Golf Course Review by: Billy Satterfield

Rankings: 

 

The Takeaway:  Cabot Citrus Farms is a great facility for the public to enjoy, unfortunately the Karoo course with its outrageously wild greens, stark elimination of trees, and questionable strategic features has it falling up short of what the Pine Barrens course was during its prime.  Grade B

Quick Facts

Designer:  Kyle Franz 2024

Cost:  $90 - $170 Click for current rates

Phone Number:  352-796-5500

Course Website:  Official Website - Visit Cabot Citrus Farms (Karoo)'s official website by clicking on the link provided.

Directions:  Get here! - 17590 Ponce De Leon Blvd, Brooksville, Florida  34614 – UNITED STATES

Photos:  See additional photos of Cabot Citrus Farms (Karoo)

What to Expect:  Perhaps the most anticipated public course to open in 2024, the conversion of the former World Woods property over to Cabot Citrus Farms has been creating a stir for some time. The two courses have been redone and then a short 10 hole course has been added (The Squeeze) and an 11 hole par three course (The Wedge). The Karoo course had big shoes to fill as a replacement for the Tom Fazio designed Pine Barrens course that was a regular on Top 100 Public Courses lists. Kyle Franz was engaged with the task of the renovation which resulted in widening fairways, reducing rough, exposing much more sand, removing the majority of interior trees, and creating greens with significantly more movement in them. As our starter said, "The greens aren't undulated; they are severely contoured." His assessment was accurate with greens that seem to mimic the ocean surface during a storm at sea. While at times the contours were entertaining, they were more of a deterrent than an upgrade. From a routing perspective, the only changes from Pine Barrens is that the former 2nd and 3rd holes have been reversed to become the 16th and 17th holes; and vice versa. In the end, the Karoo course at Cabot Citrus Farms is an enjoyable track at a premier public facility. While the facilities at Cabot Citrus Farms are a massive upgrade compared to what World Woods offered, the final result of Kyle Franz' work leaves Karoo short of what the legendary Tom Fazio created in the first place with Pine Barrens.

By the Numbers

Tees	Par	Yardage	Rating	Slope
Black	72	7562	75.7	142
Silver	72	6954	73.0	138
Tangerine	72	6295	70.1	128
Green	72	5325	66.6	116
Royal Blue (Women)	72	4223	64.7	115

Individual Hole Analysis

Signature Hole:  3rd Hole – 292 Yard Par 3 – A short chip shy of 300 yards, the 3rd hole at the Karoo course is testing but not as difficult as the scorecard may indicate. The tee shot plays over a pond but it shouldn't be in play for most players as it terminates well short of the green before giving way to a bunker. The right side is clearly where you want to aim as you are able to land shot 30 yards shy of the day's pin and have it hit the slope and work its way onto the putting surface. Once on the green though, your confidence may wane a bit as the undulated surface promises to not yield any straight putts.

Best Par 3:  16th Hole – 201 Yards – The 16th lays claim to what very well may be the craziest green I have ever seen. When I got to it I honestly thought I might be getting punked, especially with the day's pin location, but alas, it was all real. From the tee it looks like a fairly straight forward one-shotter that plays over a massive bunker to a green that is a bit wider than it is deep. Upon reaching the green, players will find a green with waves in it that are large enough to make the nearby Gulf of Mexico jealous. In the center of the putting surface is a bowl that some will find fun and others will find berserk, but no matter how you view it, the challenge will be extreme. Similarly, the par three 7th with its senile green will be extremely difficult to approach up the left side and there will be more balls funneled to the bunker behind the green than ever trundled towards the flag.

Best Par 4:  12th Hole – 496 Yards – A testing par four, the 12th measures just shy of 500 yards and features plenty of fairway to hit but a challenging approach to take on. A waste area frames the right side of the fairway before eventually giving way to a large bunker that crosses in front of the green and yields a small grass area on the left side to consider. Tee shots will move a bit to the left before setting up the approach shot where the best play is to carry the sand on the right and find the inside of the slope that will propel balls onto the putting surface. Alternatively, if you can hit it high with plenty of spin, you can carry the sand on your second shot and go straight at the green. Par here is an accomplishment to be proud of.

Best Par 5:  4th Hole – 511 Yards – The 4th hole is a true dual fairway design with the contiguous fairway on the fairway being the safe play and the island landing strip fairway on the right being riskier but providing a shorter route to the green. From the left side the green is receptive to straight or slightly fading approach shots while from the right fairway will need to carry a waste area that is greenside but there is a small bailout area on the right that can offer a safe landing as well. Being 11 yards shorter than the par four 2nd hole, players can hope to get a stroke back here if they coughed one up earlier.

Birdie Time:  15th Hole – 388 Yard Par 4 – The hole that was the most fun at the former Pine Barrens course debuts here but takes on a much more barren look. Players can take the shortcut by going straight at the green but will need to have the juice to carry the waste area long enough to catch the short fairway on the right side that feeds into the putting surface. The safer play is to go left where plenty of fairway exists and take a wedge pinseeking on the approach shot. The sand that crawls its way up to the edge of the green and separates the two fairways is the character builder on this hole; avoid it and birdie is much more attainable.

Bogey Beware:  2nd Hole – 522 Yard Par 4 – The brutishly long 2nd hole gives players just four strokes to get home in while needing to cover 522 yards. The hole moves a bit from left to right, but there really isn't an opportunity to cut off much yardage along your voyage to the green. After bombing a drive, the best play is to take your approach shot up the right side where plenty of room exists whereas on the left side there is virtually nothing but sand to find. The green is built up above the surrounding turf which makes it a bit more difficult to chase a ball on, but greens in regulation will be few and far between here regardless. Anything with a five or less on your scorecard will feel like a win here.