April 2025 – Just played both courses at Cabot Citrus Farms with my buddies Rob, Don and Scott. Citrus Farms is the reimagination of the former World Woods courses in Brooksville about an hour north of Tampa. The courses just reopened sometime in 2024 and heavy construction is going on to build out the resort to Streamsong/Bandon proportions. In fact, the final Citrus Farms resort might just be bigger than all of them with multiple courses being planned (even a 21-holer) and an attempt at bringing a PGA event here (maybe the Valspar). There’s a great article in The Athletic on the resort if you subscribe you can read it.
Karoo is the former Pine Barrens course which was designed by Tom Fazio. This new incarnation is the handy work of Kyle Franz and while the routing is generally the same, a boat load of trees were removed (6,000 +/-) and more sandy waste area was exposed. The Roost is also a Kyle Franz design though this time he had an assist from Ran Morrissett serving as Golf Course Architecture Advisor, Rod Whitman, and Mike Nuzzo. The former Rolling Oaks course (also a Fazio design) was completely overhauled and rerouted to create the lesser sister of the Karoo (just as Oaks was the lesser sister of the World Woods courses).
I played the original Pine Barrens course back in 2016 and will attempt to compare and contrast the new and old but the Golf Gurus generally panned the reincarnation in their review. I never played Oaks previously.
I personally rank both courses in my top 200 with Karoo slightly ahead (like most golfing types do). Unlike the Gurus, I rank Karoo well ahead of Pine Barrens as well which was a little shaggy when we played it so that ranking is almost certainly due to conditioning, not the actual course design. It’ll be interesting to see the updated state rankings in GD to see whether one, both or neither make it into the top in Florida or beyond.
I will discuss three things here and since I plan to do some comparisons on my Karoo review, I won’t go into any tangential nonsense I am usually keen to do in my reviews. In order I will discuss Cabot resort amenities, the area and finally the courses. For the course reviews, I will go a little into my scores on the Roost but as our buddy Rob shot a career-like round of 74 on Karoo, we gave him the card for posterity so I don’t have my hole-by-hole score. I did shoot a little better here than I have been so there’s that.
The accommodations
We stayed one night here and grabbed dinner. Currently there is only a temporary clubhouse with a small dining area and some food trucks out at the range area. They are only through the first phase of cabin construction so accommodations are tight. There are plans to bring a hotel into the resort but if you’re booking now, you’re limited. In fact, we originally booked a four room cottage but they screwed it up and we got a two-room and be careful the rooms do not have two beds each but a king in each room so two golfers would need to share a king. Way too many “PT&A’s” vibes on that!
But luckily, Cabot was able to move us to a four-roomer since we were only there one-night and mid-week. I haven’t done the final math yet, but this whole thing was super pricey. I’m guessing the golf was in the $300+ range and accommodations were in the $500+ vicinity (per man).
So the cottages were nice and brand new. We stayed out by the driving range but the temporary clubhouse and key amenities were all within a short walk. Some pics and videos:
So on our one and only overnight, we walked up to the food trucks and grabbed some pizzas and brought back to the room. We had some beers we bought off property and had a nice quiet night at the cottage. Here then are some of the range and food truck areas:
So you see the short game area with the food trucks in the background and the range was fully loaded with Trackman for all bays. Around the food trucks were some nice areas to sit and relax and I hope they keep them once the finish the clubhouse and other amenities. I do think if you stay here you should just figure to grab a casual bite on property one night but until the clubhouse and full restaurants open, you should probably plan to hit Brooksville for the other night(s). Speaking of, Prime 88 is right in Brooksville and really a great steakhouse with great wine list. Highly recommend.
For now, a stay is not required to play but keep checking on that. There are some cheap options in Brooksville. The Black Diamond courses aren’t too far away and you can get on those if you stay there one night. So I think that you could do a lot worse on a golf trip in the early spring or late fall than a week here and Black Diamond. You’re close enough to Tampa for additional activities but will get that away-from-it-all vibe like the Cabot Canada, Bandon and Streamsong resorts.
To the courses.
The Roost
In theory the Roost was a complete redo. As it was, the course has a few more trees to negotiate than Karoo and the greens are not nearly as severe. I played decent here but didn’t break 90 (hit it on the nose) but at least it was a world better than the high 90’s low 100’s I had been hitting so far this year.
We played the Tangerine tees which measure 6,445 yards with a 71.0/126 rating/slope. Obviously with that slope and despite nearly 6,500 yards, you know it has to be pretty open and it was. You can spray the ball a little and still get back in play or even have a line. Here’s one which is a 377-yard par four with some sand around a dogleg. The number three handicap and started with a double.
Two is a 175-yard par three. When we played Cabot it was walking only and we got pull carts and a forecaddie. I believe that starting in May you either get carts as an option or they might be mandatory. There aren’t really paths but sand and waste areas to drive through. We think they have carts to keep old golfers like us from croaking by walking this pretty hilly course and pulling your bag around in 100-degree high humidity Central Florida heat! As it was, I was exhausted after walking 18 pulling my bag and my lower back was killing me so we got a handi-cart for the second day at Karoo. Damn I am getting old.
Three is a 513-yard par five and after a bogey here I was already five over after three and thinking my horrible golf would continue.
Here’s four, 379 yards and the number 7 handicap. Would birdie and get my game together for the next few holes.
The number one handicap 5th hole – 415 yards. This was hitting three and would put my wedge close for a par. Note the undulating greens though nothing like Karoo.
Six is just 290 yards and a wide open and short par four – the number 16 handicap. There is a pretty good variety of hole lengths that keep the Roost interesting. A bogey.
I would bogey the easiest hole (seven) on the course despite being 418 yards from the Tangerines. I guess since it is so wide open. Here’s our buddy Don teeing off. He had one of his best rounds ever here. You’ll see many more trees here than on Karoo. This hole makes the course look downright parkland style.
I may be getting a little confused here as I can’t really tell from the photos what holes these are and whether this is my approach on 7 or 8. I know 8 is a par three and nine is a five which looks like the below.
If this is indeed nine, then it is a par five and 473 yards. From the back tees this plays to 585 yards and the course plays a mind-numbing 7,610 yards from those tees and would definitely challenge the pros.
Again if I look at the routing this might be nine or ten. Not sure.
The green at ten. Maybe?
Looks like 11 and if so 515 yards and a bogey..
I think it’s still 11 from my drive.
Twelve is 430 yards and a long but bunkerless par four. Par.
Thirteen has a tough approach with the hole hugging the pond on the right. I think I was right by the tree in the fairway but would put the ball in the water on my approach.
Here’s the 14th which is a short par three at just 128 yards but somehow I would fuck this up and get a double. Pin is way up too. Wanna say I was in the trap right and couldn’t get out.
I missed a bunch of golf holes and this is a photo of who knows which one but is from my buddy Scott so can’t see the map on it. In all we really liked the Roost and like that it was more parkland than even Pine Barrens was which was quite tree covered in its original incarnation.
Karoo
When World Woods first opened in 1993 the Japanese owners seemingly did everything right. Bring in the top-name designer and give him a big budget and blank canvas. Check. Provide two courses to make it a destination resort for Northeasterners and beyond. Check. Plan accommodations. Check. The resort was built and opened right in the heart of the golf boom of the 80’s and 90’s. But a souring economy (culminating in the 2008 crash) and a glut of new courses ultimately doomed the resort and maintenance started suffering. It had gotten pretty bad by the time I played Pine Barrens in 2016. Enter Cabot.
As noted earlier, Cabot is modernizing everything here (which in course design means tree removal and exposing sandy waste areas ala Sand Hills, Sand Valley, Gamble Sands et al.). Unlike those other courses though, here a really good golf course already existed.
Pine Barrens was indeed the premiere of the two courses and made annual appearances in the top courses you can play lists and always near the top in the GD state rankings.
So Cabot generally kept the routing for the Karoo course pretty true to the original routing at Pine Barrens. The only significant changes are the reversal of the 2nd and 17th holes, now at the 16th and 3rd respectively, and the alteration of the 17th hole into a par-3 with a multi-level green.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
- Routing: Most of the Karoo course follows the same flow as the Pine Barrens, meaning the majority of the holes retain their original layout.
- Holes Reversed: The 2nd and 17th holes, which were originally par-4s, have been flipped in position and direction.
- 17th Hole Altered: The former par-3 16th hole from Pine Barrens is now the par-3 3rd hole on Karoo, but it’s going in the opposite direction with a complex green.
- Other Changes: Beyond the routing changes, the hole orchestrations on Karoo are distinct, with elements like blind targets, punchbowl pockets, and alternate fairways added to challenge players.
I think the changes are significant enough that I can add it as a new course played to my list. Below is the routing for Pine Barrens to the left and Karoo right.
This is my first time trying out the slider feature in WordPress and I am not 100% certain which hole is which from Pine Barrens so don’t get grumpy if I fuck it up. There is an article on Golf Club Atlas where he does a much better job though I swear I didn’t steal the concept as had thought of it before seeing his site. Hole one is 400 from the Tangerine tees. The Tangerines here measure 6,300 yards and 70.1/128 rating slope. Not brutal. I posted a pretty honest 93 so a little worse than the Roost but better than I had been playing. These greens were crazy.
Two is another par four and 421 yards. No pushovers to get started. There is a booze shack between the first green and second tee so you can stock up early. No before and after as 2 and 3 are reverse and formerly 17 and 16.
Three was 16 and reversed direction and is now a beautiful and long par three (220 yards) – I believe I hit driver! This is the 18 handicap? No!
I think the 4th at Pine Barrens is most similar to the Karoo reincarnation as shown above. Not sure if there was a split fairway before. As is, it’s now a par five and number two handicap. 452 yards featuring a split fairway as you get closer to the hole as noted.
Five is a 336-yard par four featuring another split fairway.
If I was good at this, I would have studied the shots I took and tried to recreate them. I think these are both six and if so you can see how many trees were removed. The sixth is a 485-yard par five bisected by cross bunkers.
Seven is a 167-yard par three. I think this is the corresponding hole from Pine Barrens.
The 8th is 352 yards with a big waste area staring at you but pretty easily cleared.
As nine heads back toward the future Karoo clubhouse and cabins (and as I see this in the distance) I am sure this is the 380-yard front nine closer. I’m stopping the before & afters as I have a jumbled mess of photos from 2016 and can’t decipher.
You see the “cart path” here in front of the tee. The back opens up with a 180-yard par three.
Eleven is a 346-yard dogleg right.
Twelve is the number four handicap. It’s 415 yards from the Tangerines.
There is a ton of waste area here to contend with. Here is 13 from the right – 368 yards and the number two handicap. I pushed the ball right again after my drive and remember losing it in one of the little scrubby bushes around pin high right.
Trying to show off the crazy greens here. Very Ross-like with the drop offs but much more undulation on the green surface. I am petty sure this is the 14th but don’t believe everything you read on the internet. 530 yards and 12th handicap.
Short par-four 15th – just 282 yards and the 16th handicap.
The 16th is a 165-yard par three. This was previously the third and heading in the opposite direction plus it was a par four. Like what they did on this.
Missed the picture on 17 (short par five). This is 18. You have three choices off the tee. I went right. In the middle, you catch traps. Left you can outdrive the fairway. I know I ended up with a nice bogey here to close up the round. In all, we gave Cabot Citrus Farms pretty high marks and preferred the Karoo course. This should continue to improve as the resort builds out and certainly recommend planning a trip here. I’ll add the remainder of the Pine Barrens holes – unlabeled. Again, if you like denuded golf courses then you’ll prefer Karoo to the old Pine Barrens. I generally don’t and don’t remember enough of Pine Barrens but I ranked it substantially lower. Recency bias? Maybe but again if the conditions were equal, still think I’d prefer Karoo for the overall experience.
Golf Scrapbook 