Texas PGA Tour course getting renovation from Lanny Wadkins

By industry standards, TPC Craig Ranch in the Dallas suburb of McKinney is still a youngster, opening for play just two decades ago.

The private club, originally designed by Tom Weiskopf, has housed a PGA Tour stop in Dallas for the last four years. Previously known as the AT&T Byron Nelson, the tournament’s name was changed to the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in 2024, when Canadian Taylor Pendrith captured his first PGA Tour title.

On Wednesday, the club’s ownership group, Invited, announced a renovation that, according to a release from the company, will “completely overhaul the existing course.”

The private club, which does not crack the top 15 private courses in the state of Texas, according to Golfweek’s Best, has played to 7,414 yards with a par of 72 for the event in the past.

An aerial view of the 2022 AT&T Byron Nelson from TPC Craig Ranch near Dallas. (Photo: Tim Schmitt/Golfweek)

According to the release, “incorporating new turf varieties that will enhance turf conditions and durability, bringing them on par with those seen at the nation’s top facilities.”

For golf architect and 21-time PGA Tour winner Lanny Wadkins, who makes his home in north Texas, the opportunity to help put some teeth into the course seemed a natural fit.

“I am excited and honored to be doing the redesign of Craig Ranch. It is a great site for a world-class golf course with gently rolling terrain that features Rowlett Creek which meanders through the property and provides great strategy for multiple holes,” Wadkins said. “My goal is to build a golf course that will challenge the best golfers in the world for The CJ Cup Byron Nelson, but more importantly be a great club for the members to call home the other 51 weeks of the year. The new course will include entirely redesigned bunkers, greens complexes, new irrigation, drainage and improved turf varieties.”

All four years the event has been played at TPC Craig Ranch, the winning scores have been at 23 under or lower, including in 2022, when K.H. Lee set the tournament record by winning at 26 under. Prior to 2018, on 10 different course, the winning score had never reached as low as 20 under.

But after the renovation, the course’s fairways, tees and rough will feature the grass TifTuf, which should help the course play firm and fast. Since the grass is sturdier, greenkeepers should be able to keep it longer for member play, but cut it down before the tournament, causing for a more difficult…