Where Is The St. Jude Golf Tournament Held?

The St. Jude Golf Tournament isn’t a single, static event—it’s part of a dynamic, evolving ecosystem of professional golf that supports one of the world’s most impactful pediatric research and treatment institutions. Since 2022, the flagship PGA Tour event bearing the St. Jude name—the FedEx St. Jude Championship—has been held exclusively at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. This venue isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a strategic, long-term partner in the tournament’s mission. But understanding *where* the tournament is held requires more than naming a course—it demands context about history, geography, community integration, and the deliberate choice behind Memphis as the enduring home.

TPC Southwind: More Than Just a Golf Course

TPC Southwind is a championship-caliber, 7,244-yard, par-70 course designed by Ron Prichard and opened in 1988. Located at 6300 S. Houston Levee Road in Memphis, it sits on 350 acres of gently rolling terrain adjacent to the Wolf River Harbor and within easy reach of downtown Memphis. What distinguishes TPC Southwind from other Tour venues is its deep-rooted symbiosis with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital—just 12 miles northeast of the course. The hospital’s campus, anchored by its iconic 21-story main building, is visible from certain vantage points on the course’s back nine, reinforcing a tangible, daily connection between competition and cause.

The course itself features mature hardwoods, strategically placed water hazards—including the signature par-3 17th hole over water—and undulating greens that test precision under pressure. It has hosted the PGA Tour’s Memphis-based event continuously since 1989, first as the Federal Express St. Jude Classic (1989–2018), then the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational (2019–2021), and now as the FedEx St. Jude Championship—the opening leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs since 2022. That continuity matters: over three decades, TPC Southwind has cultivated infrastructure, volunteer networks, local partnerships, and fan traditions uniquely calibrated to serve both elite sport and charitable impact.

A Legacy Rooted in Memphis: Why Not Another City?

It’s reasonable to ask why the tournament hasn’t rotated among cities like other PGA Tour events—or why it didn’t relocate when elevated to a Playoff event in 2022. The answer lies in alignment, not convenience. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was founded in Memphis in 1962 by entertainer Danny Thomas, who made a vow to build a shrine to St. Jude Thaddeus after praying for guidance. His vision was explicitly tied to the city: he secured land, raised funds locally, and embedded the institution into Memphis’ civic identity. Today, St. Jude employs over 5,000 people and contributes an estimated $4.5 billion annually to the regional economy.

Hosting the tournament elsewhere would fracture that narrative. As Dr. James R. Downing, former President and CEO of St. Jude, stated in a 2021 interview with the Commercial Appeal:

“The tournament isn’t ‘in Memphis’—it is Memphis. From the high school students volunteering at bag drop to the restaurants donating meals for families staying at the Target House, this event is woven into the fabric of our community. Moving it wouldn’t just change a zip code—it would dilute the authenticity of the partnership.”

This philosophy explains the deliberate decision to anchor the newly minted FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind—not as a temporary assignment, but as a permanent home. The PGA Tour, FedEx, and St. Jude jointly announced a multi-year agreement extending through at least 2030, ensuring stability for fundraising, fan engagement, and long-term planning.

What Happened to the Old Venues? A Timeline of Location Evolution

The tournament’s location history reflects broader shifts in golf’s commercial and charitable landscape. Understanding that evolution clarifies why TPC Southwind is now the singular answer to “Where is it held?”

1. 1958–1988: Multiple Memphis Sites — The original Memphis Open (later the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic) rotated among courses including Colonial Country Club, Ridgeway Country Club, and Southwind Country Club—the predecessor to today’s TPC Southwind.
2. 1989–2018: TPC Southwind Takes Over — With the course’s opening and FedEx’s title sponsorship, the event settled permanently at Southwind. It became the longest-running continuous PGA Tour event at a single venue in the modern era.
3. 2019–2021: Elevated Status, Same Venue — When upgraded to a World Golf Championship (WGC) event, the tournament remained at TPC Southwind—proving the course could host elite international fields without relocation.
4. 2022–Present: FedEx St. Jude Championship Launches — Following the PGA Tour’s restructuring of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, the event was repositioned as the first Playoff stop—and retained its Memphis home. No other city was considered for the inaugural edition.

This unbroken 35-year residency at one site is unprecedented among PGA Tour events with rotating sponsors and formats. It underscores that “where” isn’t incidental—it’s foundational to credibility, donor trust, and community buy-in.

Practical Visitor Guide: Getting to and Navigating TPC Southwind

For fans, volunteers, or donors planning to attend, knowing the physical location is only the first step. Memphis offers accessibility—but logistics require intentionality.

Crucially, TPC Southwind is not isolated. It’s integrated into Memphis’ cultural corridor: just 10 minutes from Beale Street, 12 minutes from Graceland, and 15 minutes from the National Civil Rights Museum. Many attendees extend their stay to experience the city’s music, food, and history—turning a golf weekend into a full Memphis immersion that reinforces the tournament’s local roots.

Real Impact: How Location Strengthens Fundraising and Awareness

A case study illustrates why venue permanence matters beyond tradition. In 2023, the FedEx St. Jude Championship raised $14.2 million for the hospital—its highest single-event total to date. That success wasn’t accidental. It resulted directly from location-driven strategies:

• Local Corporate Engagement: Memphis-based companies—including AutoZone, FedEx, and First Horizon—increased their sponsorship tiers by 32% year-over-year, citing “pride in hosting” and “direct visibility to employees and customers.”
• Volunteer Retention: 78% of 2023 volunteers had participated for five or more years. Their institutional knowledge streamlined operations, reduced training costs, and improved fan experience—leading to higher satisfaction scores (94%) and repeat attendance (61%).
• Media Amplification: Local TV stations (WREG, WHBQ) produced 120+ hours of dedicated pre-tournament programming, featuring St. Jude patients, doctors, and families. That hyperlocal storytelling generated national syndication—without paid media buys.

Contrast this with hypothetical scenarios: if the tournament moved to Atlanta or Dallas, even with identical prize money and player fields, those deep civic ties would evaporate. Local news coverage would shrink. Volunteer recruitment would reset annually. Corporate sponsorships would become transactional—not relational. Memphis isn’t just convenient—it’s catalytic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the St. Jude Golf Tournament held at the same place every year?

Yes. Since 1989, the PGA Tour’s Memphis-based St. Jude event has been held exclusively at TPC Southwind. Even after its elevation to the FedEx St. Jude Championship in 2022—the first event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs—the location remained unchanged. There are no plans for rotation.

Can you visit TPC Southwind outside of tournament week?

Yes—but access is restricted. TPC Southwind is a private club operated by the PGA Tour. Public play is limited to resort guests staying at the adjacent Southwind Golf & Country Club or through select charity outings. Non-members may book tee times only during designated “public access windows,” typically in late fall and early spring. Advance reservations are required and subject to availability.

Why isn’t St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital located on the same property as the golf course?

Geographic separation serves distinct purposes. TPC Southwind provides the scale, infrastructure, and traffic flow needed for a major sporting event—while St. Jude’s campus prioritizes medical privacy, security, and clinical efficiency. The 12-mile distance is intentional: it allows the tournament to function as a high-energy, public-facing celebration while protecting the hospital’s mission-critical environment. Shuttle services and coordinated messaging bridge the physical gap—making proximity symbolic rather than logistical.

Conclusion: Location as Mission, Not Mere Geography

So where is the St. Jude Golf Tournament held? The precise answer is TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. But that address represents far more than coordinates on a map. It signifies commitment—to a city that welcomed a visionary’s dream in 1962; to a hospital whose breakthroughs in childhood cancer have rewritten medical textbooks worldwide; and to a model of sport-for-good that refuses to treat charity as an add-on. Every blade of grass at Southwind has witnessed decades of generosity, every grandstand seat has echoed with cheers for both champions and children in remission, and every dollar raised flows directly into labs and clinics just miles away.

This isn’t just golf in Memphis. It’s Memphis, embodied—through sport, science, and shared purpose. If you’ve ever wondered whether attending matters, consider this: your presence in the gallery, your purchase of a commemorative pin, your conversation with a volunteer who lost a sibling to leukemia—all of it strengthens the very ecosystem that makes Memphis the irreplaceable home of the St. Jude Golf Tournament.