Grass is greener

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- They sit to the right of the ninth green at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, a series of small mounds that add a distinctive flavor to the tail end of 583 demanding yards.

But before you wonder what sort of havoc these mounds present to golfers who spray loose shots, consider instead the challenge they present to those entrusted with grass-cutting duties. It is not an easy task, but the technologically advanced "flymowers" are available, lightweight contraptions that sort of hover and enable a skilled worker to cut grass without shaving the banks.

Thus was yesterday's stroll around this Pete Dye gem nothing close to a good walk spoiled. Not beneath a stretch of blue sky that seemed to have no end. And not when your gaze became glued to the diligent crew near the ninth green complex, three men working conventional mowers and two operating flymowers. Never has grass-cutting at this venue captivated like this, because never has the job taken on such a central spot in The Players Championship.

But it has this year, which might lead you to scratch your head and ask, "What's new with this PGA Tour spectacular?"

The answer to which is: What isn't?

It is a tournament that dates back just 33 years, so The Players Championship is a mere infant when compared with majors: the Masters, born in 1934; the PGA Championship, 1916; the US Open, 1895; and the British Open, the granddaddy of them all, going all the way back to 1860. Yet those affairs are organized and operated by different golf bodies. When it comes to the PGA Tour, this is its marquee week, its flagship event if you will, and to add an exclamation point this year, officials have given new meaning to the concept of a face lift.

Let us count the ways.

1. A new date. It has been pushed back seven weeks on the schedule from the mid-March spot it occupied for years.

2. A new purse. The Associated Press reports that it will be announced at a whopping $9 million, making it the richest golf tournament in the world.

3. A new course. Well, not actually "new," but the Stadium Course was torn up in the days following last year's tournament, and upgraded with 26,600 tons of sand, 2.6 million square feet of new grass for the golfers, 116,600 feet of pipe for irrigation, and 19 acres of sod for landscaping. All of it was intended to upgrade the playing surface, to present players with firm and fast conditions that are considered the most challenging.

4. A new name. PGA Tour officials are saving letters on the stationery and calling it merely The Players. (Please pardon those of us in the media if we continue to tack on "Championship"; some changes are difficult to adjust to.)

5. A new clubhouse. And what a building it is. At 77,000 square feet, this Mediterranean Revival-style structure is more than twice the size of the old one.

"They did a great job. It's outstanding," said Jim Furyk as he made his way through a maze of hallways into the players' locker room. He appeared to know his way around pretty well, but he shook his head. "Haven't got a clue," he said, laughing.

What Furyk does know, and what his colleagues wholeheartedly agree on is this: The Players Championship -- oops, The Players -- may not be a "major," but it is the tour's most glamorous showcase, and now it will offer turf conditions more in line with the way the course was intended to play. It is generally agreed that Dye never intended to have thick rough guarding the fairways and greens; instead, hard and firm conditions are desired.

The only thing is, when the tournament was held in March, the weather was cooler, and coming off of winter, there wasn't enough heat to grow the dominant Bermuda grass. Thus . . . well, let's let Furyk, a transplanted Pennsylvanian who lives here, explain.

"It had to be overseeded," he said. "It had no choice. But when you overseed, you have to wet it down to keep the overseed. We don't want to see a golf course wet."

The moisture slowed the course and invited higher rough, issues that are not part of the equation with a move to May. Overseeding wasn't necessary this year. Officials have been able to wait for warmer weather, which has allowed the Bermuda grass to sprout, and as it has, the lawnmowers -- and flymowers -- have come out, much to the delight of tournament officials and players who are thrilled to see the rough cut to about 2 3/4 inches.

"In my opinion," said Furyk, "[the overseeding] ruined the style and the playability and the way that golf course should be played. It's a much better golf course played firm and fast."

Furyk seems to be in agreement with his colleagues.

Said Billy Andrade, who'll tee it up at Sawgrass for the 18th straight year, "I think we're all looking forward to seeing the course in May, as opposed to March."

But while the conditions should make for a more favorable tournament as far as the competitors are concerned, it remains to be seen how the move to mid-May goes over. To some, The Players Championship was the season's first big tournament, a preview of the Masters if you will. But in mid-May, baseball is in full bloom, the Masters has been played, and the US Open is on the horizon. Will The Players Championship have the same sort of buzz it did as a March entry?

"I think it will, even more," said Andrade, "but truth is, we don't know. Let's let it play out and then talk."

Though he hadn't seen the new clubhouse -- which needn't take a backseat to any of the mansions of Newport, R.I., in whose shadows he grew up -- Andrade was giving his stamp of approval to the "newness" on all fronts. He loves the date change, loves the change in course conditions. What he and his colleagues care little for is something old: the semantic debate on whether The Players Championship is the "fifth major."

"Who cares? It's our best tournament," said Andrade.

"I've gotten so tired of that," said Furyk. "My answer is: Does it matter? It's a good, strong field. I would say, bar none, it's by far the strongest field in golf, year in and year out, and it's probably the best way to market it."

Jim McCabe can be reached at jmccabe@globe.com.