In late January 2025, Cabot Citrus Farms will officially be open. The grand opening, scheduled for January 21, celebrates the complete offerings of the Karoo (Kyle Franz), the Wedge (Mike Nuzzo), Squeeze (Nuzzo), and the Roost (Kyle Franz, Mike Nuzzo, Rod Whitman, & Ran Morrissett—yes, Golf Club Atlas‘ own) after a year of preview play began in early 2024. Much of the focus has been and will be on the eighteen hole offerings between the Karoo and the much-anticipated Roost, and deservingly so; for the Canadian Cabot Collection’s overhaul of the once-celebrated World Woods has had a lot of eyeballs on the project ever since the company announced their takeover of the brilliant Pine Barrens (Karoo) and cult-classic Rolling Oaks (Roost) in late 2022. With an already-established facility and its own dedicated fanbase, Franz and the quartet have to navigate the hurdles of those passing judgement on nostalgia given the previous iterations offered some of Tom Fazio’s finest efforts at a bargain price.
Luckily for Mike Nuzzo, the Squeeze doesn’t have those preconcieved notions or hurdles to overcome, occupying land where the old, once-famous circular driving range and practice holes resided. For a project of this nature, Mike Nuzzo’s ten nine hole golf course is about as close as you get to no limitations: where Karoo and Roost largely occupy the original corridors, Squeeze gets the freedom to choose and explore, creating its own path without restriction from a previous version.
The Squeeze’s presence at a high-level resort could not come at a better time in golf’s culture and climate, given the demand for not only alternative ways to enjoy the game, but raising concerns around space, water usage, and time. Nine hole golf courses are en vogue, and for all the right reasons. Not only that, but they’re often more cost-friendly: in the Citrus Farms example, come Autumn 2025, Karoo and Roost will run you $430 (nearly $24/hole), while the Squeeze a respectable $145 ($14.5 a hole). Even further, golf is not immunte to criticisms relating to environmental concerns or land occupation, nine hole golf courses quite a lot of those complaints, all while laying the groundwork for a laid-back, easy-going atmosphere that acts as a perfect entry point into the game of golf. Not that any of those are an issue for Cabot Citrus Farms, located at a distance from the general population on its sprawling property, but Nuzzo’s architecture is yet another example of engaging architecture on a smaller scale.
In recent years, The Dunes Club, Mike Keiser’s entry into the world of golf, and Sweetens Cove, King-Collins dynamic debut in south Tennessee, have been at the forefront of the nine hole discussion, have been at the forefront of a quasi nine hole renaissance. Golf resorts and facilities have begun exploring alternative ways to enjoy golf than just a traditional eighteen hole golf course, but largely, that has been concentrated to par 3 courses. Bandon Preserve and Augusta National perhaps most famously of the lot, but The Cradle at Pinehurst, Olympic Club’s Cliffs course, The Sandbox, and more have all seen favourable reviews and praise alike. Those golf courses are deserving of their celebration and serve their purpose, but there are a limited number of ways one can build a par 3, especially when there’s nine, ten, thirteen, eighteen, nineteen, or any number of holes in a row. Part of the enjoyment of eighteen hole golf courses is not only the variety of the par—where par 3’s are mixed in with 4’s and usually par 5’s—but not knowing what shot is coming next. Par 3 courses, at least at the resort level, largely consist of shorter one-shot holes as a warmup or cooldown to a trip or day—the variety in shots asked is missing, especially if you’ve been to two or more of the resorts where a bit of variety in the alternative offerings could be a welcomed addition.
Even though Cabot Citrus Farms does have their own par 3 course at The Wedge, they diversified their offerings with The Squeeze, Mike Nuzzo’s nine-hole, par 35 golf course—a welcomed change in the Dream Golf or Dream Golf-adjacent resort models.
The unique landforms of The Squeeze
Nuzzo, the low-key Texan architect who, until the Brooksville, Florida transformation of the old World Woods, has stayed relatively quiet in contrast to the careers of someone like Bill Coore or even a Rod Whitman or Mike DeVries, who are notably reticent in contrast to the famous “big three” architects of today. Where Nuzzo has provided an insight into his own architectural style, such as Wolf Point in South Texas, strong discourse and prasie comes from those who have seen the layout, but the ultra-exclusive model that defines Wolf Point is not exactly conducive for people to be able to see what an architect is fully capable of. Somewhat nearby, Nuzzo acted as the lead associate for Tom Doak and Brooks Keopka’s overhaul of Houston’s Memorial Park, which continues to be one of the most interesting PGA TOUR venues; but again, underscoring for an architect doesn’t neccessarily bring the attention to his own skillset.
Enter: The Squeeze, which, much like Kyle Franz overhaul of the famous Pine Barrens course, is the architect’s coming out party, at least on a new-build, large-scale frontier for the general public to see and judge. In contrast to Kyle Franz’ Karoo, which will always have to deal with skepticism and criticism from those who loved World Woods Pine Barrens for its architecture and price point (a fantastic Tom Fazio design that had unfortunately become tired as the years passed), Nuzzo’s mandate was to fit as many good golf holes in the piece of property as possible. He also designed the practice facility, the putting course, and the Wedge, all occupying the old practice area’s land, letting him pick and choose where the golf holes went and where the new, reduced footprint of the practice area would go. The result: nine holes (plus an alternate hole, for some reason), ranging from 115 yards to 559 yards. In total, three par 3’s, one par 5, and six par 4’s over ten holes await stretching 2,957 yards and a par 38. The nine holes plays as 2,842 yards, par 35, skipping the alternate Sixth hole. The shorter yardage allows for a plethora of half-par holes, tempting golfers into chasing birdies (or better) throughout the round.
The Sixth green’s complex.
No hole better illustrates the charm of The Squeeze quite like the Sixth, a risk-reward 300 yard par 4 playing to a shared hillside with the par 3, 2nd. When the pin is in the front, everything suggests a green-light, while pins in the back begin to complicate things. The tee shot’s nature is reserved and understated, to the point that a false sense of security is provided: “A layup… here? But there’s room!” is not an uncommon thought process, with a very real chance of walking away from the T-shaped, Alister Mackenzie-infused green having made a mess of it. Even so, there is enough temptation and benefit to going for the green off the tee, if you’re long and bold enough: at Media Day 2023, then-Beyond The Contour author and Golf Club Atlas Content Editor Zachary Car hit it to roughly 18 inches off the tee for an easy-tap in eagle, but rarely is that the case, and most people don’t hit driver as straight as he does. With a front pin, though, that’s possible, but there’s a whole multitude of options that exist other than the easiest location.
Where the hole continues to confound is the elasticity in the course’s setup that determines the ideal strategy, and that all dependant on where the pin is that day. Certainly, the Sixth makes a good case for being one of the better green complexes in the state of Florida, and a leading candidate in the “greens you would want in your backyard” category. If the pin is in the middle bowl or the front tongue, pushing the tee shot as close as you can up to the green makes sense, all day. When the pin is on the back right, the front-left bunker doesn’t seem so bad, though it can be hard to play there when the eye is drawn to the right side of the hole; on the contrary, when the pin is tucked into the back-left—around the faux-dune is a Crystal Downs-esque boomerang fashion—the room for error is so marginal that if you are long enough to get to the green off the tee, hitting driver over the short-right bunker into the grassy hollow or over the back right is preferred, and if not, laying up to a comfortable number is the best plan of attack. Regardless of the day’s pin location, the invitation to hit driver is there, and wouldn’t it be rude to not accept the RSVP? It seems like Nuzzo knew this would be a perfect course for gambling, skins, matches, or any sort of alternative ways to play golf, accepting that most will play a little riskier and a little more wreckless given the ethos of the Squeeze.
Looking at the openers green complex from the middle of the fairway.
Granted, by the Sixth hole, that motif of risk-reward is prevalent throughout the entire routing. The matching drivable par 4’s at the First and Second holes are an inviting introduction to the golf course on paper, but rarely ever does anyone get on either surface, even at their combined measly 575 yards. Further, they both provide a different challenge than one-another, allowing variety in two similar concepts off the start: the opener, a tricky tee shot featuring the playfully-named “catchers mit” collection area short and right gobbling up both tee shots and approach shots incorrectly played into the surface. The Second’s visual ambiguity and space is inviting, but missing either the tee or approach shot left of centre, or right of the green becomes painfully challenging. Yes, there is width and short grass for days, but that also means the ball can continue to run, too—missing left, especially with a slight right-handed tug or draw, could reasonably see the ball run 40 yards over the back down the 3rd hole!
Half the four-shot holes are drivable, and maybe—for whatever reason on a course like this—that doesn’t appeal to you. Perhaps a three-shot par 5 at the Fourth hole, with a fairway seemingly crashing up against the containment mounding hiding Ponce De Leon Boulevard from the resort up the entire left-side of the hole, is more your style. A bunker-less par 5 is rare, and even more rare is one that is anything but mundane. From the fairway, the green complex hides on the other side of a small topographic ridge, slightly obstructed and just enough to add a bit of uneasiness coming in.
Looking at the Fourth in reverse.
The Fourth is the lone par 5, and with a slew of half-par drivable holes available, much of the difficulty comes in the form of temptation across the holes that urge you to take on more than you usually would on a large-scale eighteen hole golf course. That comes in the form of the drivable offerings and a reachable par 5, but even on the holes where one might not consider them to be a true drivable par 4 or reachable par 5, there are choices looking to bait players in hopes of setting up a far easier second shot.
None more obvious than the superb Fifth, which could reasonably be argued as the best hole on the golf course with its weaving fairway around two gargantuan bunkers cutting into the line of play. The direct route, immediately guarded and fronted by a massive bunker eating into the hole from the left side’s sandy scrub, is the real question here. Go over the bunker with a bold tee shot and reap the benefits of a straightforward pitch to most of the green complex, especially if the pin is anywhere on the right side of this superb surface. If that’s too much sauce for one swing, laying up short is preferred, or playing way up the right is also an option—going around the bunker, but for a worse angle. Playing short of the bunker is difficult and costly from a yardage perspective, but the most direct route often is and perfectly illustrates Max Behr’s idea of the “line of charm,” where the most interesting golf has obstacles in the way, not on the outside of the holes.
Fifth hole, Cabot Citrus Farms (Squeeze)
Much like the Fifth at 353 yards, the Ninth is a drive-and-pitch at 331 yards, though playing a fair bit uphill and playing closer to the Fifth’s yardage. Rather than the obvious, intrusive bunkering of the Fifth, there’s a much more reserved feeling to the Squeeze’s finishing hole. Generally, we often highlight when an eighteen hole golf course balances between its more extreme moments with its subdued holes… compression and release, call it. Four hours is a lot of entertainment, and much like movies or albums, the flow of the entire body of work is important. Quinten Tarantino would not be who he is without the back-end dramatics being set up by multiple hours of plot building, and Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd would not be what it is without each and every track working together. Nine hole golf courses ought to try and achieve the same thing, but they have half the real estate and half the time to establish the plot—it would be hard to blame anyone for trying to create nine intense moments, rather than a cohesive body of work. Yet, Nuzzo’s courage in restraint at various moments is what truly defines the layout.
Back to the Ninth, which showcases the dichotomy of the golf course perfectly. The largely subudued tee shots across the entire property make way for provocative green complexes… why would the finishing hole be any different? As a result, the gentle tee shot working up the hillside sets the stage for the grand finale on the green complex, said to be loosely drawing inspiration from the famed Second hole at Pine Valley, with its sharp ridges and fall off around the back as the defining features on the closing hole at the Squeeze.
At times, modern architecture can often feel somewhat frivilous and random—at its worst, it feels as if the architect simply threw a bunch of paint buckets at a canvas and hoped the result provide a final product, but Nuzzo’s work feels very focussed, as if each contour, slope, or ridge serves a purpose. Rather than simply building features to build features or showcase his artistry with eccentrism, everything here is meant to meant to be unlocked upon correctly playing to the right areas of the fairway; failure to do so sees the penalty, another reminder that Nuzzo’s savviness shines through here. Take the back-right flag on the Fifth hole on its own knob, or the false-front on the finishing hole: perfectly tailored to the wedge coming in and meant to deflect—or worse, tempt those into going over the slope and ending up playing long of the green.
If Nuzzo can produce something as engaging as The Squeeze on its relatively small footprint and short length, the sky is the limit on what a full, virgin site eighteen hole golf course could produce. After all, Wolf Point Ranch is a modern marvel, and one can only hope we get to see more of his work as the post-pandemic economy continues to provide ample opportunity for architects to showcase their skills.
Whether or not the Squeeze continues to make a strong case for nine hole golf courses around the world—be it at a resort of this magnitude, or legitmizing the local nine hole golf course down the road—it should. Much like Dunes Club or Sweetens Cove, Squeeze perfectly illustrates how you can provide the same amount of quality of an eighteen hole golf course in half the real estate. For that, Squeeze is a must-play, and a worthy addition to the booming Floridian golf scene.
The Eighth green at The Squeeze.
