FEATURE: DOMESTIC
By Pete Kowalski
A golf trip to Frisco, a northern Dallas suburb, satisfies a broad splash of tastes and dispels the long-used catchphrase that everything is bigger in Texas.
Frisco condenses a wide smattering of activities for golf travelers into its 70 square miles.
Resort, private, and public golf; genuine Southwestern cuisine; pro-level sports facilities; museums and other amenities are easily accessible in the bustling city of Frisco, which is smaller (at 243,00 residents) than many of the Dallas Metroplex municipalities but it outpaces them for variety.
Planning an itinerary as expansive as the side-by-side properties of the PGA of America headquarters and the Omni PGA Frisco Resort is as easy as a gimme putt. A virtual stop at Visit Frisco presents all the possible ingredients.
The Omni PGA Frisco Resort on the northern border of Frisco and the Westin Stonebriar Golf Resort and Spa on the southern border are the signature golf elements.
At the PGA Frisco Fields Ranch East course last June, Minjee Lee of Australia won her third major at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Although the scorching weather of North Texas greeted the field of LPGA players, the tournament made history as the first women’s major played at the PGA of America’s new headquarters after its move from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., in 2022. Next up are the 2027 PGA, the 2029 Kitchen Aid Senior PGA, the 2031 KPMG Women’s PGA, and the 2034 PGA.
In 2023, Steve Stricker won the PGA Senior at Fields Ranch East in a playoff over Padraig Harrington, the first big event on the Gil Hanse design that occupies the land of the original farm and ranch of the Fields family.
While the East course, designed for championships, is walking-only with caddies, the companion West course, a more resort guest-friendly design by Beau Welling, offers carts and is the home course of the golf teams of the 12 Frisco ISD high schools.
Both courses, opened in 2023, are set on the rolling “hill scapes” that are often accompanied by the local gusty winds that harken tumbleweeds.
Guests of the Westin Stonebriar Resort have access to the two private courses at Stonebriar Country Club, one designed by Tom Fazio and the other by Joe Finger and Ken Dye. Both courses blend challenge and playability.
Other courses within the Frisco city limits include Frisco Lakes Golf Club, the Trails of Frisco Golf Club, and the Club at Frisco Farms.
While the Fields Ranch courses provide the classic 18-hole visits, the PGA of America’s 21st-century home of the teaching pros of our country features a 660-acre campus with a strong compliment of practice and playing options in a “build-it-and-they-will-come”’ approach.
The Swing is a 10-hole short course, with lights and ambient music, perfect for the more social, less competitive crowd and those who want to keep the fun going after dark.
The District is a well-appointed and popular public space with golf, food and beverage, and retail options, fostering a community friendly vibe. And the Dance Floor is a lighted, two-acre putting green designed by Hanse and Welling that is one of the largest real-grass greens in the country.
Jumbo screens are used for community movie nights, and evening free concerts dot the calendar.
Golf is everywhere you look, with robots collecting balls from the five different hitting areas that form the perimeter of the District’s golf amenities.
Those ball-striking spots are:
Full-size practice range, with short-game areas, and greens
Lounge by Topgolf with swing suites powered by Full Swing technology and trendy food and drinks
PGA of America Coaching Center powered by T-Mobile practice bays
The Northern Texas PGA headquarters practice facility
The Ice House, a Texas ranch-style beer bistro, with six Toptracer hitting bays
The 500-room Omni hotel includes 10 ranch houses, which are stand-alone four-bedroom spaces perfect for golf groups. Private concierge and chef service is available.
A lavish spa – Mokara – includes salon services and an adjoining café and fitness center.
Cooling off is easy at four pools. The rooftop, adult-only infinity pool has a bar and cabanas with a birds-eye view of the golf courses. Two large family-ready pools and a splash pad for kids complete the aquatics roster.
The property’s 13 eating options are varied and the top two are The Apron for breakfast and lunch and Trick Rider for dinner, specializing in steak and seafood.
At the Westin Stonebriar Spa and Resort, a wide selection of room sizes includes the WestinWORKOUT Peloton Room for in-room fitness.
Hearth and Herd, for dinner, leads the dining choices with a Topgolf SwingSuite among its other selections.
The Well & Being Spa and the WestinWORKOUT Fitness Studio round out the generous list of amenities.
In line with its rapid growth in the last two decades, Frisco also boasts a roster of pro sports that call it home.
Giants fans are likely to be annoyed by this reference, but the Dallas Cowboys’ headquarters and practice facility, the Star, is in Frisco and is the only NFL facility that opens its doors to the public for tours. Ford Center, its multi-purpose sports and entertainment facility, is the home stadium of all 12 of Frisco ISD’s high school football teams.
Frisco houses the homes of the FC Dallas soccer team at Toyota Stadium and the Frisco RoughRiders, the AA affiliate of the Texas Rangers baseball team, at Riders Field.
Living up to its nickname of Sports City USA because of the golf and sports offerings, Frisco is also home to a wide range of sports-specific facilities that draw aspiring athletes from around the nation.
During the 2026 World Cup in North America, Frisco’s high-end soccer facilities will serve as a base camp site for a top-level national team that is to be determined.
Other itinerary fillers include the National Soccer Hall of Fame, the Museum of the American Railroad, the National Videogame Museum, and the Frisco Heritage Museum.
Southwestern dining is another bonus while visiting Frisco. Highly recommended are: La Hacienda Ranch (first frozen margarita), Mariana’s Taco Shop, Crush Taco, Tru Fire Kitchen and Bar, Hutchins BBQ, Cane Rosso, Mi Cocina, and Tupelo Honey.
Another bonus on the travel side is that Dallas-Fort Worth is an American Airlines hub so Met Area golfers can grab direct flights.
Savvy Met Area golf travelers might immediately think of Bandon Dunes in Oregon, Streamsong in Florida, Pinehurst in North Carolina, and recently opened fun spots in Wisconsin and Nebraska as their next trip. For a lot of reasons, big and small, Frisco is in that mix.
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