Gimme!
Omni PGA Frisco Scores Magnificently
Golf is uniquely demanding. It requires players to process the game, the landscape, the competition and the broader environment and weather all at the same time to be successful. Consider the biomechanics, mindfulness, and discipline to complete a perfectly smooth swing one minute, to pull off a dogleg-adhering draw the next, or to roll a sublime putt some moments later. No wonder it places golfers in an 18-hole suspension that holds out the promise of being a captivating, exhilarating and exceptionally satisfying experience all at the same time.
Golfing experiences have become a highly fascinating and successful sector within hospitality. From the pioneering, dream-like Bandon Dunes on the Oregon Coast to Destination Kohler’s Whistling Straits on Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan to Arizona’s desert courses and Nebraska’s Sandhills, to the oldest, continuously used first tee at the iconic Old Course at The Omni Homestead Resort, or Florida’s many world class resorts, golf has become a sub-category of hospitality that — like the sport — merges the game, the landscape, the company kept, and the hospitality experience!
As you read this article, this “merger” is coming to life in in Frisco, Texas. There, the brand-new Omni PGA Frisco Resort is manifesting in the leafy outskirts of Dallas and will open in the Spring of 2023. Anchored by two 18-hole championship courses designed by golf course architects Beau Welling (Fields Ranch West), and Gil Hanse (Fields Ranch East), the resort will feature 500 guestrooms and suites, 10 four-bedroom ranch houses, four pools — two leisure and family friendly, one adults-only, and one spa pool — 127,000 square feet of meeting and event spaces, a par-3 10-hole short course, a lighted two-acre putting course, and a Lounge by Topgolf.
SB Architects has impeccably designed the resort to provide an immersive and comprehensive golfing hospitality experience for low handicappers and beginners alike. The property strikes the perfect balance of golf-centric amenities — a total of 46 holes to navigate — and non-golf attractions including a destination spa, diverse shopping, 13 culinary venues that run the spectrum from haute cuisine to casual, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and an outdoor stage for concerts and other outdoor programming.
Omni PGA Frisco Resort’s campus design is an homage to Texas modernism that capitalizes on natural light wherever possible, and draws extensively on locally sourced stone, wood detail and ironwork. In doing so, the design team succeeded in spectacularly connecting indoor and outdoor space to provide visitors with an incredibly holistic and transporting experience!
PGA Frisco — the name given to the entire 600-acre, mixed-use development being led by Omni Hotels & Resorts, the City of Frisco, and the Frisco Independent School District — will be home to Omni PGA Frisco, offices of the PGA of America, the Fields Ranch East and Fields Ranch West courses, the PGA District, complete with entertainment, retail and restaurant spaces. When open, the resort will play host to the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, and 26 additional championships scheduled in Frisco through 2034, including two PGA Championship events, and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
“I have no doubt that this property will quickly become a special place for our guests,” said Spencer Cody, Corporate Director of Club and Golf Operations for Omni Hotels & Resorts. “I can see golf groups coming here annually; families spring-breaking here; corporate clients having productive, creative strategy sessions in our meeting rooms and on our courses, and couples taking time together wherever exploring the property. Guests will come here and make it their own. That’s exactly what we hoped for when Omni PGA Frisco Resort was initially conceived, and what we think about with each step towards realization.”
Guestrooms and public spaces throughout Omni PGA Frisco Resort feature hospitality-grade televisions from LG Electronics with 55” LG 55UR770H9UA in each of the standard guestrooms and 65-inch UR770H9UD in luxury suites and ranch homes. A sports bar features 75-inch LG R770H9UDs. A range of other LG hospitality televisions are featured in retail spaces and in front of house locations for digital signage and wayfinding applications. LG hospitality televisions are specifically engineered for North American hospitality combining sleek designs and magnificent visual performance.
“Enjoying golf on television requires a sensational picture from a great display,” said Jeff Smith, Vice President and Managing Director at Omni PGA Frisco Resort. “Not only did we require high definition, excellent color calibration and fantastic performance over time, the displays we considered also needed to align with our design aesthetic and complement the atmosphere our architects and designers worked hard to create. LG met the criteria and — much like a well-equipped golf bag — had an array of display sizes from 43-inch up to 75-inch with the same consistent look!”
Eric Neilson, LG Electronics Senior Account Manager agrees, “Because of the nature of the sport and the size of the ball, golf television presents visual challenges you don’t get in more controlled stadium and arena environments with footballs, tennis balls and baseballs. This has made golf fans a discerning audience for televisions and it’s why we’re especially pleased to be featured at this exquisite resort.”
The annual golf calendar includes majors and marquis events at hallowed courses that have become synonymous with great golfers, iconic moments in sport and spectacular fan experiences. Millions of viewers around the world have tuned in — many, no doubt, transfixed to their LG televisions — as the holes, settings and even clubhouses have become fixtures in golf legend. There is little doubt that Frisco, Texas will soon join that list of history-making venues and become home to a pantheon of golf greats.
Cody says the anticipation around starting something new with the potential to become a crucible of golf is exciting and energizing! “You just know that history will be created at this property,” he says. “That’s a compelling attraction for our guests and a great motivator for our team. It seems like everyone in the global golf community, and the North America hospitality industry, is aware of the scale and ambition of this development and so every detail right down to the hospitality televisions has been carefully considered and meticulously addressed!”
