Dignitaries from the world of golf and other sports got a first look at PGA of America’s new Frisco headquarters on Monday. The campus is expected to have an economic impact of at least $2.5 billion over the next couple of decades. (Read more and get an inside look at the new HQ here and take a video tour here.) But what does it mean for golfers and the sport itself?
“It’s a facility that was built for education for the PGA and the PGA of America,” Tim Cuisick, a PGA professional who serves on the education team at PGA Frisco, told D CEO. “We’ll utilize it about 45 weeks of the year, training the next generation of golf professionals.”
Prior to joining the PGA team in September 2020, Cuisick was director of instruction at the Four Seasons Resort and Club and its golf school in Las Colinas. He also managed golf instruction for Hank Haney Golf Inc. At PGA Frisco, he’s primarily responsible for the training and career track platforms. Participants are put through several levels of instruction, covering everything from coaching to facilities management. “It’s an incredible facility and everything is streamlined to help the next generation learn much faster about how to be a golf instructor or how to run a facility,” Cuisick said.
That includes leveraging the latest technology. PGA of America’s innovative Professional Development Center includes a large bunker, chipping and putting areas, indoor/outdoor hitting bays, and instructional tech designed to assess all elements of a swing. “I especially like the aspect of being able to hit in here, regardless of the weather, whether it’s 105 degrees outside, whether we have a frost delay, whether it’s raining or lighting, it doesn’t matter. It’s always a perfect 72 degrees in here, so there’s no end,” Cuisick said. “We can work on whatever is needed to win with all the different types of technology at our disposal.”
The new Frisco campus also includes two 18-hole championship golf courses designed by Gil Hanse and Beau Welling. The courses are developed but won’t officially open until next spring when the remainder of the 600-acre, $550 million campus makes its debut—including a world-class clubhouse, 30-acre practice facility, a 510-room Omni PGA Frisco Resort, and an indoor-outdoor golf-centered entertainment area called PGA District. The organization is still working out details of a course membership plan, but individuals and hotel guests will be able to golf as public players.
North Texas a Hotbed for Producing Golf Stars
PGA President Jim Richerson told D CEO the organization’s goal was to make sure the courses appeal to all skill levels, including the best players in the world. They’ll get their chance with the courses hosting 26 championships in the next 15 years, from the PGA Junior Boys and Girls Championships all the way up to the KPMG Women’s PGA and the PGA Championship.
“PGA Frisco will deliver the best in coaching, player engagement, golf operations, and executive management, as well as host some of golf’s greatest championships, and it will enable our members to help golfers enjoy the game more now and in the future,” Richerson said. “It’s a place for those who love the game of golf can come to enjoy. And it’s a place where we can inspire the next generation. We want to get more young men and women into the game into the industry.”
There’s a special emphasis on recruiting individuals from diverse backgrounds to the game and the industry, Richerson added. “It is really important for us to continue to thrive as an association,” he said.
North Texas’ location will help PGA of America achieve its goals. “More people can get [to the campus] here in the central part of the country than if we were on the East Coast or West Coast,” Richerson said. “And Dallas being the sixth-largest media market in the country and ninth-largest in population, it will introduce the game to so many more people than what we’ve been able to do before.”
It also helps that North Texas has a strong history of golf, with players like LPGA icon Kathy Whitworth (the game’s winningest player), Lee Elder (the first African American to play in the Masters ), and World Golf Hall of Famer Lee Trevino hailing from the area. “They’ve inspired so many,” Richerson said. “Fast forward to today and there’s Jordan Spieth—one of the biggest names in the game and the current No. 1 ranked player in the world, Scottie Scheffler.
“Who’s going to be the next great player that evolves out of Dallas? With PGA Frisco, some of the next great players are going to come from right here—because of this project and the programs we have in place.”
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