A Silver Anniversary! TPC Summerlin Turns 25

It’s the 25th anniversary of the TPC Summerlin golf club and the celebration is under way with a wide array of family-oriented improvements. Many of the multi-million dollar improvements will center on the lifestyle center. The spring grand opening will unveil updated tennis and aquatics facilities. There will now be five-and-a-half tennis courts and the addition of a family pool. In addition, there will be a new fully equipped gym and workout area as well as an upgraded healthy lifestyle restaurant.

It’s the TPC Network’s way of adding value to the private member club experience. “The club is 25 years old,” says Garfield Ogilvie, director of sales and marketing. “The PGA TOUR owns and operates the golf course and, like a homeowner, it’s saying that it is time to update our assets.” It was 1988 when the Howard Hughes Corporation announced plans for the master-planned community that would eventually become Summerlin. Two PGA TOUR-caliber courses (TPC Summerlin, designed by Bobby Weed with Fuzzy Zoeller as the player consultant, opened in 1991 and TPC Las Vegas opened in 1996) are built to anchor the community and the rest...as they say...is history.

In the 25 years since, there have been some very monumental golf moments centered around TPC Summerlin. Look back to 1996 when some kid (Tiger Woods) burst onto the PGA TOUR scene and posted the first of his 79 PGA TOUR victories and 14 majors. There’s plenty more. Titleist unveiled its Pro V1 golf ball in 2000 at the PGA TOUR stop at TPC Summerlin. Today, the Pro V1 and Pro V1x are two of the most widely used golf balls among pros and amateur golfers.

We’re not done. One of the most impressive shots in PGA TOUR history took place at TPC Summerlin. During a playoff in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, Jonathan Byrd scored a hole-in-one on the par 3 17th hole to win the crown. He beat Martin Laird and Cameron Percy. The 17th hole on this par 72, 7,243-yard layout is definitely a drama-filled hole. It’s part of a four-hole finishing run that may be one of the best risk/reward stretches anywhere. It starts with the drivable par 4 15th— complete with a false front for those shots that come up just short. Then there’s the par-5 16th. The second shot, if players are going for the green in two, must clear a huge pond. Add in tough pin locations and it will definitely test players’ nerves. The 17th and 18th holes (a par 3 followed by a par 4), both prominently feature ponds as well and the closer to the water the pin, the tougher and more challenging the holes become.

Like the challenges on the course, the management has battled to keep TPC Summerlin as a world-class facility. “It’s definitely no secret that as we enter 2016 many golf courses are feeling challenged,” Ogilvie says. “But our club is bucking the trend. We are very, very healthy. We have a strong membership and healthy activities. The golf course has been improved greatly and it’s something the club takes pride in.” And it’s not just the course that’s improving. “For the first 20 years, we were very golf centered,” Ogilvie says. “It was THE place for any avid golfer. But it didn’t address the whole family. Now we’re striving to improve the social scene as well.”

Which takes us back to the bottom line: millions of dollars in upgrades to the facility. “We know the challenge of most country clubs,” Ogilvie says. “We are spending millions of discretionary funds to improve the club. And, we’re not passing along a capital assessment to our members. We are definitely a premier golf course. Our new lifestyle center with our family of programs will really make us full service.” Overall, Ogilvie says TPC Summerlin is looking at a bright future. “The club today is one of Las Vegas’ best private member clubs,” he feels. “TPC Network’s mission is to enhance the lives of members, their guests and the professional golfers through the game of golf with unparalleled experiences.” And that includes lifestyles both on and off the golf course.

TPC SUMMERLIN

1700 Village Center Circle, Las Vegas 702-256-0111 www.tpc.com/summerlin