Standing on the tee box of one of the most iconic holes in golf, the par-3 17th island hole at TPC Sawgrass, I swung the eight-iron and let it fly. I've only swung a golf club once in the last 20 years, so there was no way I would ever land where so many have failed before. This hole is where golf balls go to swim with the fishes.
Yet... my shot was straight, nice loft I thought, and heading right for the island. Glory would be mine. Bragging rights for eternity. But maybe I should have gone with a 7-iron. I came up just short and landed in the water.
But at least I didn't have to drive five-hours plus to Ponte Vedra, just southeast of Jacksonville, to play one of the most famous golf holes in the ancient game just to hit into the water. And at least I didn't have to deal with the 90 degree heat.
No, I just drove over to Tee It Up on Nine Mile Road right here in Pensacola and played TPC Sawgrass Hole 17 in comfy air conditioning.
Tee It Up is a golf simulation facility/sports bar and grill that brothers-in-law Michael Massey and Billy Hammac opened in September. It offers seven golf simulators with 12-by-12-foot screens, and computer technology that gives virtual access to more than 1,000 golf courses. You can play Augusta National, home of the Masters and try to tackle fabled Amen Corner. Or old St. Andrews, and its legendary No. 17 Road Hole. You can play Pebble Beach, New York's Bethpage Black, Pinehurst in North Carolina and pretty much any dream course on your golf bucket list. Or, you can just program a driving range and hit bombs.
"That's a popular one,'' Tee It Up manager Roger Woodward said of the TPC Sawgrass course. "We have pretty much any course you want to play, and there are (virtual) courses that people created. There are so many options with the software."
He said Augusta National is popular too, but sometimes folks might give it up after four or five holes because, you know, it's not easy.
The simulator measures each shot, giving a variety of data from club speed, ball speed and distance to swing path, club face position and much more for the advanced golfer.
"If you're really trying to improve your game, that can be important information,'' Massey said. "If you just want to have fun, you ignore it."
And the always-favored 19th hole of any course ‒ the clubhouse or bar adjacent to the course, is just a nine-iron away. No, not the distance for a nine-iron. The length of the actual club. (That's a wordy way to say the bar and grill is right there. Go full-on John Daly and have a hot dog and burger between shots, and a soda or beer of course.)
Tee It Up is not a chain. It's just a dream of the brothers-in-law who aren't pros by any stretch. They just picked up golf about a year before opening the business. They hit into the water too. But they found they loved the game of golf, which can be expensive ‒ according to the National Golf Foundation, the national average green fee at public courses is $37, up $5 since the COVID pandemic. If you want to book a round at TPC Sawgrass and take a swing at the Island Hole, fees start at $500 to $700 a round, depending on season. You can play the course at Tee It Up and it's $12 an hour.
"We wanted to make it as inexpensive as possible and give everyone a chance to play,'' Massey said. "We had been playing about a year and tearing up the grass and felt bad about holding people up. (Novice golfers can attest this can be very anxiety inducing.) We talked about it and decided to go for it and open this place. We can practice, the community can practice or just play and have fun. You don't have to travel, and you can play any course you want, and you don't have to worry about what the weather is like outside."
He said rainy days are always busy, which makes sense if you had planned on hitting a local course that day with your buddies.
Tee It Up hosts various tournaments and events and offers College Nights on Tuesdays and Thursdays ‒ the University of West Florida is just a few miles down ‒ offering students half-price golf and other specials. You can bring your own clubs and balls, or Tee It Up will provide them for you.
You may like:Old golf course in Cantonment gets new lease on life with playground, walking track, more
"We get everyone from beginners or maybe people who have never picked up a club to people who have played for 20 or 30 years," Woodward said. "It's just a good atmosphere."
Tee It Up has a party room with its own simulator, a few small putting greens, and a grill offering traditional bar food.
On early Tuesday afternoon, Jackie Reese came in to Tee It Up to check it out.
A minute later, Massey was showing Reese, 77, one of the simulators and explaining its operation. A moment later, Massey was hitting shots down a virtual range.
"I used to play a little bit," said Reese, who lives nearby. "I broke my neck two years ago and had cancer. I quit playing about 10 years ago, but I came in here today to see if I still can hit it."
A few more swings.
"It feels good," he said. "I hit it a little way down there."
He's pretty sure he'll be back.
"I think I'll be back for sure,'' Reese said. "It's kind of neat all this stuff and the technology. I'm going to take a few more swings and see how it goes."
(For the record, photographer Gregg Pachkowski took a couple very nice, smooth shots at TPC No. 17, but couldn't keep the ball dry earlier. And yes, I took three more whacks. Two shanked, and another right on line and short. I'll be back. I'll find dry land.)
Tee It Up is located at 312 E. Nine Mile Road, right next to yummy Tokyo restaurant. For more information, including specials, party requests and more, go to teeituppensacola.com or call 850-741-3112.
