Omni Hotels & Resorts opens ‘The New Home Of Modern Golf,’ celebrates a centennial, and so much more

Spencer Cody jokes that he maintains an office at Omni Hotels & Resorts’ corporate headquarters, but his light is rarely on. It’s little wonder. Cody, Omni’s Corporate Director of Club and Golf Operations, and his colleagues have been juggling a lot of projects at the company’s 13 golf destinations with 26 courses and multiple short courses around the country.

Last month brought the most anticipated golf opening of the year, the Omni PGA Frisco Resort, which was recently showcased during the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. Seth Waugh, CEO of the PGA of America, described the 660-acre resort located 35 miles north of Dallas as “an ocean in the middle of the desert.” Where once there was a large ranch, now, seemingly overnight, a destination resort with elements tailored to golfers of all levels has been born.

Architect Gil Hanse’s Fields Ranch East, now open to the public following the 83rd KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, was designed with big tournaments in mind.

“Gil’s vision was a major spectator championship course with extreme flexibility for setup,” Cody said. “Thanks to the ribbon tee complexes and from a yardage standpoint, we can get it back to almost 8,000 yards for a PGA Championship or Ryder Cup type of event, or we can go as short at 4,000 yards, or even less, for a PGA Junior League.”

The wholesale use of Northbridge Bermuda turfgrass throughout the course will make it a snap for the maintenance team to pinch fairways for tournament play, and the extreme sand-capping and drainage should limit weather delays. “If we’re hosting a major championship and we have a large rain event, the golf course will become playable very quickly,” Cody said.

Beau Welling’s Field Ranch West is a stark contrast. It’s a links-inspired layout, with Texas-sized fairways – some as wide as 100 yards in spots – and a rolling terrain that reminds Cody of his days working in the Hill Country. The real challenge will be on the greens and surrounds, which can be quite penal.

As one might expect, given Omni’s partnership with the PGA of America, there’s also a 10-hole short course, The Swing; the two-acre Dance Floor putting course along with coaching and practice facilities to accommodate all ages and handicaps from locals just knocking it around after work to serious players looking to get the most out of their games.

“We’re very much aligned with the PGA of America’s…