Major Change Unveiled To Bay Hill's 17th Hole Ahead Of Arnold Palmer Invitational
The distinctive beach bunker at Bay Hill’s 17th has been replaced ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational


For decades, one of the most distinctive features of the par-3 17th hole at Bay Hill has been its beach bunker to the right of the green. However, in time for the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational, it has been removed, with a bank of rough now in its place.
The extent of the change can be seen in before and after aerial photographs published by the PGA Tour’s X account. The side-by-side images clearly show the difference, with the huge expanse of sand along the entire right side of the green now replaced with a more traditional-looking bank.
"Things are going to look a little different coming down the stretch @APInv." 👀 pic.twitter.com/24JIM6b7aoMarch 5, 2025
One player in the field for the signature event is Michael Kim, and he has posted a close-up image of the grassy bank on X. The American also reported that, such is the thickness of the rough, it shouldn’t be too hazardous for players – provided balls don’t stray too close to the lake.
He wrote: “Some of you sickos will be disappointed to hear that the rough is so high on the bank of 17, that it likely won’t bounce back into the water as long as you don’t get super close to the water. The ball you see here landed a foot left of where it stopped.”
Some of you sickos will be disappointed to hear that the rough is so high on the bank of 17, that it likely won’t bounce back into the water as long as you don’t get super close to the water. The ball you see here landed a foot left of where it stopped pic.twitter.com/YkKHo7KWO6March 5, 2025
While that may be true, the shoreline of the lake that runs up against the right of the hole now encroaches further on the area where the beach bunker used to be. That means that even though greenside bunker shots were far from straightforward in the past, the change naturally leaves less margin for error for errant tee shots to avoid the even worse fate of finding the water.
Ahead of the tournament, it was unclear whether the removal of the beach bunker will ultimately help or hinder those who miss the green to the right off the tee, although, of course, we’ll likely have a far clearer picture once the final putt drops on Sunday evening.
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Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories.
He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game.
Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course.
Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.
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