Monday, October 23, 2023
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Date: October 20, 2023
Contact: Mark Harrison (214) 389-2880
Northern Texas PGA Celebrates Grand Opening, Unveiling Event at New Campus
FRISCO, TX – Over the past several days, the Northern Texas PGA celebrated its official grand opening and the unveiling of the Jerry J. Ransom Northern Texas PGA Golf House and campus.
On October 12, the NTPGA celebrated Jerry J. Ransom’s support of the Northern Texas PGA Foundation by hosting an unveiling event that included a golf tournament on PGA Frisco’s 10-hole short course, The Swing, for Ransom and his friends, along with a small ceremony to reveal Ransom’s name on the Northern Texas PGA’s office building.
Ransom is an avid golfer from Greenville, Texas, where he currently serves as the City Mayor. He has supported the NTPGA Foundation’s growth of the game initiatives for many years and was the lead contributor for the NTPGA Foundation’s Capital Campaign that took place from February 2020 to December 2021.
The Jerry J. Ransom Northern Texas PGA Golf House is a 7,000-square-foot facility that serves as the home of the Section’s staff. It boasts 19 offices, two conference rooms, an open workspace for interns, the soon-to-be Northern Texas PGA Hall of Fame and many other unique features.
“I support the NTPGA because of their commitment to growing the game, particularly their programming for junior golfers,” said Ransom in an interview during the grand opening celebration. “When they put my name on the golf house I was really very surprised. I was shocked when Mark [Harrison] called me and told me that. I feel very honored. I’m honored to be associated with such a wonderful organization, and I’m very appreciative of the opportunities that they have given me over the years.”
On October 18, the NTPGA hosted its official grand opening for the entire campus. The campus includes the Jerry J. Ransom Northern Texas PGA Golf House, The Randy Smith & Dr. Bill Blair Who’s Next Pavilion and The Ronny Golf Park.
All four namesakes were in attendance for this ceremony, along with about 200 other attendees made up of Section Members, Associates, partners and donors.
“We were beyond thrilled to host such a wonderful event for our PGA of America Golf Professionals, sponsors, junior golfers, Veterans and our donors. It feels really good to see so many people here on our new campus enjoying what we worked so hard to build for them with and thanks to their support. For years this felt more like a dream than a reality, so to officially cut a ribbon and celebrate this project’s completion is very special,” said Mark Harrison, Chief Executive Officer of the Northern Texas PGA, after the ceremony.
The Randy Smith & Dr. Bill Blair Who’s Next Pavilion is a 2,200-square-foot building specifically designed for the NTPGA Foundation’s community outreach and growth of the game programs. The pavilion houses indoor programming for juniors and other special Foundation events.
“It’s an honor to have my name next to Randy Smith’s [on the pavilion],” said Dr. Blair. When asked why he supports the NTPGA Foundation, Dr. Blair said, “I think it’s great. It teaches kids basic life skills, like how to get along with each other and how to take responsibility.”
Smith followed Dr. Blair’s comments by saying, “It’s shocking how cool this place is!”
The Ronny Golf Park is a two-acre, lighted golf park made entirely of synthetic turf. It was designed with junior golfers and families in mind and features two, reduced-sized, replica 18th hole putting greens from the East and West Courses of Fields Ranch, two chipping greens, a third practice putting green, a green that replicates the putts from each one of the five former NTPGA junior golfers who have won major championships, an 18-hole putting course and a flex area with a playground and obstacle course.
“It’s something I never imagined, never thought that I would have my name on anything. Definitely not something of this magnitude,” said Glanton when asked about his feelings on The Ronny Golf Park bearing his name. “This is probably the mecca of golf.”
The Jerry J. Ransom Northern Texas PGA Golf House is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. To learn about the hours of operation for the Randy Smith & Dr. Bill Blair Who’s Next Pavilion and programs for kids at The Ronny Golf Park, please visit ronnygolfpark.com. The Northern Texas PGA staff welcomes and encourages all to come visit our campus, especially The Ronny Golf Park, to begin or continue your golf journey.
