Pucks In Deep
Famous island green hole turns into hockey rink thanks to cold freeze
When you see the phrase "famous island green," you automatically assume the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass. We can assure you, though, that it will never be cold enough in Ponte Vedra for the lake surrounding the iconic par 3 to freeze.
One place it can get that cold is Missouri, where the Tiger Woods-designed Payne's Valley Golf Course is located just outside of Branson. While not yet as famous as Sawgrass' 17th, the 19th hole at Payne's Valley has quickly become one of the most photogenic holes in golf since the course opened in 2020:
She's certainly a beaut. Much like in the Northeast over the last week or so, though, the Ozarks experienced a cold spell that turned the small pond surrounding the 19th into a hockey rink. Jeff Steen, the VP at Big Cedar Lodge, tossed on some skates and carved it up:
When the vibe switches from "just get it on the green... just get it on the green" to "just gotta get pucks in deep" >>>>>>>>.
Sadly, it looks like it's already warming back up in Missouri, just like in the Northeast, where I played pond hockey myself last weekend and didn't realize at the time it was probably going to be our only good skate of the year. What a shame. Perhaps we'll be playing golf again soon, though.