Besides the 144 Golfers at the $25 Million Players Championship, What Else Can One Expect to Find Roaming the Grounds at TPC Sawgrass?

Top players on the PGA Tour are in Florida this week competing at the Players Championship. They hold the whopping $25 million event at the legendary TPC Sawgrass course. The course has an abundant history of golf and has given rise to many star golfers. But that’s not all the course has spawned. With its large open spaces, water features, and green areas, the course has also seen many animals on its greens and fairways. And some of them are just unbelievable!

Birds sighted at the home of the Players Championship

Besides the golf players bringing out their inner animals this week, the fans and the public can of course find other actual beasts on the course at the Players Championship. From birds to water creatures, the course attracts all sorts of wild animals. While some are insanely cute, others are shockingly horrifying. But one thing is certain: the course sure does keep the golfers on their toes with its animal surprises!

Nearly four decades ago, they built the Tours flagship course on 415 acres of swamp and forest in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. And of course, it’s safe to say that since then thousands of animals have been spotted on its course. Among those houses, they also spotted three birds at the course multiple times.

The Bald Eagle: America’s national bird, had graced the TPC Sawgrass course too many times. And with nests on the course, it was certain that there would be more than just one.

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Owls: Owls were also a commonly spotted bird at the course in its early days, and although now they can be heard hooting through the night on the course, they’re not as commonly sighted as before. And with their gigantic eyes, they always made for adorable, picturesque moments.

Cranes: Considering the water bodies at the Florida course, it is almost certain to find a crane or two lurking about. And surely enough, there are many on the course, close to the hazards and ponds, squawking and in search of fish.

Water animals at TPC Sawgrass

Had the 415 acres been all dry land, perhaps there would have been fewer dangerous animals spotted, but of course, with its prime Florida location and ample water bodies, TPC Sawgrass was a resort for all amphibians and water creatures too. And some dangerous ones made their way onto the course.

Alligators: Florida is, of course, home to a whopping 1.3 million alligators. Occasionally, some found their way to the course, leaving the unexpected people there in horror. Other courses in Florida, too, have seen similar events. Let’s just say it’s a Sunshine State thing! Project manager Vernon Kelly once even recalled a time, as per a 2016 PGA Tour article, when talking about the course being set up, he and the construction foreman Dave Postlethwait fell into an “alligator pit” and fled for their lives.

Water Snakes: The water moccasin, or cottonmouth, was the most common water snake at the TPC Sawgrass. They often stayed underwater in the ponds and lakes, but from there, they created havoc. “One of the surveyors was bitten by a moccasin as he was walking across a ditch,” said Kelly. “He recovered, but after he’d gotten really sick and had to go to the hospital.”

Land animals at the golf course

Of course, more than the birds and water-based animals were those who roamed the 415-acre course. And there were many. From the commonly spotted squirrels and raccoons to the rare ones, the course has probably seen them all. And the most unexpected and deadly ones will certainly shock you.

Rattle Snakes: Snakes, of course, are not at all uncommon finds on the course. But some of the rattlesnakes that people have seen over time have been quick and terrifying. Kelly once almost stepped on a large one, too. Well, that’ll leave you scared of snakes if you aren’t already!

Deer: There was also a deer at the course. And this wasn’t just some wild beast; he was a pet, named “Magnum.” He would adorably follow around the people in a cart, and the workers would feed him “milk out of a baby bottle,” recalled Postlethwait. Unfortunately, Magnum got stolen ultimately and was never seen again.

The goat issue at the home ground of the Players Championship

Goats: Probably the most uncommon sighting at the TPC would now be a goat. But there was a time when they were flooding the course. And what led to that was a genius plan that Pete Davison, the club’s first head professional, hatched.

Because they were short on funds at the time, he bought goats for the course to “clean up the roughs.” They chewed through it all. “It was pretty innovative, and in about six or eight months, the goats had cleaned up 80 percent of the problem,” stated former PGA Tour Commissioner Deane Beman.

But they came with their own problems of running rampant. Falling into ponds with alligators in them and swimming for their lives and even climbing on roofs and not being able to get back down. Eventually, a year after the Stadium Course opened, Postlethwait gave them away. Claiming they had become “a pain.”

Which of these animal sightings surprised you the most? Have you seen any of them on a course firsthand? Let us know in the comments below.