Meet the Legendary ‘Munchkins,’ the Celebrated Founding Fathers of the PGA Tour’s $25M Event’s Host Course

The Players Championship and TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course go hand in hand, way back in history. The game of golf saw a unique turn when a bunch of men who called themselves ‘The Munchkins’ brought a new spark along with them. It all dates back to the 1980s when Jim Colbert approached the man who thought of the special name and wanted to join TPC Sawgrass. But who were these Munchkins? And what makes the golf course so synonymous with the Players Championship?

The Munchkins and their relationship with TPC Sawgrass

The Players Championship is one of the most awaited tournaments of all time among golf professionals. Not just players, but also fans are extremely excited to witness the spectacular competition among the world’s best golfers. The tournament is scheduled to go on one from Mar 9-12. Moreover, the field is full of talented players including Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, and many more.

Well, it is not very common for so many top players to be present at the same venue. Hence, it is clear that the Players Championship holds a special place in the game for everyone in the golf fraternity. And so does TPC Sawgrass.

One of the most prestigious and historically valuable golf courses, TPC Sawgrass holds great importance in the books of the game. Almost thirty years ago, the TPC Sawgrass celebrated its grand opening. Legend is the witness of how former PGA Tour commissioner, Deane Beman, bought 415 acres of ‘swampland’ only for a single dollar. And after he did that, Pete Dye magically transformed the entire place into the home for the Players Championship.

But despite the whole transformation, it was all possible after 30 founding members decided to join and paid $20,000 for it. And among these members were 12 Munchkins, who received a 40-year membership along with no dues, cart, or range-ball fees for 20 years. Moreover, they were allowed to transfer their membership to a family member, or even sell it to another person! And not just that. They could even get their money refunded in 2020.

But not everyone believed in the project. In the words of former tour professional Bob Dickson, “What they bought into was a dream,”. Moreover, when the commissioner took the proposal of TPC Sawgrass to the tour board, they simply laughed at him. But later, the tour allowed the Beman to build the place without risking Tour assets or capital. And to everyone’s surprise, he took a big risk.

Community leaders started bringing in memberships including Dickson who worked very hard for the cause. And in the end, the tour was able to raise $1 million from the leaders. Along with that, the founding members handed the tour a seed capital of $3 million in the form of a loan. And that helped Beman to build a cathedral for fans and a home for the Munchkins!

But how did the Munchkins get their name? According to Tucker, they were all playing at the Sawgrass Country Club one day when he yelled about how tired he and his partner were of giving strokes to their midget opponents. And to make fun of them, he said, “Will you look at them? They look like a bunch of dad gum Munchkins up there.” Well, the name stuck!

The excitement heightened as the Munchkins started appearing on the field every single day. Winkler, who passed away in 2008, said the Munchkins only played on days that ended with a “Y”. Every day, the earliest tee times were reserved for them no matter what. It used to be nothing less than a surprise if they didn’t show up someday for any given reason. The club even started printing special scorecards for them with extra lines.

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The group kept having more and more members through the years, and that was when Beman and Dickson decided to join. Moreover, Sid Wilson, Mike Bodney, and Duke Butler also came in after being longtime Tour staffers. Unfortunately, many of them quit golf soon, some got involved in other jobs, and others joined other clubs. But the ones who stayed back still have the respect of the fans as well as commissioner Tim Finchem. He recently called them to his office, thanked them for their amazing contribution, and said they could continue to play for free for another 20 years!

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