Trinity Forest Golf Club to Host Veritex Bank Texas State Open in 2017

NTPGA • December 14, 2016

DALLAS, Texas – The Northern Texas PGA is pleased to announce that Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas will host the 2017 Veritex Bank Texas State Open. The championship will be played August 1-4.

Located 10 minutes south of Downtown Dallas, Trinity Forest Golf Club is an 18-hole, links-style course designed by former PGA TOUR player, and three-time Veritex Bank Texas State Open champion, Ben Crenshaw and renowned golf course designer Bill Coore. Find photos of the course here.

The change of venue was facilitated after discussions between the Northern Texas PGA and Trinity Forest Golf Club. The move is also very positive for the Veritex Bank Texas State Open. It is great incentive for players from across the country to attempt to qualify to play one of the best new courses in the United States that will soon play host to a PGA TOUR event.

The AT&T Byron Nelson will move from its longtime home of Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas in Irving after the 2017 tournament. Trinity Forest Golf Club will host the tournament beginning in 2018.

“We saw the move of the AT&T Byron Nelson to Trinity Forest Golf Club as a unique opportunity to enhance our existing partnership with the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, while at the same time creating a relationship with Trinity Forest Golf Club by hosting the Veritex Bank Texas State Open the year before the Byron Nelson will move to the course,” said Mark Harrison, Executive Director and CEO of the Northern Texas PGA.

“We have a very strong relationship with the Northern Texas PGA. Given the opportunity to conduct a professional event of the size and stature of the Texas State Open the year prior to the AT&T Byron Nelson moving to Trinity Forest Golf Club made a lot of sense,” said Jon Drago, Tournament Director of the AT&T Byron Nelson.

Drago continued, “We’ve gained valuable knowledge every year that we hosted the tournament at the Four Seasons. The Texas State Open will essentially provide a dry run for many areas that will apply to our tournament. During the conduct of the Texas State Open, we’ll look at things like the walking patterns of the players, where they drive the ball for positioning of spectator crossings, corporate hospitality and television towers and the like. Not to mention we may have the PGA TOUR rules staff on-site to evaluate potential tee and hole locations that will likely be used during the AT&T Byron Nelson. We’ll evaluate the scoring averages for each hole and monitor the pace of play and any potential challenges with certain holes. There are so many positives for this partnership with the Northern Texas PGA, and we are excited for the opportunity.”

"It is an honor for all of us at Trinity Forest Golf Club to be hosting the 2017 Veritex Bank Texas State Open. We are excited and committed to providing an amazing venue for a great sponsor and a tournament already rich in history. Ben and Bill have built a course that is unlike anything in the state of Texas and I know the players that participate next summer will love it," said Harrison Frazar, Tournament Director at Trinity Forest Golf Club.

The Veritex Bank Texas State Open has crowned many past and future stars over its 46-year history. Three-time Texas State Open champions include: Ben Crenshaw (’75, ’79 and ’80), Jeff Maggert (’88, ’90 and ’94) and Kelly Grunewald (’02, ’05 and ’06). Lee Trevino leads the list of those with two Texas State Open victories. The Veritex Bank Texas State Open is open to all professionals and those amateurs with a handicap index of 5.0 or less and will feature a record projected purse of $200,000. Qualifying for the championship will be conducted in June and July of 2017. More information about the 2017 Veritex Bank Texas State Open will be available at www.ntpga.comearly next year.


About Trinity Forest Golf Club
Trinity Forest Golf Club was created explicitly to attract prestigious golf championships back to Dallas. Designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, the championship course at Trinity Forest Golf Club adheres to their design philosophy that traditional, strategic golf is the most rewarding. Built in the Great Trinity Forest and surrounded on its edges by thousands of majestic hard-wood trees, the classic links-style course artistically meanders through an open meadow of rolling, rumpled sand recalling the wind swept land of Great Britain or the Northeastern US. Trinity Forest is the future home of the AT&T Byron Nelson Championship, and the home course for SMU’s golf teams.

About the Northern Texas PGA
The Northern Texas PGA is one of 41 Sections that comprise the PGA of America and has a professional membership of over 850. The geographic territory includes the state of Texas north of the 31st latitude, or just north of Austin. The Dallas based office has a staff of 14 full-time employees with an additional 60 part-time staff. The Section is a not for profit organization governed by an elected board of directors, who are PGA golf professionals. The operational focus of the Section is to provide services to golf professionals and the golf industry, while stimulating interest and promoting the game. For more information, visit www.ntpga.com.

Northern Texas PGA Announces 2026 Chapter Award Winners

By Erik Anderson • October 26, 2026
On behalf of each NTPGA Chapter Awards Committee, East Texas, Metro Texas and West Texas, we are pleased to announce the 2026 Northern Texas PGA Chapter Award Winners below. 2026 East Chapter Award Winners Golf Professional of the Year Tim Lawson, The Pinnacle Golf Club Assistant Golf Professional of the Year Justin Benson, Eagle's Bluff Country Club Teacher & Coach of the Year Cory Ryan, Crown Colony Country Club Merchandiser of the Year - Private Kendall Earp Motes, Sulphur Springs Country Club Merchandiser of the Year - Public Doug Myer, Tyler Golf Professional Development Award John Sikes, Eagle's Bluff Country Club Bill Strausbaugh Award Doug Myer, Tyler Golf Player Development Award John Sikes, Eagle's Bluff Country Club Patriot Award Dick Goetz, PGA Life Member Youth Player Development Award Mike Williams, Alpine Target Golf Center 2026 Metro Chapter Award Winners Golf Professional of the Year Abe Hernandez, Royal Oaks Country Club Assistant Golf Professional of the Year Shelly Davis, Dallas Athletic Club Teacher & Coach of the Year Gabe Reynolds, Topgolf - Dallas Merchandiser of the Year - Private Brian Schorsten, Colonial Country Club Merchandiser of the Year - Public Chad Williams, Tierra Verde Golf Club Professional Development Award Deborah Foley, PGA of America Bill Strausbaugh Award Trish Holt, Fields Ranch at PGA Frisco Player Development Award Michelle Edgar, The Clubs of Prestonwood - The Hills Patriot Award Bob Nied, The Courses at Watters Creek Youth Player Development Award Garrett Anderson, Golf Clubs at The Tribute 2026 West Chapter Award Winners  Golf Professional of the Year Jimmy Tidwell, Abilene Country Club Assistant Golf Professional of the Year Dru Hein, Midland Country Club Teacher & Coach of the Year Brandon Veld, Red Feather Golf & Social Club Merchandiser of the Year - Private Matt Lawson, Lubbock Country Club Merchandiser of the Year - Public Casey Renner, Palo Duro Creek Golf Course Professional Development Award Brian Nagy, Abilene Country Club Bill Strausbaugh Award Jake McCullough, Odessa Country Club Player Development Award Thomas Martin, Green Tree Country Club Patriot Award George Priolo, Ross Rogers Golf Complex Youth Player Development Award Ryan Osgood, Odessa Country Club Congratulations to all of this year’s recipients.

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Dillard Wins $25,000 at Jerry J. Ransom Northern Texas PGA Shootout at The Oaks in Back-to-Back Years

By Erik Anderson • September 29, 2026
GREENVILLE, Texas (September 28) – For the second year in a row, Spencer Dillard, PGA director of golf at Golf Clubs at The Tribute, claimed the Jerry J. Ransom Northern Texas PGA Shootout at The Oaks, taking home $25,000 for the win. Just like last year, it took Dillard two playoff holes to best runner-up Nick Paez, instructor at The Ronny Golf Park. Both players found the 440-yard, par 4, 9th green in two, but a costly three-putt from Paez from 35 feet led to Dillard finishing off a nervy three-foot putt for the win. Dillard also won with a par in last year’s event and has now taken home the victory in two out of three years in the event’s short history. “It’s pretty special, just the opportunity to play in the event. I just can’t thank Dr. Ransom enough for putting this on and all he does for us,” said Dillard. “Just being able to play is a huge deal and then lasting through the shootout is so tough, so it feels great to be here.” The players in the shootout were battling in what seemed to be a competition of who could continue to make birdies. “Nathan was 9-under through a 12-hole stretch today and still went out. There is so much talent in our Section, so you got to go win it,” said Dillard. Longtime Northern Texas PGA Foundation supporter Jerry J. Ransom welcomed 98 Northern Texas PGA Members and Associates to The Oaks Country Club for the third annual Shootout. The event was created to recognize the PGA Professionals across the Section who dedicate their time and energy to growing the game through the NTPGA Foundation’s initiatives. The event was developed by Ransom as a way to thank PGA Professionals across the Northern Texas Section while also providing exposure to The Oaks Country Club. The Oaks is a top-five nine-hole course in Texas according to the Dallas Morning News golf course rankings. The format for the event featured a 9-hole qualifier, with the top three finishers and one randomly selected participant moving on to the evening shootout. Nathan Park, instructor at Stonebriar Country Club, qualified first after finishing with an impressive 6-under-par, 30. Dillard was the next to advance, carding a 4-under-par, 32, and finally Paez at 3-under-par, 33, who won a six-for-one spot playoff with a birdie on the first extra hole in the playoff. Zack Vinson, PGA head professional at Athens Country Club, was the random drawing winner. The nine-hole Shootout portion of the event was played in three stages of three holes each, with one professional eliminated after every stage. After the first three holes, Vinson was eliminated and landed a prize of $2,500. The scores were then reset to even par, and the second three holes saw Nathan Park bow out, despite being 9-under-par through 15 holes. He played his final three holes in the shootout at even par. Still, he earned $7,500 for his efforts. The scores again reset to even par for the final three-hole segment, where Dillard and Paez battled it out for three holes, followed by two extra holes in the playoff.