Historically, the footprint that golf course architect Kyle Franz is working in to create Cabot Barrens golf course, is known as Pine Barrens – the signature course of the late, almost great World Woods Golf Club in Brooksville, FL. But history is all Cabot Barrens and its predecessor have in common. When developer Ben Cowan-Dewar opens the highly-anticipated Cabot Citrus Farms in December, neither Cabot Barrens nor its sister course, Cabot Oaks (formerly Rolling Oaks) will resemble the originals.
“The changes were so transformative that it’s kind of new-build. There just happened to be another golf course on the property before’’ said Franz, who also is working with architect Mike Nuzzo on Cabot Oaks.
“With Cabot Barrens, we routed so many holes and moved so much dirt, it’s really a new golf course. The same with the Oaks course – maybe even more so because we have so many holes going the opposite direction as before’’
Franz, whose previous work includes renovations of classic such as Donald Ross’s Mid Pines Inn and Golf Club in Southern Pines, NC, and Seth Raynor’s Country Club of Charleston, calls the sandy soil this area of Florida – about 50 miles from Tampa – ’an “architect’s dream.’’
“It’s beautifully contoured, sandy terrain,’’ Franz said. “Almost ‘Pinehursty’ with the same kind of round, but with more elevation changes, so we really got some good, sandy ground. That allows us to build almost a ‘Pine Valley’ kind of thing.’’
That “Pine Valley’’ thing is what the land’s original developer had in mind more than 30 years ago when he hired Tom Fazio basically to replicate the legendary New Jersey course, Fazio did a more-than admirable job of recreating some of Pine Valley’s sandy features and treacherous bunkers. Pine Barrens, Rolling Oaks (also a Fazio design) and World Woods were each immediate hits, but the lack of resort-style accommodations and eventually lack of funds led to the property’s demise.
Enter Cowan-Dewar, best known for developing such high-end destination resorts as Cabot Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, who acquired the property in late 2021.
“Our vision is delivering on the original vision of the property, which is a world-class destination golf and resort’’ said Daniel Knight, director of development at Cabot Citrus Farms.“The original developer never really delivered on that vision. He built two wonderful golf courses and world-renowned practice facilities, but aside from the clubhouse and few comfort stations, there really was no other development. But (the property) has long been viewed as a jewel in the world of golf.’’
In addition to Cabot Oaks, Nuzzo also is creating “The 21’’ a 10-hole layout and an 11-hole, par-three short course on the 105 acres that was World Woods’ practice facility. Perhaps most important, plans call for two-bedroom and four-bedroom villas at Cabot Citrus Farms, similar to what is available at Cabot Cape Breton. The villas will part of what Knight calls a “walkable, publicly accessible village.’’
Cabot Citrus Fams, Knight said, also will have close to 130 homes (400 beds), a clubhouse next Cabot Barrens, a marketplace, pools complex, and sports and fitness center. All of that, Knight said, “will take us the next handful of years to deliver.’’
But wait… there’s more.
“Really the most amazing part of the property is still undeveloped,’’ Knight said. “Out to the east of Cabot Oaks is incredible rolling topography with a subterranean cave system and 100-year-old mossy oaks. There’s also 100 to 120-foot elevation changes.
“So the vision is more golf. It always had been The ability to tap into this landscape is so unique to this part of Florida.’’
Feature Photo Courtesy of Cabot Citrus Farms
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