Two Championship courses

The courses opened this spring with much fanfare. Most recently, the East Course, which was designed by Gil Hanse (perhaps the hottest golf course architect in the last decade or so), was the site of the 2023 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship (won by Steve Stricker in a playoff over Padraig Harrington).

That tournament would be the first of six major championships PGA Frisco and Fields Ranch already have on the schedule over the next 12 years.  In 2025, it will be the site of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and in 2027, the PGA Championship will be played on the East Course as well. You can probably look for a Ryder Cup to be contested there down the road, too.

As for the courses, they’re both open to resort guests, members, and the public. They are laid out right next to each other, built at the same time, over the former Bert Fields Headquarters Ranch. While Hanse designed the East Course, another terrific architect, Beau Welling, did the West Course. The creation by Welling, also a senior design consultant for Tiger Woods Design, is a great test, too, but does not have the footprint to allow for the large skyboxes and hospitality venues that a major requires.

For both courses, massive amounts of earth were moved to get the playing surfaces above a 100-year flood plain and to create fascinating greens complexes and contours. The courses are also routed around Panther Creek, dry washes, and through beautiful meadows.
At nearly 8,000 yards, Fields Ranch East has plenty of length for today’s game. There are six sets of tees, though, starting at around 5,000 yards, so it’s a good fit for many levels. Ribbon tees, which are also found on the West Course, allow for great flexibility in setup, both for majors and everyday play. Inspired by one of Hanse’s favorite architects, Perry Maxwell, there are large treacherous bunkers around small greens. There’s a par-3 hole, the 13th, that can play nearly 300 yards. And there are a couple of par 4s that are drivable for long hitters. The East Course also has a fascinating finishing stretch, culminating with a short, but tricky par-3 17th, and the 576-yard. Par-5 18th, a dramatic hole with carries over the creek on the way to the green.

The West Course, which can play between 4,783 yards and 7,319 yards, is no less enjoyable or intriguing. It’s somewhat easier, but no pushover. The greens are the biggest challenge. Some are huge with swales and ridges that can be difficult to read. The nice part is that there are so many options to get to them and around them. Although there are some punishing bunkers, players are able to run balls between them to get to the greens if need be. And around the greens the grass is mowed pretty close to greens height, meaning you can putt from off the green, bump and run, or try to pitch to get on the surfaces to the different pin positions. There are no right or wrong options. Your only limits are your own creativity.
The fairways are wide, so even higher handicappers shouldn’t have any problem finding them. There’s also elevation change — up to 75 feet on both courses.

The focal point of the West is where the old homestead used to be and is now a halfway house of sorts. It’s where you will find the shortest hole on the course, the par-3 fifth, which can play less than 100 yards, but has a green 50 yards wide with false fronts and large bunkers behind it. Simply put, precision is required here as well as being able to control the spin on your ball. Golfers will get to this spot again on the back nine as they make their way through the 14th and 15th holes.