Southern course, northern turf (at least in name)

After 1,362 days of construction, PGA Frisco Resort in Frisco, Texas, officially opened its doors earlier this year — and its turf selection is a story worth sharing.

PGA Frisco chose NorthBridge Bermudagrass to cover the 180 acres, including the courses and practice facility at the new headquarters. Bryce Yates, managing superintendent of golf and grounds at the resort, praised NorthBridge's resilience in North Texas’ mixed weather climates, recalling its successful rebound from temperatures that dipped to negative-1 degrees during the February 2021 Snowmageddon.

“This year in Dallas Fort Worth, we had a slow green-up across the Metroplex, but with NorthBridge we were fully green for over a month ahead of everyone else,” Yates said. “Some people around us were struggling to get to a full green even into early May.”

Because the resort hosts championships in May, the courses needed a grass that would hold up to winter temperatures, heavy traffic and have a good spring green-up for the new PGA headquarters. “We were looking for something that gave us the option to overseed if we ever wanted to have that ability,” Yates said. “We had a few varieties in mind and based on some of the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program data and talking to some local superintendents, we ultimately selected NorthBridge specifically for those three qualities.”

In addition to performing well through some weather challenges, he particularly likes the density of the grass. He explained that, from low fairway mowing heights to 2-inch intermediate rough cut heights in other areas, it performs well and gives them flexibility as turfgrass managers. “If we want to create more rough or more fairway, it’s as simple as changing the height of mowers instead of the grass.”

Yates also said that NorthBridge’s color retention into fall and quick spring green-up are the variety’s biggest attributes. “There’s a very short amount of time where it is under full dormancy and for us that’s important. I don’t really want to overseed. Our hope with NorthBridge is that we could paint or dye it for a few months and not go through the trouble of the overseeding process.”

Yates said he had never worked with Bermudagrass and appreciated NorthBridge's ability to recover quickly from aggressive and agronomic practices, leaving minimal visible scars on the courses. He also highlighted how quickly NorthBridge regained its rich-dark color with water and fertilizer, contributing to the courses' firm and fast playability.

A fortuitous delay

Originally scheduled for an April 2022 opening, the resort’s debut was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing the golf course to benefit from an extra year of grass maturation and growth. The new headquarters for the PGA of America is set to become a major attraction for golf enthusiasts.

“We’ve had a few chances to showcase the facility for some practice rounds ahead of our major championship,” Yates said. “We did some kind of soft opening dates and we have the golf course in a really good position.”

PGA Frisco will host about two championships every year: it already held the Senior PGA Championship in May and will host the Women’s PGA Championship in 2025 and the PGA Championship in 2027. Yates said they’ll repeat that cadence until 2031 and fill in the others with not as highly spectated ones including junior league and club pro championships.

Yates, who previously worked at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, moved down for the position three years ago from New Albany, Indiana, with his wife and then 3-year-old son and 6-month-old daughter.

“With everything going on around here in Frisco, and with the PGA’s commitment to growing the game of golf to 26 championships in the next 13 years, it is very exciting. There is a lot of excitement for this project,” Yates said.

 

A golfer’s dream

The new headquarters were built to be a true “experience” for golfers and students of the game. “This property, this resort, along with PGA headquarters pretty much offers any opportunity that you would want in golf, anything that's related to golf,” Yates said.

The new grounds feature two 18-hole championship golf courses, Fields Ranch East, designed by Gil Hanse, and Fields Ranch West, designed by Beau Welling.

“The East Course stretches over 7,800 yards so they can test the best of the best,” Yates said. “We offer six sets of tee boxes so you can range from 7,800 or 5,000 yards for anyone that wants to try it. The West Course will hold some events this year including the PGA Jr. League and high school championships for the state of Texas.”

Yates went on to say that Welling’s Fields Ranch West design features an incredible way to invite the golfer in to play. “Again, we have five to six sets of tees depending on the hole from 7,500 to 4,800 yards. Lots of holes with no forced carry, so even if you can’t get it up off the ground, you can still hit it into the fairway. You’re not penalized for having it roll along the ground.”

Golfers can also enjoy The Swing, a lighted 10-hole, par-3 short course also designed by Hanse and Welling, and The Dance Floor, a two-acre putting and entertainment area that features three different putting courses.

“It’s a little bit of like a Putt-Putt type atmosphere. It’s open to the public. You do not have to pay to play. You can bring a putter and a ball and just go out and have a fun time,” Yates said. Clubs and putters are available on-site if you don’t bring your own.