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Four years after announcing it would move from South Florida to North Texas, PGA of America celebrated the opening of its new home in Frisco.
As excited as CEO Seth Waugh is about the 106,621-square-foot building itself, he has even more excitement for what it represents. Waugh said he sees the new headquarters serving as the center for the game of golf for years to come.
"Everything of golf and for golf is going to be here," Waugh said. "We talk about it as being the Silicon Valley of golf."
The PGA of America, a separate entity from the PGA Tour, announced in 2018 that it would move from its longtime home in South Florida to Frisco. While the PGA Tour is for tour pros and tournament golf, the PGA of America is an organization for club professionals with more than 28,000 members.
With the opening of its headquarters, the PGA of America becomes the first major international sports organization in Texas. The building overlooks a 30-acre practice facility and is part of the $550 million, 600-acre PGA Frisco mixed-use development.
The PGA's headquarters has a professional development center that will be used to train, certify and develop members who work across the country. The facility includes several indoor and outdoor hitting bays featuring full-swing technology that allows members to assess all elements of a swing. It also has a large bunker, chipping and putting areas featuring similar technology.
"It's a place for the professionals where they can train to be the best they can be with a goal of growing the game of golf," said Dawes Marlatt, senior director for education and talent development at the PGA.
The first floor also includes a club performance room where members can adjust and customize every piece of their irons, wedges, drivers and putters to test out the latest and greatest equipment the game has to offer.
About 120 employees work from the building on a daily basis. The fourth floor includes an event space that provides expansive views of the adjacent golf course.
"We've done the easy part," Waugh said. "Now it's what goes on here. The hard part starts now."
The remainder of the campus will open to the public in spring 2023 featuring two 18-hole championship golf courses designed by Gil Hanse and Beau Welling; a clubhouse; a performance center and a 510-room Omni PGA Frisco Resort. The development will also include the PGA District, featuring an indoor and outdoor golf-centered entertainment spaces. Major equipment companies and TopGolf will occupy commercial spaces.
Adolfson & Peterson Construction served as contractor on the headquarters in partnership with Cushman & Wakefield as construction manager, while design firm Page was the architect.
Waugh sees a two-acre putting green, called the "Dance Floor," becoming a similar town square-type space as The Star in Frisco where the Dallas Cowboys have their headquarters and practice facility.
"That's what we're going to have here except you'll have golf clubs in your hands," Waugh said.
PGA Frisco was developed through a public-private partnership between the PGA, Omni Resorts & Hotels/TRT Holdings, the city of Frisco, Frisco's Economic Development Council and the Frisco Independent School District.
Frisco ISD students will be able to utilize PGA Frisco, and students at the University of North Texas will benefit from year-round internships.
The golf courses will host championship tournaments, including next year's Senior PGA Championship. Future tournaments also include the Women's PGA Championship in 2025 and the PGA Championship in 2027.
Waugh said he eyes drawing the Ryder Cup in the future, as well.
