Tag: Omni PGA Frisco Resort

Performance improvement app Uplift takes $25K grand prize at inaugural Golfweek Tech Lab

Kabayama’s group took home the top honors at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort.

FRISCO, Texas — Sukemasa Kabayama, the CEO and co-founder of the performance improvement app Uplift, started Thursday with a trip to the emergency room after a bout with food poisoning. The former president of Tesla Motors Japan admitted that he had trouble standing and spent most of the morning flat on his back before finally making the medical visit.

The day, however, got progressively better.

After facing a group of other golf technology startups, Kabayama’s group took home the top honors at the first Golfweek Tech Lab, held at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort just north of Dallas.

The event, which was presented by T-Mobile for Business, was a joint venture between Golfweek, part of USA Today Sports Media Group and Gannett Co., Inc, and underdog venture team. The event united stakeholders in both the financial investment industry and golf communities with a curated group of 18 technology startups, all with the aim of impacting the business of golf.

With the victory, Uplift won the grand prize check of $25,000, along with a cover story in a future edition of Golfweek.

“I’m still a little shocked and surprised,” Kabayama said. “This turned out to be a great day.”

Uplift was one of four winners in the event’s best of show. Aside from the grand prize, the Palo Alto, California-based firm also won the player performance category. Other winners included Fabric in the fan engagement category, Clicktivated in the e-commerce category and Whoosh in the business solutions category.

The event included a number of panel discussions including one on Generative AI in sports with Jon Flynn of Microsoft and Nancy Hensley of Mercury13, as well as another on innovation and the PGA of America with Jeehae Lee of Sportsbox and Kris Hart of the PGA of America.

Photos: Fields Ranch East course by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner has opened at Omni PGA Frisco Resort in Texas

Check out the photos of Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner’s latest course creation.

Much attention has been paid to the design duo of Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner in recent years for their work restoring multiple host sites of major championships, and rightfully so. Los Angeles Country Club, The Country Club, Winged Foot, Southern Hills and more have hosted majors after the designers lent their expertise in putting the courses back into the shapes intended by their original architects.

But what about Hanse and Wagner’s original work? They can bring the heat to their own designs, too, and that is on full display with the Fields Ranch East course at Omni PGA Frisco Resort near Dallas, the new home of the PGA of America.

The East recently opened to public play shortly after hosting the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship (won by Steve Stricker), the first of dozens of top-tier events scheduled to be played there.

Playing as long as 7,863 yards with a par of 72, the East is part of a new complex that includes a resort, meeting spaces, dining, shopping, a lit par-3 course, a massive putting green and plenty of ways to practice. It sits alongside the West, a course designed by Beau Welling.

Check out photos of the East below, most of them shot by noted course photographer Evan Schiller and the others courtesy of the resort. And click here to see photos of the West.

Photos: Fields Ranch West course opens at Omni PGA Frisco Resort in Texas, new home of the PGA of America

Check out the photos of the new Fields Ranch West course at PGA Frisco in Texas.

PGA Frisco, the new home of the PGA of America just north of Dallas, officially opens for golf today, with the property’s Fields Ranch West course accepting tee times for play from this point onward. The other course on property, Fields Ranch East, officially opens for public tee times starting May 30.

The West was designed by golf architect Beau Welling and plays along Panther Creek in a prairie setting with oak and mesquite trees. The East, designed by the team of Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner, will play host to 26 championships through 2034, including the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship on May 25-28.

The Fields Ranch courses are part of the Omni PGA Frisco Resort that includes a 500-room hotel, 10 four-bedroom ranch houses, a spa, two ballrooms, 19 meeting rooms, nine outdoor event venues, a pavilion, 13 restaurants and bars, and retail shops. The property also serves as the new headquarters for the PGA of America, which previously had been located in South Florida.

Besides the two main courses, Fields Ranch also is home to a 10-hole lighted short course named The Swing and a lighted 2-acre putting course named The Dance Floor. It also includes the data-driven PGA Coaching Center and the Jerry J. Ransom Northern Texas PGA Golf House.

“No matter what you are looking for in a golf trip, Omni PGA Frisco Resort has all the aspects and amenities to provide a world-class experience for every guest,” Jeff Smith, vice president and managing director of Omni PGA Frisco Resort, said in a media release announcing the opening of Fields Ranch West. “In partnership with the PGA of America, we look forward to being one of the most sought-after golf destinations in the world.”

Rates for Fields Ranch East, a walking-with-caddie experience, start at $277 for public-access play (booked up to seven days in advance), and the fees start at $252 for resort guests (booked up to 120 days in advance). The fees for Fields Ranch West start at $222 for public-access players and $202 for resort guests. City of Frisco residents can schedule rounds 10 days in advance with up to 20 percent in discounts when booking outside of 48 hours and up to 50 percent off when scheduled within 48 hours of the day of play. Additional cart and caddie fees are applicable. Visit www.fieldsranch.com for details.

All combined for the courses and hotel, the property sits on 660 acres and was completed as a public/private partnership between the PGA of America, Omni Hotels & Resorts, the City of Frisco, and the Frisco Independent School District.

Check out the images of Fields Ranch West and several hotel amenities below.