Cover Story – The Golf Power Players of North Texas
The DFW golf landscape is ever changing, and there are always movers and shakers in the industry that we follow so closely. The PGA of America’s move to Frisco, the emergence of Topgolf as a global technology sensation and a trio of fantastic young PGA TOUR stars make this one of the best times ever to be a fan of the game of golf here in the Metroplex. Whether it be tournament directors, CEOs, super agents or world-class instructors, there is some real diversity to those who are considered to be the most powerful in the golf industry in DFW. AVIDGOLFER Magazine spent some time last month compiling our list of those we feel are the most influential to the game in North Texas.
1 . Robert Rowling – Omni Holdings
Mr. Rowling is the founder of TRT Holdings, which owns and operates such companies as Omni Hotels, Gold Gyms and a host of others. Through Omni, Rowling operates a baker’s dozen of top golf resorts across the country and is currently building a mega golf resort in Mexico. Locally, he was the one person that made PGA Frisco work, and his company controls what happens there. Rowling has become a force in the golf business and can become as powerful as he wants. He is clearly the wealthiest person on this list, and if he wanted to put his billions to work, his influence in golf is just starting.
2. David Pilsbury – Invited Clubs
In 2017, Invited, then ClubCorp, was acquired by Apollo Holdings, and thus the company was saddled with debt. Things were fine until the last few years when interest rates spiked, and Invited was in a bit of a cash crunch. However, business has been good, very good, in fact, and with some other creative financing on the horizon, look for Pilsbury to flex his muscles and get innovative. Invited still has over 400,000 members nationwide and controls the tee sheets of over five million rounds annually. Given Pilsbury’s past, look for Invited to makes some moves in 2025. However, it will likely not be locally, as they already own 13 clubs and 21 golf courses.
3. Blake Walker – Arcis Golf
We know Arcis locally as one of the stalwarts in running golf courses. With the acquisition of Lantana Golf Club and Gentle Creek Golf Club, they operate double-digit golf courses in town, with their signature club being Cowboys Golf Club (no, Jerry Jones does not own it). Nationally, Arcis continues to grow its portfolio, adding some signature clubs such as TPC Rivers Bend, The Mickelson-owned clubs out west, and their latest signature club, Champions Retreat in Augusta, Georgia, home to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Walker has strong financial backing, and his quest for growing the company is still there. But as the company matures, his quest for acquiring only the right clubs gets stronger. When they make some purchases in 2025, expect to recognize the courses.
4. Bryson DeChambeau – LIV Golf
It is remarkable how DeChambeau has changed his persona to the golf world. Once a bad boy of golf that many had a disdain for, DeChambeau has won over the golfing public through his social media channels, and becoming one of the most popular professional golfers, if not the most popular. Through all his social media channels, he has over five million followers. His influence in golf is growing astronomically, despite the limited attention LIV Golf gets. One wonders if he would have stayed on the PGA TOUR if he could have surpassed Tiger Woods in popularity. There’s still time.
5. Jim Hinckley – Century Golf
Many of you may not know Century Golf, for up until last year, they didn’t run any courses in town. However, they recently purchased The Sports Club, now called The Nelson, and it is a nice fit to their portfolio. Hinckley is an icon in the golf world. He was a former president of ClubCorp before he partnered with Peter Ueberroth and went out on his own. Century owns prominent courses, such as PGA West, and has an exclusive management agreement with the courses at Disney. They also opened Atomic Golf in Las Vegas this year … a 100,00 square foot entertainment facility that, if successful, could be a major growth avenue for them in the future.
6. Malcolm Holland – Veritex Bank
Proclaimed the “Golf Bank of Texas,” Holland has built a strong local bank by supporting the golf world in many ways. He sponsors a host of professional golfers, including Scottie Scheffler, and is the title sponsor of the local Korn Ferry Tour stop in Arlington. If you want to make it as a professional golfer, you need money, and Veritex has it to help the up-and-comers. They currently sponsor 26 professional golfers and three collegiate players through NIL. There are plenty of golf careers who can personally thank Malcolm Holland for their success.
7. Matt Kendrick – Good Good Golf
The second brainchild of Kendrick, Good Good is a social media darling, with nearly two million followers on YouTube. However, Good Good’s model is different than what you expect, as it doesn’t rely on advertising or sponsorship money. Instead, Kendrick built the model on brand loyalty, and its apparel sales are startling, making Good Good a major player in the golf world.
8. Jordan Spieth & Scottie Scheffler – The Players
Two of the most popular players on the PGA TOUR, both Spieth and Scheffler have strong followings based on their play and their personalities. Spieth was a superstar before he even turned 30, winning over a dozen times with three majors in a short span. Injuries have hampered his success, but off-season surgery leaves him hopeful to get his game back. Scheffler is currently the No. 1 player in the world after a record season on Tour, and there is no reason to think he cannot repeat that success moving forward. While neither are social media darlings, they both are so popular, that they carry a big stick with the public and are big influencers based on their play.
9. David McDonald – Escalante Golf
While they have never run or owned clubs in our market, Escalante owns nearly two dozen premium clubs across the country. Some you may know are Pumpkin Ridge (where Jordan Spieth won his Junior Amateur), Kingsmill Resort, Golf Club of Houston and The International. McDonald started the company nearly 30 years ago with some University of Oklahoma buddies, and while they stay off the radar, their success is legit.
10. Walter Bettinger – Charles Schwab
Since Bettinger became CEO in 2008, Schwab has been the investment firm of the PGA TOUR. They have expanded their presence in golf since then, as they are the major sponsors of the Champions Tour, and are the title sponsor of the Colonial in Fort Worth. Schwab is totally committed to the game, as you can see on their Schwab Golf website.
11. Blake Smith & Jay Danzi – The Agents
If the players can influence the game, the ones advising the players certainly can make a difference. Smith has been Scottie Scheffler’s agent since he turned pro, and given his year and status, Smith stays busy fielding calls. Danzi has been Jordan Spieth’s agent since the beginning, and he is still a very popular voice on Tour and with the fans.
12. Troy Denton, Cameron McCormick, Randy Smith – The Teachers
If you want to learn from the best, take lessons from the guys who teach the best. All three have numerous students, yet they each have a superstar that carries a lot of weight. Denton teaches Will Zalatoris, McCormick teaches Jordan Spieth, and Smith has taught Scottie Scheffler since he was a tot.
13. Michael Tothe & Jon Drago – Tournament Directors
This market is fortunate to have two annual PGA TOUR events in town, and when you are good at what you do, you do it for a long time. Drago has run The CJ CUP Byron Nelson for over 20 years, and Tothe has run the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial for over a decade. Together they have raised tens of millions of dollars for charity and run two of the biggest sporting events in town every year.
14. Bob Morse – Invited Clubs
Invited is so big, and has so many moving parts, it takes more than one person to make things happen at the top. David Pilsbury is fortunate to have Morse as his COO. Together, with the rest of their executive team, they turned around a fleeting company to one that is at its healthiest in years. Morse has a few more years in him until he retires and look for him to build on his legacy now that Invited is financially healthy again.
15. Artie Starr – TopGolf
Operating over 100 locations internationally and generating nearly $2 billion in revenue, you would think that Starrs would be higher on this list. However, TopGolf considers itself more in the entertainment category than golf and rarely targets the avid golfer. Callaway has recently announced that they would split off TopGolf into a separate company, but keeping the Toptracer technology, which gets TopGolf further from the golf market.
