May 5, 2009 -- The crown jewel event of the PGA Tour happens to take place at one of the most renowned courses in the world - and the home of the Tour - THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. How has the course, built under such high expectations, managed to improve every year? TPC National Director of Golf Billy Dettlaff gives us an idea.

PGA.com: Billy, we're now a couple of years removed from the multi-million dollar renovations done there at THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. The course has settled in, it's been tested by two Players Championships and the staff has had a chance to really ingest how the course now plays. Can you give the work done a grade?

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Dettlaff: So there's not a real modest way to say this, but based on our hopes and expectations -- I'd have to give the work an A+. The purpose of the work was to return the course to firm and fast conditions originally designed by Deane Beman and Pete Dye. We've done that in an ideal way. We've long maintained that this is the most democratic golf course in the world. That is, it doesn't favor any type of particular player. We have long par 5s, medium par 5s and short par 5s. The same for par 4s and par 3s. No single style of golfer has an advantage but for someone to excel here, they need to have all the shots working. The renovation only added 160 yards, but it's where those yards were added that makes this course such a ideal test. And with the sub-air units beneath the greens and the way this course now drains, we have a course that is the ultimate in design, layout and technology. We couldn't be more pleased.

PGA.com: How does the course look now?

Dettlaff: The course looks absolutely fantastic. We've gone almost two weeks with no rain, the soil temperatures have been ideal, the forecast for this week is really favorable, I think that the players and fans are in for a tremendous week. The course is certainly ready.

PGA.com: Billy, in all honesty, when the course first opened, it wasn't universally well received. Today, it's one of the favorite stops of the year for Tour players as well as amateur players. What gives?

Dettlaff: The original concept and design of this course has not changed. But don't forget that this is the players' course. They own this course and they are often asked to provide feedback on what we can do to make this the premier stop on the PGA Tour. And based on some of their ideas, the learnings of the best players in the world, certain tweaks can be made that make the course just a little bit better. And these small improvements, over time, give us a course where eagles and birdies are available, but bogeys and worse are also ever present. There's no let up on this course. The players know this course so well but also know that they can't ever take a shot for granted. For the fans, every hole is a great story onto itself. Take a look at our past winners here and you'll see that any one can win here: shorter hitters like Justin Leonard, bombers like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, there's just no way to predict who's going to come out on top. And I think that adds to the appeal here as well.

PGA.com: Speaking of a great appeal, you offer something there called the Tour Player Experience. What is that?

Dettlaff: The Tour Player Experience is what we offer the everyday golfer to come here and experience what it would be like to play in The Players Championship. From the moment they pull up, we envelope the guest in an experience that simply cannot be recreated anywhere else. From the many momentos they'll receive from their time here, to their registration in the President's Cup Library, their shared locker with a former Players Championship champion, their walk through the tunnel of champions to greet their caddie (with their name on the caddie bib), it's one of those opportunities to experience golf at a level that most people just can't imagine.

PGA.com: Well, many people can imagine it because TPC Sawgrass has to be one of the most recognized courses in the world, right? As a pioneer of online and video gaming, everyone knows this course and hole no. 17.

Dettlaff: We're proud that we have a high visibility and a good name recognition - and certainly the games and the tournament help quite a bit. But I'd argue that we're noted as one of the world's favorite courses because of the quality of the layout and the level of service we provide, not just the exposure we get.

PGA.com: Good point. But hole no. 17, still maybe the most famous par three in the world. About how many golf balls do you guys fish out of that water each year?

Dettlaff: We average taking out 120,000 golf balls out of the water around the 17th green each year. Now this is even more amazing when you consider that we average around 40,000 rounds per year. Obviously, that averages out to three balls per golfer into the water. But we are actually aware of even better stories. There are many golfers that bring a dozen balls with them specifically for the hole, they are so determined to put a ball on that green. We even have a sign up that asks golfers to proceed to the drop area after putting two balls in the water. People see the sign, acknowledge it, but often just dig right back into their bags.

PGA.com: Any predictions for this week?

Dettlaff: [laughter] I predict a great tournament and all the fans, here and watching on television and online, are going to have one of the best weeks of the year for golf.