Beyond Economic Impact: What PGA Frisco Means for the Sport of Golf

Dignitaries from the world of golf and sports got their first look at the new Frisco headquarters of the PGA of America Monday. The campus is expected to have at least a $2.5 billion economic impact over the next few decades. (Read more here and get a glimpse of the new HQ and take a video tour here.) But what does this mean for golfers and the sport itself?

“It’s a facility that was built to educate the PGA and the PGA of America,” said Tim Cuisick, a PGA professional who serves on the PGA Frisco education team D Managing Director. “We’re going to use it about 45 weeks a year to train the next generation of golf pros.”
Prior to joining the PGA team in September 2020, Cuisick was an instructor at the Four Seasons Resort and Club and its golf school in Las Colinas. He also directed golf instruction for Hank Haney Golf Inc. At PGA Frisco, he is primarily responsible for the training and career platforms. Participants go through several levels of training, covering everything from coaching to facility management. “It’s an incredible facility and everything is optimized to help the next generation learn how to become a golf instructor or how to run a facility much faster,” said Cuisick.

This also includes the use of the latest technologies. The PGA of America’s innovative Professional Development Center includes a large bunker, chipping and putting areas, indoor/outdoor shot bays, and instructional technique designed to assess all elements of a swing. “I particularly like the aspect of being able to pitch here in any weather, whether it’s 105 degrees outside, whether we have a frost delay, whether it’s raining or lightning, it doesn’t matter. It’s always a perfect 72 degrees in here, so there’s no end to it,” Cuisick said. “We can work on whatever it takes to win with all the different types of technology that we have at our disposal.”

Frisco’s new 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 rest of the 600-acre, $550 million campus makes its debut — including a world-class clubhouse, 30-acre practice facility and Omni PGA Frisco Resort with 510 rooms, and an indoor-outdoor fun area called the PGA District that focuses on golf. The organization is still working out details of a course membership plan, but individuals and hotel guests can play golf as public players.

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That said PGA President Jim Richerson D Managing Director the aim of the organization was to ensure that the courses appealed to all levels, including the best players in the world. They will get their chance as the courses will host 26 championships over the next 15 years, from the PGA Junior Boys and Girls Championships to the KPMG Women’s PGA and PGA Championship.

“PGA Frisco will provide the best in coaching, player engagement, golf operations and business administration, host some of golf’s biggest championships, and enable our members to help golfers enjoy the game more now and in the future,” said Richerson . “It is a place for those who love the game of golf. And it’s a place where we can inspire the next generation. We want to get more young men and women into the industry.”

There is a particular focus on recruiting people from diverse backgrounds for the game and the industry, Richerson added. “It’s really important for us to keep growing as a club,” he said.

The North Texas location will help the PGA of America achieve its goals. “More people can get [to the campus] here in the central part of the country as if we were on the east or west coast,” Richerson said. “And Dallas is the sixth largest media market in the country and ninth largest by population. That will introduce the game to so many more people than we have been able to before.”

It also helps that North Texas has a strong golfing history, with players like LPGA icon Kathy Whitworth (the game’s most successful player), Lee Elder (the first African American to play in the Masters), and World Golf Hall of Famer Lee Trevino from the area. “You’ve inspired so many,” Richerson said. “Fast forward to today and there’s Jordan Spieth – one of the biggest names in the game and current No. 1 player in the world, Scottie Scheffler.

“Who will be the next great player to come out of Dallas? With PGA Frisco, some of the next great players will come from here because of this project and the programs we have.”