That depends wholly on the criteria, obviously, but if interesting architecture is the measure then the answer is a resounding ‘no’.

It’s easy to confuse entertaining and interesting in this context but the not-technically-an-island 17th is 100 percent the former while showing zero hallmarks of the latter.

The entertainment comes every year during The Players, as it did again this year, when we get the rare opportunity to see multiple of the world’s best players humiliated.

As recreational golfers, there is a guilty pleasure in seeing the very best humbled and Sawgrass’ 17th gives the gift annually. In abundance.

This year’s victims included surprise round one leader Chad Ramey who put two balls in the water on his way to a quadruple bogey Friday.

Aaron Baddeley, who has the dubious honour of hitting more balls in the water here than any other player since 2003 with 13, even had to endure mockery from his own son.

The siren sounded to halt play on day two just as Baddeley prepared to hit. As the group waited on the tee before heading back to the clubhouse, Baddeley’s family joined him and son Josiah took the opportunity to mimic his dad setting up and hitting.

"It’s easy to confuse entertaining and interesting in this context but the not-technically-an-island 17th is 100 percent the former while showing zero hallmarks of the latter." - Rod Morri.

The mockery came moments later when the youngster threw his hands in the air as he watched the imaginary ball finding the water.

(For the most simultaneously entertaining and heartbreaking perspective of the torture this hole can inflict on a player read Phil Blackmar’s blog about his travails here in 1990 and 1991 https://pblackmar.wordpress.com)

There are countless other horror stories and while none are pleasant all are, unquestionably, entertaining.

Which is subtly different to the hole being interesting.

Sawgrass’ most famous hole is a simplistic, do or die proposition: hit the ball on the green or head to the drop zone. There is no chance of recovery.

Interesting architecture, on the other hand, is the opposite of that. It’s about options and requiring players to think.

It also offers the chance of recovery, by far the most interesting aspect of the game.

The very best examples of interesting design allow multiple players to tackle a hole multiple different ways yet still achieve success.

Think the 14th of The Old Course at St Andrews or the 13th at Augusta National.

It’s a more difficult thing to achieve with a par-3, of course, but the famed 16th at Cypress Point might be a good counter to Sawgrass’s 17th.

The shot straight at the green is daunting and beyond the capabilities of many but there is an alternative route to the left if pride allows one to play the hole as a two shotter.

The only thing one can say in defence of Sawgrass’ 17th is that it was built specifically to test this world class field.

Ironically, that fact is also partly responsible for the hole’s second crime: it’s influence beyond Ponte Vedra Beach.

Because the hole attracts so much attention many golfers make the mistake of thinking it must be an example of ‘good’, hence multiple copies have been built around the world.

The frustration that must have caused recreational players is incalculable and does little to promote interest and curiosity in the game.

Difficult golf is the easiest thing in the world to design. Interesting golf is much harder.

Pete Dye was a master of the latter but in Sawgrass’ 17th he and wife Alice designed an entertaining yet architecturally uninteresting example of the former.