Texas means bigness. Large cowboy boots, grandiose Stetsons, humongous steaks, and a golf reputation growing by leaps and bounds—both on and off the course.
At the top of the world golf rankings is Dallas resident Scottie Scheffler. Although born in New Jersey, Scheffler came to Texas early in his childhood and has since seen his golf game blossom to the top of the men’s pecking order.
Now Scheffler is building a portfolio of golf achievements worthy of mention alongside those of other Lone Star State luminaries such as Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Jimmy Demaret, Lee Trevino, Ben Crenshaw, and Tom Kite.
Hogan and Nelson started from a shared caddie yard in Fort Worth. Demaret had his roots in the Houston area. Trevino came from a household led by his mother and grandfather, while never knowing his father. Crenshaw and Kite would star together while playing at the University of Texas before achieving stardom on the PGA Tour.
The six named players collectively would win a total of 26 major championships with each also being enshrined in the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Women have played no less a major role with the likes of Babe Didrikson Zaharias and Kathy Whitworth leading the way. Zaharias of Port Arthur would be a gold medal winner in track and field in the 1932 Summer Olympics, then go on to success in golf by winning three U.S. Women’s Open titles and a total of 10 major championships. Whitworth, born in Monahans, would go on to win a record 88 LPGA titles, in tandem with six major victories.
Other contemporary players have used the Texas landscape to springboard the jump to professional golf, among them Jordan Spieth—the 30-year-old Dallas-based pro has won three major championships.
The PGA Tour has long been a staple of the Texas golf scene. Last week’s Texas Children’s Hospital Houston Open kicked off a total of four events to be played in April and May. This week the tour is in San Antonio for the Valero Texas Open. In early May the tour returns to the greater Dallas area with The CJ Cup Byron Nelson, then in late May with the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth.
There was also the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play event held in Austin from 2016 to 2023.
How embedded is pro golf in Texas? The Houston event was first played in 1946. The San Antonio event had its genesis even earlier, in 1922—making it the third oldest behind only the BMW (Western Open) and the RBC Canadian Open. The Byron Nelson event was originally called the Dallas Open with its first event happening in 1926 before becoming the Nelson event in 1968. The Schwab was long known as the Colonial Invitational and had its beginning in 1946.
But one particular recent happening will likely have as much, if not more, cumulative impact in the years to come.
From 1965 to 2018, the headquarters for the PGA of America was Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The Sunshine State parlayed the connection in bringing to the forefront a number of professional tournaments as well as educational and teaching seminars. The intersection worked well for many years in building the identity of the organization, but a desire for more space became a pressing concern.
Enter Texas—specifically the community of Frisco. Amazingly this was a community of 6,000 residents in 1990; today the population has surged to more than 225,000.
Located roughly 30 miles north of Dallas, the small community made a major pitch to engage the leadership of the PGA of America. The incentives were too much to ignore and the PGA of America opted for greener pastures—literally and figuratively.
PGA Frisco was born. The Frisco initiative was not the first venture into bringing sports to the burgeoning community.
The city is the home of the 12,000-seat Ford Center at the Star, a complex where the beloved Dallas Cowboys practice, and area high school football teams are often given access. The National Hockey League’s Dallas Stars practice at the Comerica Center, a 7,000-seat venue that is also the home of the G-League affiliate of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks.
But that’s not the end of it. The 20,500-seat Toyota Stadium houses FC Dallas, a member of Major League Soccer, and has hosted the Frisco Bowl since 2017, as well as the Division I FCS football championship game for a dozen years.
Securing the PGA of America required some key financial incentives. But the steadfast nature of the Frisco leadership was able to get the deal completed for the 660-acre campus site.
In August 2022, the grand opening took place for the new $33.5 million building encompassing nearly 107,000 square feet, which now has 170 employees based there. The PGA of America becomes the first major international sports organization located in Texas.
The golf offerings include two 18-hole layouts. The Gil Hanse designed Fields Ranch East Course will be the main host site for the biggest of events. The par-72 layout can play to a max of 7,863 yards. The second 18, Fields Ranch West, is the handiwork of architect Beau Welling. The par-72 course maxes out at 7,319 yards.
There’s also the Swing, a lighted 10-hole par-3 short course, and the Dance Floor, a 2-acre putting course and entertainment area. Adding to the offering is an expansive 30-acre practice facility.
Beginning with the 2023 Senior PGA Championship, PGA Frisco is slated to host 29 championships through 2034.
This includes the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA, the 2027 PGA Championship and the 2029 Senior PGA, the 2031 KPMG Women’s PGA, and the 2034 PGA Championship. Three Professional Championships are slated for 2024, 2030 and 2033.
In concert with the golf will be a massive Omni PGA Frisco Resort complex encompassing 127,000 square feet and 500 guest rooms.
Former PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh outlined the challenges and opportunities presented with PGA Frisco.
“We have this amazing opportunity, and also this daunting responsibility to make [the property] into everything it can possibly be,” said Waugh. “I just really have this sense that we’ve built something that’s really special, and now we have to use it properly. We’ve done the easy part; the hard part is executing our dream.”
Clear challenges remain. How long does it take to play 18 regulation holes? How high are the costs involved with the sport? And is there adequate instruction for players given the dearth of qualified teachers helping students at lower-cost facilities?
The Texas golf scene has experienced rapid growth in a range of offerings. A half-century ago, quality golf offerings were limited to only the main metro areas and even then, such courses were generally private and only available to members and select guests. The golf scene that Hogan and Nelson lived through is now forever in the rearview mirror.
In 1990 Texas golf courses numbered roughly 650. Today the total is over 900. That puts Texas third among all states, trailing only Florida and California.
In the 2020 census, Texas was the only state to add two congressional seats, bringing the total representation to 38, second only to California’s 52 seats. The added population means a rise in golf players.
Scottie Scheffler is golf’s top player going into this year’s Masters, and it’s no coincidence his rise in the sport happened when his parents opted to leave New Jersey for Texas. The Lone Star State is now demonstrating a momentum that will only add to the roster of even more talented players in the years to come.
Is there a ceiling for Texas golf?
It’s hard to see one.
To paraphrase a favorite Texas expression—the golf scene is all hat and all cattle.
