Please note that while the original date of this post is February 2024, it was updated in February 2025 with more info on the Roost Course and other resort developments.

One defining characteristic of all great golf properties is a sense of place. Whether it’s the nature of the topography or the quality of the architecture, a truly great property will have a distinctive look and setting that enthusiasts will remember visiting for a lifetime.

Amidst the ongoing golf boom, developers are rushing to find new properties ideally suited for compelling golf in dramatic locations, relentlessly pursuing the next great American golf course.

After an unforgettable day of preview play, I’m happy to report that Ben Cowan-Dewar and his team at Cabot have succeeded in their efforts and are bringing something special to the sandhills of central Florida.

Yes, Cabot Citrus Farms looks like it will live up to, or even exceed, the hype surrounding its imminent grand opening that has taken the golf media world by storm. Boasting four outstanding golf courses that roam a unique landscape of rolling sand barrens and an upscale residential development that is quickly taking shape, Cabot Citrus Farms is poised to hit the ground running as a heavyweight golf destination when it fully opens this fall.

Outstanding golf existed on this site before Cabot came to town, though. Indeed, this project is a total reimagination of its predecessor, World Woods, a 90’s-era facility with two highly-rated Fazio designs. When the World Woods property first opened for play three decades ago it was met with high acclaim, with its Pine Barrens course even cracking Golf Digest’s 100 Greatest in America list for a short while. Twenty years after my only visit to World Woods, I still vividly remember playing Pine Barrens.

At the time, World Woods represented a stark departure from traditional Florida golf and the excessive water hazards, gators, palm trees and gnarly bermuda grass notorious to the region. The property was a refreshing new take on Southern golf, arriving many years before other modern destinations like Streamsong came to Florida.

Over time, though, the facility aged and experienced a natural decline in quality and conditioning, and by the 2010’s it was in need of substantial investment. This created the perfect opportunity for Canadian developer Ben Cowan-Dewar to step in and bring the first Cabot property to the United States.

Cabot Citrus Farms is a key piece of the major ongoing expansion of Cowan-Dewar’s budding golf empire. From its beginnings at Cabot Cape Breton in Nova Scotia and through its partnership with Mike Keiser and Dream Golf, Cabot has established itself as a brand that offers an exceptional golf-first experience in beautiful natural settings while also boasting top-notch hospitality and fine dining. With resorts also opening in Saint Lucia, British Columbia and Scotland, Cabot is poised to reach across North America and beyond, raising the bar for upscale destination golf in the modern age.

The Citrus Farms project offered the unique opportunity to create something special on a sand-based property a mere hour or two from major Florida tourism centers, with some of the necessary golf infrastructure already in place.

It’s no wonder that Cowan-Dewar was so interested in this property, and in fact spent years inquiring and negotiating with World Woods’ ownership before finally sealing the deal to acquire it in 2022.

However, Cabot Citrus Farms certainly has not been a simple renovation project. While the Fazio-designed World Woods courses were terrific, they were also signatures of a bygone era which valued target golf with narrow playing corridors, a style that would not have fit in cohesively with the modern architecture featured at other Cabot resorts.

Instead, this project has been a near-total teardown and rebuild, a genuine reimaginaton of the property into a destination not only in line with the times but one that will be a trend-setter. Significant tree removal, reshaping of the waste bunkers, green complex redesign and re-routing were core areas of focus in this effort, with the result a four-course fantasyland that resembles its predecessor very little.

After traveling to Orlando for the PGA Show, the WiscoGolfAddict team kicked off the week with a trip to the media preview day at Cabot Citrus Farms, including an organized round at the Karoo Course followed by access to The Squeeze and The Wedge, and opportunities to chat with the Cabot team about their newest marvel. It was an in-depth look at the impressive progress at this special site and couldn’t have been a better start to a fantastic golf-filled week.

A year later, the WiscoGolfAddict team returned to play The Roost for the first time, followed by loops on The Squeeze and The Wedge. Without a doubt, our impressions from the first visit were reinforced after another day of magnificent golf.

Getting There

Normally, getting to Cabot Citrus Farms would be a straightforward endeavor, with the resort conveniently located just 60 miles north of Tampa and 50 miles west of Orlando.

For Paul Seifert and I, though, getting to the property was a bit more complicated as we chose to ride in a Media Day shuttle chartered from the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, site of the PGA Show set to take place later in the week. Sounds relatively simple, no?

After battling gridlock Orlando rush-hour traffic in our drive across town from the hotel to the Convention Center, I can assure you that making the shuttle on time was not easy. In fact, the experience reminded me of a recurring nightmare that plagues me as a golf addict, one where countless obstacles and an outrageous number of side distractions force me to miss a tee time by hours. After having to park on the opposite side of the building and sprint through the vast Convention Center merely to make the shuttle 10 minutes late (thankfully they waited for us), I half expected to be jolted awake, realizing it was all just a dream.

It wasn’t a dream, though, and we made it to the shuttle to embark on the 90-minute bus ride to Cabot, excited for the day ahead.

The Resort

In Jurassic Park, when the main characters first arrive at Isla Nubar, they are thrown into a place filled with wonder and adventure, stretching their imaginations beyond their previous bounds.

I couldn’t help but feel Jurassic Park vibes the moment we arrived at Cabot Citrus Farms. After a long bus ride through prototypical, swampy Florida topography, we were suddenly transplanted to a landscape of sweeping sand barrens dotted by majestic specimen pines. Thankfully, the only predators on site were not carniverous beasts – they were just gaping, sandy pits promising to consume our scorecards.

We offloaded from the shuttle at the home base of the property, an ongoing development that will yield a village of 36 cottages, a large upscale clubhouse, outdoor pool, multiple restaurants and a world-class practice facility.

This area of the resort was heavily under construction when we arrived, and the sense of urgency to complete the development was obvious with a great amount of activity buzzing around us. It’s truly impressive how quickly the Cabot development is taking shape, with the grand opening taking place in early 2025.

In our return visit a year later, we saw firsthand how quick the transformation progressed, with much of the infrastructure completed. With a neighborhood of sleek, upscale cottages, this looks like an incredible place to stay and play.

Cabot Citrus Farms occupies a large plot of land that is sufficient to house all 57 holes and its housing development, and I’ve heard rumors of surrounding land being considered for further expansion. Google Maps still shows the old World Woods property in the satellite image, but I’ve done my best to overlay the Cabot Citrus Farms resort map here:

After meeting up with the rest of the WiscoGolfAddict team – Troy and Gregg, who drove in from other Florida locations – we had but little time to find our way to the pre-golf media presentation with the Cabot team on hand to welcome us and provide an overview of the project. The folks at Cabot rolled out the red carpet for the media that day, providing an exceptional level of service and fully immersing us in the state of the development.

I had only a few minutes to hit a few shots on the range, but boy I’m glad I did, and not just because I was playing with rentals and with winter rust to shake off – this range rocks. With each hitting bay outfitted with a high-tech launch monitor, all of your warmup shots will be tracked closely and you can head to the first tee with an exact idea of how to approach the round.

After an organized round on the Karoo Course (more on that later), we were treated to a social hour at “The Porch,” a peaceful setting atop a hill adjacent to the first tee of The Wedge, with the Cabot team and course architects on hand to chat about their amazing creation.

The Porch looks to be an outstanding outdoor spot to unwind and reflect on a great day on the links, all within steps of the first tee of the resort’s par three course, The Wedge. During the media day, a makeshift trailer pro shop and food truck were set up to serve attendees, but with electricity wired to the area it appears there are plans to erect permanent structures in this space. This idyllic setting could end up being similar to “Craig’s Porch” by the 1st and 10th tees of Sand Valley.

The Karoo Course

Tumbling over dramatic, open sandhills, the Karoo Course will undoubtedly be the crown jewel of Cabot Citrus Farms, a masterpiece that will likely appear in the most prestigious national course rankings. Set on the former site of the Pine Barrens course at World Woods, Karoo is the brainchild of the wildly talented, up-and-coming architect Kyle Franz.

Franz is best known for his work as a longtime design associate of Tom Doak and later for his incredible restovation work in the Carolina Sandhills, including Mid Pines, Pine Needles and Southern Pines. What he’s pulled off at Karoo, one of his first original designs, is a testament to his incredible creativity and ingenuity. This effort has completely revamped the property into a spectacular, challenging and enjoyable showcase of a striking natural landscape, all while pushing the boundaries of what we thought was possible in modern golf architecture.

While the footprint of the course occupies the same space as Pine Barrens, there is virtually no resemblance to its predecessor. The vast majority of trees have been removed, with only towering specimen pines left behind to frame the playing surfaces. While the old routing was mostly preserved, several holes have been reversed to allow for a more cohesive experience and to take advantage of the best natural features the land has to offer.

Free from excessive tree infringement, the sand barrens have been exposed in all their glory, creating visual intimidation even though the fairways have been enlarged significantly. Getting from tee to green may be a reasonable proposition here, but the green complexes at Karoo are roller coasters featuring some of the most severe tiers, spines and swales I’ve ever seen on a modern design.

Without a doubt, Karoo is the heavyweight champ that will draw golf enthusiasts to Cabot Citrus Farms from all over the globe.

After months of floundering in the Midwest cold, we were elated to finally hit the links again with a morning shotgun start on Karoo. It was blissful to return to golf on a world-class property that day, even though none of us ended up going very low (including Troy who shot the course record from the back tees!).

The Roost Course

The Roost is the second 18-hole property on site, routed over the former Rolling Oaks course of World Woods. When we first visited, The Roost was still being seeded, but a year later the course had already opened for preview play and we enjoyed an exceptional round of golf on the brand new layout.

This collaborative effort between Franz, Nuzzo, Ran Morrissett and Rod Whitman borders the Karoo Course but offers a completely distinct experience. Spilling over gently rolling, lightly wooded terrain, the routing maximizes the setting, spotlighting the best features on site with a series of dramatic holes on the back nine. Most memorably, the short par three 14th plays over a giant sinkhole to a tough, heavily sloping green.

While sandy waste areas aren’t as prevalent on The Roost compared to Karoo, the bunkering on The Roost is exceptionally done, as the course is dotted with strategically placed, outsized traps complete with craggy edges to create intimidating sight lines.

I came away from our round at The Roost with my expectations shattered, as it absolutely stands toe-to-toe with Karoo to round out a world-class 36-hole experience.

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The Squeeze

In recent years, the notion of irregular, shorter courses with odd numbers of holes and unusual yardages has become more commonplace, as old traditions have been questioned with properties looking to optimize their guest experiences. After all, par is but a construct, and not every piece of land is perfectly proportioned for nine or 18 holes.

At Cabot Citrus Farms, The Squeeze will be the latest high-profile take on irregular golf, a 10-hole adventure designed for a quick loop filled with excitement. Playing to a total par of 38, this track is full of half-par yardages to encourage strategic risk-taking and reward aggressiveness coupled with execution.

Designed by architect Mike Nuzzo, best known for his work at Wolf Point Ranch in Texas, The Squeeze fits into a corner of the resort property that features more subtle elevation changes and less intrusive waste bunkers than you’ll find on the Karoo Course. Nuzzo amped up contours on the fairways and around the greens to add interest to this experience, while placing a premium on a savvy ground game.

After the social hour at The Porch, the WGA team split up with Paul heading back to the Karoo Course for obligatory drone photography while Troy, Gregg and I played a loop on The Squeeze. It was here that my drone may or may not have been crashed into a tree by an overzealous Troy flying in Sport Mode. I was so enchanted by this unique design that I didn’t even care 🙂

The Wedge

Our adventure at Cabot Citrus Farms concluded with the most memorable golf possible – a night round on The Wedge, the resort’s incredible par three course. I’ve only played night golf a few times in my life, but to sum it up succinctly, it is awesome. The golf party doesn’t stop at sunset at Cabot Citrus Farms, and as a guest you’ll stay up into the wee hours firing for pins with your buddies.

Also designed by Mike Nuzzo, The Wedge is a collection of 11 short par threes with wildly sloping greens protected by menacing bunkers. With the longest hole totaling just 115 yards, all you need is a wedge, a putter and a fun attitude to make this a great experience.

The whole course is lit up at night with music playing over loudspeakers, a great party atmosphere that will make for the perfect end-of-day celebration for guests.

Closing Thoughts

Looking back on the whole experience at the media preview event, it was a long, exhausting day of 39 holes of golf, photography and socializing with media and the Cabot team, but it was also an unforgettable time experiencing three outstanding courses in an amazing setting.

I’ve come away convinced that Cabot Citrus Farms is on track to become one of the top destination golf resorts in America, run by a team with a well-earned reputation for curating exceptional golf experiences paired with first-class hospitality.

Our return trip in 2025 only reinforced these impressions, with all courses now open and grown in to offer firm and fast playing conditions and the resort developments impressively far along.

With such an impressive site to work with, Cabot has found their next great golf destination complete with its own sense of place.

Ben Cowan-Dewar and the team at Cabot have something special cooking down in Florida, and the near-finished product clearly puts Cabot Citrus Farms in the upper echelon of American golf destinations.

Cabot Citrus Farms Website