[Kyle Harris]

I finally took the plunge and went to World Woods to play Pine Barrens.

The place is all that is right and drawing back to the fairway with golf. Small, small clubhouse, loosely maintained bunkers, 7 year old well-maintained carts and an excellent pace of play.

48 holes, large practice areas, large putting green, short course and 3 practice holes.

All for under $100 on a weekend. It's heaven on earth, and the golf is superb. Pine Barrens is the best course I've played to date in Florida.

[Joe Bausch]

I knew you would like it.   

Now you know why I build my spring break golf trip in Florida every year to make a stop at WW.  It is pure golf.

[Jay Flemma]

Here here!  It gives sawgrass a run for its money and can be a much more enjoyable day on the scorecard.  I may enjoy playing WW even more than I enjoy playing the Black

[Kyle Harris]

Let's get a bit more analytical.

The thing about World Woods that struck me was the sheer width offered the golfer. It's one of the few courses I've played where different golfers could find ideal parts of a hole with different styles.

For me, the 4th hole is a great example. Both sides of the fairway offer a reachable shot in two, but with different challenges. I think Ran notes this in his course profile. The aggressive carry down the right side is quite reasonable (200 yards or so) but brings into a play a far trickier angle with real trouble on the right side of the green. Playing down the left side gets tighter the further one gets down the fairway off the tee, but opens up the green a bit more.

[Cliff Hamm]

Played WW in early April.  I will ditto the bargain it is.  Price on March 31 was $115 and $70 on April 1.  Played both courses.  On the first day went out on Royal Oaks with my wife as a twosome at around 1:30.  Had just flown in and was exhausted so weren't sure if we would play 18 or not.  Goal was to get as many holes in by 5 as we could.  Finished all 18!!!  Thought golf was solid but not especially memorable and while I haven't played much in Florida thought perhaps overrated ( I think GW rates it 3 for public in Florida).

Pine Barrens - absolutely loved it.  Greens were very, very quick.  Loved the par 5's - 4th and the 14th or so.  Both, especially the latter offer tons of options.  Commented to my wife that the 14th was one of the few par 5's I have ever seen that actually offered legitimate options for women.  Again, pace was as good as it gets.

WW reminded me a bit of Tobacco Road.  There are some similarities with PB that are obvious.  Both have my kind of ambience - great golf without bells and whistles.

WW offers a card for Florida residents. $120 with greens fees at most $45 (in winter) including a cart.  Too bad the immediate area is in the middle of nowhere.

[Kyle Harris]

14 is situated such that the golfer really needs to commit to one side of the fairway or the other in order to have options in playing the hole. Blindly hitting down the middle is asking for a tree stymie, a poor angle or other situation depending on the wind and conditioning to take away options and force you into trouble.

In retrospect, this is perhaps the most appealing part of those two par 5s, they make you pick and commit to the hazards you are going to challenge or else they force your hand.

[Cliff Hamm]

First time I played 14 really wasn't sure where I was going.  Again, not unlike TR. Never thought about it but that's either a compliment or a criticism.  The second time will determine whether the hole is to your liking or not.  In my case the second time I knew where I should go and thought the hole was wonderful.

[Kyle Harris]

First time I played 14 really wasn't sure where I was going.  Again, not unlike TR. Never thought about it but that's either a compliment or a criticism.  The second time will determine whether the hole is to your liking or not.  In my case the second time I knew where I should go and thought the hole was wonderful.

I'm not really opposed to a hole slapping me from the blind side the first time around. At Worlds Woods, it doesn't happen all that often and the golf course gives you plenty of "all in front of you" holes to make something happen.

[Wade Whitehead]

Interestingly, I've heard a number of people (including myself) argue that 14 might be the worst hole at PB.  I absolutely love the course, but simply don't think 14 meets the standard set by the other 17.

I believe this has been discussed in other threads, so I won't repeat it all here.

Just food for thought.

WW

[Criss Titschinger]

Maybe it's because I haven't seen many great courses with my own two eyes, but I fell in love with WW from the minute I stepped foot on the property.  Unlike other courses I played when I was last in Florida, WW was just pure golf.  The pace at PB wasn't very good last I played, but that was because the Hooters Tour was there and everyone was getting their practice rounds in.  The next day, I didn't have the option of playing PB because they were having the tournament, so I did RO and had much better pace.

If I get a chance to get back to the Orlando/Tampa area, you better believe World Woods will be on the itinerary.

[cary lichtenstein]

Did they ever build any hotels/motels in the immediate area?

Ditto with restaurants?

Last time I was there, there was nothing!!

[Jay Flemma]

Guys, for ten years I've been staying at the plantation inn in homasossa springs..great food, great jacuzzi, 20 minutes to the course...and cheap!  Packages for 36 holes and night stay are $170-199.

[james soper]

Did they ever build any hotels/motels in the immediate area?

Ditto with restaurants?

Last time I was there, there was nothing!!

cary, as a native floridian who grew up and still lives in miami, part of world woods appeal for me is that its in the country away from the typical commercial establishments. its a special place that allows you to get away from it all. the drive from tampa is pretty easy using veterans highway.

[Roger Tufts]

Myself, Ryan Simper, and Brad just got back from a trip down to the Tampa/Clearwater area.

We played Pine Barrens and Belleview Biltmore while we were down there, and I personally enjoyed Pine Barrens more.

The course and surrounding area is nice, the service was excellent, and its Florida golf without the hustle and bustle of so much going on around it. The area is really empty around the course!

While it was my first full round of the year, I was still able to thoroughly enjoy the course while still playing well below my usual standards (which usually has a large effect on my ability to have fun).

The only thing I didn't like about all of it was that the highway there from Tampa had so many tolls! That part caught us off guard, but I suppose that is saying something for the course. With the surrounding woods, I really didn't feel like I was in Florida (besides the heat), but more of a North/South Carolina locale.


As for Belleview Biltmore: another great course within driving distance from Tampa. There are some really great Ross green complexes on the course too. I think I just enjoyed the atmosphere better at Pine Barrens as it felt far more "away from it all" than this track. Both are excellent choices if you are in the Tampa area though.

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