How Does Fields Ranch East Compare to Other Women's Major Venues? The Experts Weigh in.

FRISCO, TX. — Part of the excitement around major championships lies in the novelty of an unplayed venue and all the challenges that unfamiliarity brings to a golfer's strategy. Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco (Texas) is coming into its own. The course opened in the spring of 2023 and its maturation has been something KPMG, the PGA of America, and the LPGA Tour have all been looking for heading into championship week.

The stage has been set, now it's time for action. Gil Hanse, the architect behind the course, said that this part, the growth period after construction is the most rewarding. "When you build a brand new golf course it takes six, seven, eight years before it really starts to match the vision. I think Roger Meier and his team here have done an amazing job of moving it forward. I think two years down the road we're looking better, and I think two years from now we will even look better from that point in time."

Golf Course Architect Gil Hanse does a media interview during the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA of America)

Fields Ranch East is slated to host an impressive 29 championships through 2034, including six majors, the next one being the men's PGA Championship in 2027.

We're coming off of two other major championships that played at hefty yardages. The Chevron Championship at The Club at Carlton Woods played around 6,911 and Erin Hills at the U.S. Women's Open played 6,829 for the week—the two longest yardages the Tour has seen all season. Though length isn't the hardest factor about this course, that doesn't mean that Fields Ranch is without it's challenges.

Nelly Korda hits her tee shot on the seventh hole during the first round of the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship. (Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA of America via Getty Images)

Skratch caught up with Mike Strauss of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, who works closely with Roger Meier, the super in charge of Fields Ranch East, to breakdown a few key things to keep in mind as the tournament plays out.

A few notable things that will go into the courses playability are the rough and the winds.

Oakmont who? The rough at Fields Ranch East is no joke, just ask world No. 1 Nelly Korda who had a wild encounter with the rough during early week preparations. The grass has had time to settle and mature, hitting a growth spurt at the end of May and into early June. The fairways are wide, but an errant tee shot will be costly.

Chisato Iwai of Japan hits out of a fairway bunker on the second hole during the first round of the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

The other thing to note is the wind. All week long, gusts have been whipping through the air creating a vacuum of hot air. It's like a massive blow dryer has been cranked up to high and pointed directly on Fields Ranch.

When asked about the impact of wind speeds and what the weekend forecast will hold, Hanse elaborated on how natural elements were thought into the design process.

"[Twenty-five to 30 mph] That's pretty typical. I think you can see 30 to 40, which obviously would start to impact playability of the golf course. I think if we stick in the 25, that's going to be perfect," Hanse said.

Nicole Felce reads her shot on the first hole fairway during the first round of the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship. (Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA of America via Getty Images)

"It's a wide golf course," Hanse continued. Yes, you have 60-yard fairways to hit into, but you really only want to hit to the right 20 or 30 yards of it...If the wind really gusts there is still width, but you're going to have to strike your golf ball extremely well to get to the proper side of the fairway."