jonson (c. 1572–1637)
“We have ourselves to answer for.”
—“Jennie June” Croly 1829–1901, U.S. founder of the woman’s club movement, journalist, author, editor. Demorest’s Illustrated Monthly and Mirror of Fashions, pp. 24-5 (January 1870)