PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Over the next few days, thousands of people will head to Ponte Vedra Beach to watch the world’s greatest golfers take on the TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium Course.
Fans are not allowed to attend The Players Championship's practice rounds on Monday, but the course will be open to the public on Tuesday.
If you are planning to attend, there are several affordable ways to get there besides driving yourself.
Practice rounds will be open to the public on Tuesday and Wednesday and parking in the general lot is free. During the tournament, it’s paid parking only, and parking passes need to be purchased in advance and can only be bought online.
Parking costs $35 on Thursday and $40 Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Tournament officials recommend carpooling. If there are four or more people in your car, parking is free.
But you must download a voucher, which allows free parking in the general lot off of County Road 210. A new voucher must be downloaded and printed for each day, or saved on an electronic device, and presented upon entry; there is no limit to the number of days guests can park for free. There are a limited number of vouchers available for print per day, and Friday and Saturday carpool vouchers are sold out.
“I think that is something that people definitely take advantage of," Tournament Director Ryan Hart said. "I would get those sooner rather than later."
To print your carpool voucher, go to www.theplayers.com.
Another popular option is ridesharing. This year, the drop-off and pick-up location will be the closest it’s ever been.
“I would actually say that the walk would be very similar to what the players would walk from their parking, so we are trying to make sure everyone gets an elevated experience, and I think this year they will get that with our new rideshare area,” Hart said.
Also new this year, there will be more than 250 cars staged at the rideshare area to help prevent backups when people leave the course. You can also drive a golf cart to the tournament and park for free or ride your bike for free. Bike racks are located at the back of lot 5 near Gate B, along with golf cart parking.
For more maps of the parking areas or information on disabled parking and shuttles from downtown, go to www.theplayers.com and choose transportation and parking under the "Plan Your Visit" menu.