Omni PGA Frisco
Located just north of Dallas, the new home of the PGA of America is a golf fantasyland for the rest of us.
If you’re a golfer, imagine a place where there are two championship golf courses, a 10-hole par-3 course, an expansive putting course that’s surrounded by Toptracer lounges, a learning center, bar, a variety of restaurants and luxury accommodations. Such a place does exist, and it’s open to the public.
We’re talking about the Omni PGA Frisco Resort and Fields Ranch, located just north of Dallas in one of the most dynamic communities in America.
Frisco, Texas, is indeed the fastest growing mid-size city in the country, offering great communities, entertainment and sports options. That’s why the city of Frisco and its local school district partnered with Omni Hotels, the PGA of America and the Northern Texas PGA Section to create this 660-acre campus dubbed “The New Modern Home of Golf.”
It really does have something for everyone, from beginners all the way to elite tour players. Oh, and yes, PGA Frisco is the new home of the PGA America, which relocated to the central part of the country in 2023 after more than 50 years in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., at PGA National Resort & Spa. It’s a move that makes PGA HQ more accessible than ever for its nearly 28,000 members, who are club professionals, players, teachers, and managers.
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.
Fields Ranch West
More golf at PGA Frisco
While the East and West Courses are the main attractions at PGA Frisco, the golf hardly ends there. Hanse and Welling collaborated on a casual and enjoyable 10-hole par-3 course called The Swing. It’s part of the Monument PGA District, which also includes The Dance Floor Putting Course, retail shops, dining (including an ice cream shop), the Ice House, and The Swing Bar.
The holes range from 64 to 103 yards on The Swing, and many players even opt to play it with just one club, perhaps a wedge, which they can use to putt with as well. Of course, you can take as many clubs as you want, but it’s designed to encourage creativity, so in this case, less might be more. With many of the design characteristics of the big courses, it’s also a great warm-up act for playing the East or West layouts.
The Dance Floor Putting Course is where you will find all sorts, from local residents to resort guests to tournament players. At two acres, it’s one of the largest putting courses in the world, and it’s suitable for all levels. And for those wanting to work on their game, lessons from the excellent coaches and teachers at PGA Frisco are available. And you can track your progress at the Toptracer lounge behind the Ice House, whether you got some instruction or not.
There are all sorts of ways to enjoy your experience at PGA Frisco, but the most ideal would be staying at the Omni Hotel and Resort, which opened in May. It features 510 luxurious rooms as well as 10 Texas-style ranch homes right on the campus, ideal for families or groups. The resort also features 13 different restaurants (including the ones at the PGA District), 127,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, as well as walking trails, and a fitness center. The resort is just a half hour or so from both DFW International Airport and Love Field in Dallas.
The Swing