By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
It’s March and school will be out for the summer before you know it. That means kids of all ages and skill levels will take to their local golf courses, country clubs and driving ranges for their summer golf camps. Many facilities have already planned their junior camps and are selling out before spring has even arrived. If your facility is not one of them, hopefully this story about The Ronny Golf Park in Frisco, Texas will inspire you to create an engaging and exciting junior golf program that your kids will recall fondly for many years to come.
Opened in the fall of 2022, The Ronny Golf Park is named for Ronny Glanton, the long-time PGA of America Head Golf Professional and golf shop owner at Sherrill Park Golf Course in Richardson, Texas. Glanton is the only Northern Texas PGA (NTPGA) Member to serve as Section President twice. He was also the 2020 PGA of America Golf Professional of the Year and a 2022 Inductee into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame. His contributions to the game of golf are not only reflected in the many industry awards, accolades and achievements he’s earned but through the many lives he’s changed through the game of golf.
The Ronny Golf Park is a two-acre, lighted golf park constructed entirely of synthetic turf that golfers can enjoy whether rain or shine, during the day or after the sun goes down. The facility was designed with junior golfers in mind and offers programming for ages 3-14. When no programming is taking place, public golfers can use The Ronny Golf Park free of charge.
The facility boasts the Randy Smith and Dr. Bill Blair “Who’s Next Pavilion,” a 2,200-square-foot building that is used for community outreach and special events through the Northern Texas PGA Section.
“This is the building where we run our programming,” says Chad Moscovic, the PGA of America Director of Golf Park Programming at The Ronny Golf Park. “It’s a place where the kids can put their bags in cubbies and use the restrooms as needed. When the weather demands, we’ll roll out a bunch of putting mats and run some games and drills – though anytime we can be outside, we are.”
The Jordan Spieth Family Foundation Carpool Putting Green is a unique amenity that replicates memorable putts of NTPGA golfers who went on to win major championships. According to The Ronny Golf Park website, “We took the greens books, yardage books and studied the putts from the broadcasts to replicate them as closely as possible. There are seven putts to be made on the Carpool Putting Green and room for plenty more. #WHOSNEXT!” The major championship winners currently represented are Justin Leonard, Brittany Lang, Angela Stanford, Scottie Scheffler and Spieth himself, of course.
The Ryan Palmer Foundation Putting Green is one of the larger greens on the property. Palmer is another former NTPGA junior golfer and is a member of the Texas Golf Hall of Fame. This 3,800-square-foot green sits nearby the HOF recognition area. It has an adjacent bunker that is lit for use after dark and has a half dozen holes to putt and chip from any angle and through an array curves and undulations.
The Ronny Golf Park also has two replica greens that mirror the look of the East (Gil Hanse) and West (Beau Welling) Courses at PGA Frisco. Although they’re only about a quarter of the actual size of the original greens, these replicas enable golfers to work on their short game and putting skills so they’re ready to roll the rock when they take to the actual PGA Frisco layouts.
In addition, there are two more greens that are used for short game and putting and an 18-hole Putting Course, one of Moscovic’s favorite features of The Ronny Golf Park. With various breaks and elevation changes, this par 45 layout is fun for beginners and a challenge for your better players.
There’s also a Flex Field Area that is used during programming for a variety of drills and athletic activities, a playground and a challenge obstacle course to round out the fun, education and growth.
Adjacent to the golf park is one side of the PGA Frisco driving range that is used exclusively for junior golf programming. There is no public play on this range.
The Ronny Golf Park Team is led by Moscovic, the NTPGA Youth Player Development Award winner in 2016 and 2023 and the Section’s Player Development Award winner in 2021. He has also earned several Metro Chapter awards and is a 2023-2024 U.S. Kids Golf Top 50 Junior Coach.
Hanna Dickens is the Manager of Golf Park Programming and a PGA of America Associate Professional in the PGA’s Professional Golf
Management Program. She grew up playing on the NTPGA Junior Tour and played five years of college golf at Dallas Baptist University, where she was a five-time All-America and two-time Lone Star Conference Player of the Year.
Amari Smith is the Coordinator of Golf Park Programming. Smith also grew up playing the NTPGA Junior circuit and was a teammate of her colleague Dickens at Dallas Baptist University. She graduated early from DBU and attained her Masters Degree from the University of North Georgia, where she also played on the women’s golf team. Throughout her college playing career, Smith was a two-time All-Conference team member and three-time Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Academic All-American.
Finally, Megan Padua Buzza brings her stellar resume to Frisco after working at clubs on Long Island and in Florida. Buzza is a Golf Range
Association of America (GRAA) Elite Growth of the Game Teaching Professional, a Top 50 LPGA instructor and a Golf Digest Best Young Teacher in America. She is also a U.S. Kids Golf Top 50 Master Kids Teacher. Buzza played varsity golf at Penn St. University where she was team captain during her senior year.
The programming this team of coaches facilitates at The Ronny Golf Park is extensive and all-encompassing. There are spring break camps, summer camps and Lil Chippers summer golf camps. Under these umbrellas are a plethora of options to meet any family’s busy schedule. In fact, this team of dedicated professionals, aided by two dozen part-time coaches, serves roughly 1,400 unique junior golfers in their programming each year.
Details, schedules and pricing are all on the facility’s website. Whether you go for the instruction, the putting and short game amenities or the overall experience, there are many reasons to check out The Ronny Golf Park. And if you’re visiting Frisco and end up in nearby Richardson, say hi to Mr. Glanton and thank him for all he’s done for the game.
