PGA Frisco is set to host its first major next month. Fields Ranch East will be the stage for the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship from May 24-28.
While the west course at Fields Ranch will open on May 2, the east course will remain closed until the start of the tournament to maintain its pristine condition. The east course will be home to the slate of major championships that PGA Frisco will host in the coming years.
“They’re both championship caliber courses, but our major championships will be played on the east course,” said Jason Mengel, PGA of America’s championship director, per Fox 4 News.
“A Gil Hanse design, we’re going to play about 7,100 yards for the Senior PGA Championship. So, it’s a true test of golf.”
Hanse is one of the most renowned golf course architects at the moment.
“Two of the most pleasant surprises since Day 1 was the elevation changes we had to work with here and Panther Creek, which comes into play several times,” Hanse said.
“What we did was find some of the dramatic elements which we enhanced. My partner Jim Wagner and I wanted to create drama here and we want to set up ways for players to win in a positive way. Not for ways for them to lose it,” the architect told Golf Magazine.
In addition to creating original designs, he is often tasked with completing restorations of classic golf courses.
Hanse was selected to lead a $20 million restoration at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, set to be ready before the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge.
The Senior PGA Championship will be the launching point for PGA Frisco, the new home of the PGA of America.
Fields Ranch East will be a staple on the major championship circuit, a rare feat for a new golf course. The course will host 26 major championships in the next 12 years across the PGA, LPGA, and Champions Tour.
Golf magazine predicts that the course could be a future Ryder Cup host.
Fields Ranch West will open on May 2, coinciding with the grand opening of the $520 million Omni PGA Frisco, the largest resort development in North America, according to Travel Pulse.