Jeff Smith, vice president and managing director of the Omni PGA Frisco Resort, poses for a photo on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022, at the resort in Frisco, Texas.
Juan Figueroa/Staff Photographer
Construction workers prepare the entrance of the Omni PGA Frisco resort.
Juan Figueroa/Staff Photographer
The grand ballroom will be a key draw at the Omni PGA Frisco resort.
Juan Figueroa/Staff Photographer
Spring 2023 is the target date for the opening of the Omni PGA Frisco resort.
Juan Figueroa/Staff Photographer
An indoor area for virtual games is being prepped at the Lounge by Topgolf located in the PGA District retail area at the Omni PGA Frisco resort.
Juan Figueroa/Staff Photographer
The resort’s clubhouse gets finishing touches.
Juan Figueroa/Staff Photographer
Workers assemble what will be the resort’s lobby bar.
Juan Figueroa/Staff Photographer
The golf course as seen from Margaret’s Cones & Cups in the resort’s PGA District retail area.
Juan Figueroa/Staff Photographer
Field crews work on cleaning the resort’s golf course.
Juan Figueroa/Staff Photographer
Jeff Smith, the resort’s vice president and managing director, thinks the project further solidifies North Texas as a golf business capital.
Juan Figueroa/Staff Photographer
The resort’s overall cost will top $520 million.
Juan Figueroa/Staff Photographer
Ranch houses are being built at the resort.
Juan Figueroa/Staff Photographer
An exterior view of the resort’s grand and junior ballroom building.
Juan Figueroa/Staff Photographer
An event pavilion takes shape at the resort.
Juan Figueroa/Staff Photographer
The Omni PGA Frisco resort totals 600,000 square feet.
Juan Figueroa/Staff Photographer
North Texans and travelers from around the world will be playing golf on two PGA championship courses and staying in a massive resort with 500 guest rooms, 10 four-bedroom villas, a dozen restaurants, a TopGolf lounge, three pools and a spa.
Juan Figueroa/Staff Photographer
Margaret’s Cones & Cups will be a mainstay in the PGA District retail area.
Juan Figueroa/Staff Photographer
This room will house a PGA shop in the clubhouse at the Omni PGA Frisco resort.
Juan Figueroa/Staff Photographer
Omni describes its massive new hotel in Frisco as the “nation’s largest resort” under construction.
At 600,000 square feet and with a price tag topping $520 million, the Omni PGA Frisco will become the centerpiece of a golf development when it opens by early May. It’s next to where the PGA of America moved its headquarters from Florida.
Will the resort and surrounding space for shops, restaurants, offices, apartments and hotels cement North Texas’ place as the golf capital of the U.S.?
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“We feel, if it isn’t humbly the center of golf or the epicenter, it’s certainly darn close,” said Jeff Smith, vice president and managing director of the Omni PGA Frisco Resort. “We want this to be golf for all people.”
He calls the Frisco development the “modern home of American golf.” Dallas-Fort Worth is already the home base for many golf-related businesses, such as country club operator Invited, entertainment venue proprietor Topgolf, and professional golfers such as Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler.
But the Omni PGA raises it to another level.
An aerial site plan of the Omni PGA development under construction in Frisco.
Submitted photo
North Texans and travelers from around the world will be playing golf on two PGA championship courses and staying in a massive resort with 500 guest rooms, 10 four-bedroom villas, a dozen restaurants, a TopGolf lounge, three pools and a spa.
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It will create about 1,000 new jobs, too.
Omni has worked with partners such as the Dallas Cowboys, also headquartered in Frisco. Smith said Omni has a niche with professional sports franchises, making it a perfect partner for PGA.
A big part of making Omni PGA Frisco Resort successful will be the corporate groups that book the resort for stays, Smith said. He points to the success that Arlington, The Star, Grandscape in The Colony and Legacy West in Plano have had in establishing entertainment districts.
There’s an added bonus to having such a large golf presence in Dallas, said Bob Heere, professor and director of sports entertainment management at the University of North Texas. When a PGA championship is held on a local course, that attracts golfers who want to give it a shot, he said.
“The people I’ve talked to are excited to be here and are pleasantly surprised by the amenities and the living situation,” Heere said.
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Heere said he believes “we’re on our way” to becoming a golf business destination that will create a boom for the D-FW economy. PGA of America, founded in 1916, is one of the world’s largest sports organizations, with 28,000 club professionals as members.
Its headquarters will draw pros and others to the region for everything from training and conferences to tournaments. Once open, the development is slated to host 26 championships between 2023 and 2034, including the PGA Championship, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.
“We were already a great destination,” Heere said. “We’ve become a better destination.”
The Frisco water tower and golf course seen from the Omni PGA Frisco resort on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022, in Frisco, Texas.
Juan Figueroa/Staff Photographer
When the PGA announced its relocation plan in December 2018, it also set off a flurry of real estate deals that are taking shape along with the Omni.
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In 2021, Dallas-based Stillwater Capital won approvals to begin The Link, a $1 billion, 240-acre project south of U.S. Highway 380 and next to the new PGA headquarters and resort. Plans include office, retail, luxury residential, entertainment, a boutique hotel and sports wellness uses.
In April, developers unveiled plans for a $2 billion Fields West mixed-use development on 180 acres along the Dallas North Tollway near the PGA headquarters. It will be three times the size of the popular Legacy West development in Plano.
The full Fields development is a $10 billion, 2,500-acre project that includes the PGA headquarters, the Omni resort and three mixed-use developments.
Related: A $520 million resort rising from Frisco’s rolling hills targets a spring 2023 opening
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