By John Steinbreder
FRISCO, TEXAS | Heretofore, this city’s claim to fame in sports has been as home to the state-of-the-art corporate offices and practice facilities of the Dallas Cowboys. But with the recent opening of equally-advanced PGA of America headquarters in this community roughly 30 miles north of Big D, and completion of a pair of courses designed by Gil Hanse (Fields Ranch East) and Beau Welling (Fields Ranch West), the 660-acre complex known as PGA Frisco is on its way to becoming as big of a deal in golf.
PGA Frisco, which is owned by Omni Hotel & Resorts, also features a lighted 10-hole short course and a two-acre putting green. By spring, the amenities will include a 500-room hotel, 10 private ranch house residences, 13 restaurants, four pools, a salon and spa, a Lounge by Topgolf and a PGA Coaching Center and Shop. The PGA of America will manage all golf operations.
They do not do things halfway in Texas, and the price tag for all of this work will exceed $500 million. By the time the project is completed, PGA Frisco will begin to be recognized as one of the finest golf destinations in the country. It also will be well on its way to becoming a first-rate tournament venue, with 26 championships slated to be staged here through 2034, mostly on the East Course, including the 2023 Senior PGA Championship and the 2027 PGA Championship.
As for a Ryder Cup, one is not yet on the schedule, but it seems certain those matches eventually will be contested here (though not for a while given that the U.S. host sites in the biennial series are set through 2037).
I visited Frisco a few weeks ago, and though the resort is months away from an official opening, the property nonetheless was bustling with activity. Construction workers banged nails and poured cement. And the north-central Texas air that not too long ago was filled with the “moos” of cows grazing on what once was a cattle ranch was now being pierced by the “beep, beep, beep” of backhoes and bulldozers moving dirt. Fortunately, the golf courses were ready for a brief stretch of preview play, as was the short course known as The Swing and the putting green dubbed The Dance Floor. So, I spent a couple of days checking them out as I also took note of how the rest of the campus was taking shape.
My first round was on the East, and I liked the fact I was playing one of Hanse’s latest creations before he even had a chance to do so himself. The second thing that captured my fancy were its so-called ribbon tees. They make it possible to play the course as long as 7,900 yards and as short as 5,000. And unlike the rather unimaginative – and unattractive – runway tee designs that decades ago were all the rage, these ribbons have character and contours, jogging ever so slightly to the left or right at times, with dips and bumps giving those setting up the course plenty of options. They also make golfers have to think a bit more deeply about where they tee it up.
Hanse had told me his inspiration for East, which he created with associate Jim Wagner, came from Perry Maxwell, the Golden Age architect who had fashioned the great Southern Hills course in Tulsa, Oklahoma, site of this year’s PGA, that Hanse and Wagner recently revamped.
“Maxwell’s work there really resonated with us here,” Hanse said.
To that end, he and his partner incorporated the waterway called Panther Creek in this design whenever possible and made good use of the natural dry washes found all over the expansive property. The architects moved lots of dirt here, too, to transform what had been flattish prairieland into much more interesting terrain with hills and dales.
Hanse said his primary goal was to produce a golf course that could host a PGA Championship while also being fun to play for recreational golfers. The ribbon tees were one way of accomplishing that goal, he said.
“We also provided good width off the tee, as we asked for more precision on approach shots to what generally are smallish greens, many of which have interesting and at times challenging surrounds,” Hanse added.
“Challenging” would be a good way to describe the start to the East, with a pair of meaty par-5s in Nos. 1 and 3 and the par-4 second, which measures some 380 yards. All three played uphill and into the wind this day, making par a very elusive score. Fortunately, I found relief in the Redan-like fourth. And given my West Texas heritage, I started to feel very much at home as we walked off the sixth tee, passing by a wash that held the bleached-out skeleton of a cow on our way to the fairway.
I also took note during that stroll of how big and open this country is. It feels like a place cowboys once roamed, and the groves of live oak and stretches of mesquite and cedar trees reminded me of my ancestral home, as did the tawny-colored grass covering several of the rises. On a couple of occasions, I espied weathered cedar fence posts to which strands of barbed wire once had been stapled and wondered what this place must have been like when it was full of Herefords.
“We want to give people the chance to hit great shots and have the golfers who are able to do that come out on top. We also realize that there will be match-play tournaments here, and that matches often do not come down to the last hole. So, we made the ones leading up to 18 just as interesting and compelling.”
Gil Hanse
We walked the East with caddies who had come up from Trinity Forest Golf Club for our round. I liked that loopers were – and will be – available and appreciated that rather than constructing concrete cart paths, the resort had opted for rugged “ranch roads” made of dirt for those who wanted to ride.
I also found much to commend the course. Such as the short 4-par at No. 11, with three bunkers forming a sort of triangle in the fairway and Panther Creek running down the right side. I liked the longish, well-bunkered par-3 13th, with a green tucked onto the top of a small ridge. From there, the East takes golfers home, and the stretch through 18 is a strong one. The gaping cross bunker on the par-5 14th juts in from the left, giving golfers something to think about on their second shots, while the wee burn in front of the green (Panther Creek once again) makes the approach more perilous, no matter how short it may be. No. 15 is a drivable par-4, and the massive, elevated green on this hole is guarded by a cluster of bunkers. The short par-3 17th comes next, and after that a brute of a finisher at 18.
“Jim and I are at the stage of our lives where we like positive outcomes rather than negative ones,” Hanse said. “We want to give people the chance to hit great shots and have the golfers who are able to do that come out on top. We also realize that there will be match-play tournaments here, and that matches often do not come down to the last hole. So, we made the ones leading up to 18 just as interesting and compelling.”
I fared somewhat better on the West the following day. It feels more like a resort course and a little more accessible to players whose handicap indexes are in double digits. The fairways appear even wider than those on the East, and the greens for the most part seemed easier to hit and hold. As for the topography, the West has plenty of hills and hollows (largely man-made as well). And Panther Creek also comes into play on several occasions.
Thankfully, the first holes on the West are not nearly as demanding as those on the East, with a par-5, -4 and -3 easing the golfer into the round. I was especially taken with No. 3, which is the first of five par-3s on the West. It boasts a right-to-left angled green bisected by a subtle ridge and features a small punchbowl. And also No. 6, a par-5 playing downhill with cross bunkers wreaking havoc with poorly-placed second shots and a Road Hole-like hazard protecting the left side of what is the smallest green on the course.
Then, there was the 13th, a par-4 playing just under 400 yards this day to a green that evokes a Biarritz, with a swale running across the width of the putting surface. And we concluded the round with back-to-back par-5s that were equal parts challenge and fun.
My score was a few strokes lower than the one I had recorded on the East, and that seemed about right given the differences in the two courses. It also affirmed a feeling that had started to take hold during the round: this is a special place for golf, no matter how high or low your handicap.
I am looking forward to returning when the entire PGA Frisco resort is up and running.
Top: Fields Ranch East