Major champ loves The Concession

Paul Azinger has hundreds of memories of The Concession Golf Club — and only some of them involve actual golf. 

"My favorite memory is probably still that first impression of it, which is how out in the wilderness it felt," Azinger said. "I've seen hogs back there, there's been panthers back there, there's been rattlesnakes. When I was younger, I would even pick up those little rattlesnakes. I have video of it somewhere."

Azinger, the 1993 PGA Championship winner and now an NBC broadcaster, lives in west Bradenton, but has been an honorary member of Concession since it opened in 2006. He even helped Bruce Cassidy fill the ponds with wildlife, he said. He loves the course and he can't wait to watch others try to tackle it during the World Golf Championships at The Concession, coming to the club Feb. 25-29.

The event will bring 82 of the world's best golfers to the area. Azinger is expecting some of them to struggle. 

"I think there will be a big gap between the winners and the guys who play poorly," Azinger said. "It's the kind of golf course that will eat your lunch … I'm probably close to 600 over par since I joined, not exaggerating."

Why is it so difficult? Azinger, who will be on the tournament's broadcaster, said he has analyzed the course from the average carry distance of Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson, and he sees a different course with different strategies each time. Hitting the ball the farthest is not always the best strategy. Instead, golfers will want to pick their shots carefully. 

Azinger said, to him, the No. 14 hole, a par 3, is the course's most difficult — and also his favorite. It's not the hole that will get the most attention from viewers, he said. There is no water or other unique feature. It's just a straight-up challenge. 

"Anything pin-high at the front pin rolls down," he said. "Or they'll hit a bunker. It's awesome. Some guys are going to re-think the way they chip and pitch after they get done with it." 

Azinger also said the course will translate well to television. Azinger said there is a nice contrast between the course's white sand and its green grass, and that there are nice edges in the bunkers. Azinger said he anticipates lot of flyover shots from NBC's aerial cameras as well. Azinger said Emmy-winning NBC producer Tommy Roy set up a "speed shot" on the No. 17 hole, which will allow viewers to see a side view of each shot. 

"I think it's going to look spectacular," Azinger said. 

More than anything else, Azinger said he's happy the Sarasota-Bradenton area will be getting its due. It has been a long time coming, he said. 

"In the '70s when I was cutting my teeth, there were some good courses around here, but the greens were never Tour quality," Azinger said.

It wasn't until Cassidy built the Concession that there was a course in the Bradenton-Sarasota area whose greens were, as Azinger said, "killer." It set the standard for the area, he said, and now more and more courses in the area are following suit. Whenever he's asked about the area's growth, he said, he gets a big smile on his face. He was here before University Parkway was a road; now he's seen it become a real destination. 

The WGC is the cherry on top. 

"I can't believe the best players on the planet are coming here," Azinger said.