Courtesy of Fields Ranch East / PGA Frisco (2)
When the 2025 Women’s PGA Championship arrives in Frisco, Texas, later this month, all eyes will be on the world’s best women golfers — and on the standout surface they’ll compete on.
For the first time, Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco, the home of the PGA of America, will host a women’s major championship. The East course was built to challenge top players and features NorthBridge Bermudagrass on tees, fairways and approaches.
“It’s a really exciting time not only for our facility, but for women’s sports in general,” said Roger Meier, senior director of golf maintenance operations for the PGA of America and PGA Frisco. “To bring this event to Fields Ranch here is amazing. I don’t think there’s been a major women’s event in the state of Texas for 70 years. So to bring women’s golf at this level back to the state of Texas is incredible.”
Meier said the PGA of America has made a strong push to grow the game, especially by creating more entry points for women. He noted a 40 percent increase in female participation since 2019.
A championship résumé
While this year marks the first Women’s PGA Championship at Fields Ranch, the East Course already has major experience. It hosted the 2023 Senior PGA Championship shortly after construction wrapped and the facility opened.
“NorthBridge has been a really good performer for us,” Meier said. “We obviously did our due diligence prior to construction on the golf courses. We looked at several facilities in and around the DFW market that had established NorthBridge.”
Meier and his team closely observed Northwood Club just south of Frisco, which has NorthBridge wall to wall, giving them a strong reference point during evaluation. His team now manages more than 190 acres of NorthBridge across the entire facility.
He said the grass has delivered on key expectations from a research standpoint, including strong cold tolerance, early spring green-up and extended fall color — all critical with spring championship dates on the calendar.
April events can be more challenging as NorthBridge is still waking up, but late May and early summer have produced strong performance. “June gives us a little bit more time for the women’s KPMG Championship,” he said. “Obviously, we’re getting into warmer temperatures so we’re very confident that by the time the women come here to play, we're going to be in a really good spot.”
With the Women’s PGA Championship this summer and men’s PGA Championships ahead in 2027 and 2034, Meier’s team continues to finetune the East course with more organics and varied mowing heights across NorthBridge.
The West Course has hosted the PGA Jr. League Championship and will continue to support youth and amateur events as part of PGA Frisco’s expanding tournament schedule. The West Course allows carts while the East is walking-only, which Meier said helps maintain exceptional turfgrass quality for championship events.
To meet those expectations, the team begins ramping up in March, growing to about 80 staff and associates during peak season. Managing the entire property takes a dedicated team and significant resources, especially when preparing for major championships. Meier said he’s proud of their daily work to deliver a top-tier golf experience and present the course at its best on a world stage.
Meier credited his superintendents with keeping things running smoothly. Bryce Yates, managing superintendent of golf course and grounds, supports overall operations. Nick Zickefoose leads the East Course and Zachary Barber manages the West.
Managing the Transition Zone
Developed by Oklahoma State University and licensed through Sod Solutions, NorthBridge Bermudagrass is becoming a warm-season turfgrass of choice for elite venues in the Transition Zone. It’s designed to thrive in the Texas heat and recover fast under foot traffic.
Frisco, just 30 miles north of Dallas, can experience harsh winter weather. “It’s one of the most critical times to pay attention to weather conditions with the susceptibility for winter injury and winterkill,” Meier said. “So we have set ‘threat temperature thresholds’ for our team and when we hit those, that determines when we’re going to deploy covers.”
They cover all 13 acres of putting surfaces and specific areas of NorthBridge more prone to injury, like north-facing slopes and wind-exposed high spots. The team uses 30-mil plastic tarps custom-made to fit each green, with extras for additional areas, and thousands of sandbags to anchor them in place. Meier explained that it’s an intense process, taking their 50-person agronomy team about 12 hours.
Fields Ranch closes for several weeks in the summer months for critical agronomic work to ensure long-term plant health and quality playing surfaces in preparation for championships and daily experience of members and guests. Meier said NorthBridge has continued to perform well through both spring and fall transitions, with tight fairways and consistent texture and density.
“When people come here, they’re getting a pretty good glimpse of how the course will play for a major championship,” Meier said. “The only thing that changes during a championship is we really hone in on the frequency of cuts and certain applications.”
