In December 2021, rumours began to swirl around Cabot’s acquisition of World Woods, a once-celebrated multi-course facility an hour or so north of Tampa, Florida. For those who had been, it was exciting, but a little nerve-wracking: Pine Barrens is, by my account and perhaps other readers as well, one of Tom Fazio’s single best efforts. I never had the privilege to see Rolling Oaks, the other main draw, but it was celebrated, if a little less, than its bigger sibling.
The property’s concept was daring: two eighteen hole courses from Tom Fazio built in the spirit of his two most famous consulting gigs: Pine Valley, the inspiration for Pine Barrens, and Augusta National, which Rolling Oaks draws from. Add a massive circular range, a putting course, and a short course, and it was paradise, and might I add, relatively cutting-edge for the 1990s. In fact, Pine Barrens was so highly thought of that, as Ben Cowan-Dewar mentioned in a brief conversion on property, it was in the World Top 100 for a decade.
Unfortunately, years of neglect dropped World Woods from golfers minds, and a tough time began to hang over its reputation. Those who visited could see the vision—the bones were there—but the conditioning, and the general lack of preservation of some of Fazio’s finest work limited the praise. On my visit in December 2021, the course was playable and in good enough shape for me to rekindle my admiration for my personal favourite Fazio, though it was a wasteland: nobody was on property, even though it had the ability to be a bubbling destination. The reputation was tarnished; it was an afterthought in the shadow of the Streamsong‘s of the world.
Fast-forward 13 months, and the opportunity to visit Cabot Citrus Farms as part of a “sneak peek” tour came about. The tour was Monday of the PGA Show week, but the issue was, it was Saturday, around 10:00PM, and I was on Queen Street West in Toronto celebrating a friend’s birthday. I had always planned to drive to the PGA Show; I wanted to play golf and stay for the Superintendents Show two weeks after, but the plan shifted to making it to an afternoon tour in Brooksville, Florida in just over 40 hours time. For context: the drive is over 18 hours, plus I needed to pack, and of course eat, sleep, and all that good stuff.
I made it to Ocala, Florida right around the time Sunday turned into Monday, with about an hour left of driving for the morning. It is comfortably the furthest I have ever driven in one stretch, but there was a sense of grandeur that I could not pass this opportunity up. Those who have followed the website know that as I am typing this up in January 2023, Beyond The Contour is barely a year old. These were actual journalists attending; I have never referred to myself as a journalist. Rather, I see myself as someone who just enjoys talking about golf and facilitates anyway to do so. Being a journalist is an impressive feat, and certainly one I think carries weight and prestige. I have always felt like if I referred to myself as a journalist—with no actual education in that subject, and never having taken a writing class other than the basic ones they make you take for a business degree—I would cheapen the brand of the Lorne Rubenstein’s, the Adam Stanley’s, or the Robert Thompson’s (those I look up to who have legitimate credentials as journalists or writers).
Part I: Karoo
Nevertheless, I found myself in this situation, eager to explore, learn, and see a property I love, and truthfully, a comfortable environment. Ben Cowan-Dewar has been nothing but nice to me in my one previous meeting with him, listening him to preach wisdom to me as I tried to absorb as much as possible. After all, this is the guy in Canadian golf these days, I could learn a thing or two. Being able to visit his property for his revealing to the media was truly an honour, one I felt very grateful to be in attendance for.
Out of the gate, it becomes apparent the Tom Fazio layouts are only in spirit and roughly the same corridors, but a slightly different routing in parts to maximize the walkability. If we are being honest, the Pine Barrens routing was a bit janky as it jumped between the best parts of the property. The Cape Breton Highlands Links argument is “does it really matter if the routing has longer walks if they found the best holes?” But it does, especially to Kyle Franz, who calls Pine Needles home. Donald Ross was particularly astute in making his routings flow, and Pine Barrens did not.
At Cabot Pine Barrens, however, the flow is noticeably better. The 2nd and 17th have traded places, which in turn provides a better position for the 3rd/16th, the two par 3’s flipped, and then trickling into the 4th and from the all-world 15th which, as mentioned, both survived with minor adjustments. At the 4th, Kyle Franz expanded the left fairway, which used to pinch in rather awkwardly. In truth, that was the point to force those who wanted to hit it longer go right, or those who were shorter to play up the left and get the better angle. Now, the 4th is still that same excellent Fazio par 5, but as Franz put it himself, a clear homage to National Golf Links of America’s weaving fairways and split hazards like that at “Peconic,” the beautiful penultimate hole on Long Island. I see more of Alister Mackenzie’s famed Channel Hole, but hold the water and substitute for sand.
What all visitors—but particularly those who played World Woods Pine Barrens before—will notice, is a much, much bigger ballpark. Some holes are over 100 yards wide from the left trees to the right, but the bunkering is much more intrusive than before. On the 6th, for example, a slew of five echelon bunkers in the spirit of Martin Hawtree’s renovation to Toronto Golf Club or even Kyle Franz renovation of the par 5, 16th at Southern Pines, eats into the fairway, with the left side providing a shorter carry. Further, the greens are much bigger, too. On the aforementioned 6th, a double green jointed with the opening hole now awaits, with some slopes the height of my 32×32 KJUS pants. This is the story on the 7th as well, which Franz refers to as a homage to the Biarritz, and specifically, North Berwick, which has the Biarritz green on a similar angle to that of Scotland’s famed version.
Certainly, the motif of the renovation is big, bigger, and biggest, as evident by the three-fairway, “Y” shaped bunker that replaced the old, heavily-treed anticlimactic par 4, 18th. It was one of the more monotone finishes to a great golf course I have seen; now, I doubt anyone will come off the 18th and NOT have something to say.
If those Fazio fans are worried, have no fear: the 4th is similar in presentation. The 10th green still has its awesome front dip that hides behind the bunker complex. The 12th permanently plays to the upper green, which was the clear more dramatic of the two greens. The 14th is still one of the better long par 5’s with its faux-Great Hazard working on a diagonal to the left. Thankfully, the 15th survived, though it is curiously longer, turning one of the better drivable par 4’s into a drive-and-pitch, but everything else is re-imagined on a large scale. On a visit to a course that made me sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement, they mentioned they’re building tees with the intent of having them for variety’s sake; they won’t use them all the time. Perhaps the scorecard yardage will only be there for potential, and not common use? This is very prevalent at Bandon Dunes, where tees exist where 99.9% of golfers do not even think about looking for. I expect the same here.
The tour is primarily done in large SUV’s driving through the property, led by the architects and Daniel Knight, managing director of Cabot Citrus Farms. We started at Pine Barrens with Daniel and Kyle Franz before moving over to “The 21,” a rather innovative concept from two innovators: Mike Nuzzo & Don Mahaffrey, and ending at Cabot Oaks, the previously named Rolling Oaks.
I expect criticisms of Kyle Franz’ renovation of Pine Barrens to primarily revolve around the same criticisms of the David McLay Kidd school of golf: too wide, and perhaps pandering to golfers to help shoot a low score and leave happy. Upon first-look, it seems to be width, width, width, with numerous split fairways and corridors of upwards of one hundred plus yards, tree-line to tree-line. For example, the 1st, 4th, 5th, 11th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 17th, and 18th all feature either entirely secluded fairways, or some variation of a split decision. But Kyle is adamant that the green details will be extreme enough to produce enough variety—and penalty—to be interesting on the daily. This is the recipe for success, and why Cabot Links with its width, or Pacific Dunes continues to be the golden standard for the high-end golf resort playbook. I agree with Kyle, too, the details on the ground are quite interesting.
For example, the new par 5, 17th, working on the old space the 2nd used to occupy, has a lower left section which will drop off in a similar way to Pasatiempo’s 14th and how it interacts with the barranca, will collect balls and further complicate the layup to either the left or right fairway, depending on where the flag is that day. The split fairways on the 4th, 14th, and 15th retain their original intent, while the opening hole greets golfers with the concept from the start: split decisions off the tee, insane green complexes to continue the fun. This is no longer Pine Valley’s public offering, and perhaps for the better. Now, it seems to combine elements of Donald Ross’ slew of excellent offerings in Pinehurst, a little Pine Valley still remains, and some new, too: it is a hodgepodge of ideas, coming to life to create something that I do not think we have seen before. To me, that is a win.
Part II: Roost, Squeeze, & Wedge
Following the completion of Kyle Franz and Daniel Knight’s tour of Cabot Barrens, we returned to the previous World Woods clubhouse, now acting as Cabot’s on-site office until a more permanent solution is built, and switched SUV’s to head over to The 21, an innovative 21 hole golf course—comprised of The Ace, a short course, and a ten-hole course with anything from one-shot holes, to a three-shot long hole. Rather than Franz and Knight, Mike Nuzzo and Don Mahaffey, the visionaries behind the golf course, show us around.
Off the bat, I ask the duo, who are responsible for the highly celebrated and extremely exclusive Wolf Point, if they have more flexibility to be creative with concepts, shaping, and hole styles when par, score posting, and “normal” are not a part of the equation. Mahaffey smirks, “We have gotten pretty creative, people will have fun.” The ‘out of the box’ thinking is evident on the ten hole, bigger loop. The 3rd, a short par 3 sitting atop a fall off on the left, is so aggressive you wonder if it would ever be built on a bigger, full-length golf course (think Shinnecock Hills, but falling off the Rocky Mountains… is that hyperbolic?). That boldness is immediately followed up by the 4th, The 21’s only hole that would likely be defined as a par 5, with some of the most extreme micro contours and undulations I have ever seen.
I am getting ahead of myself, though, as the tour begins on The Ace, an eleven hole par 3 course that Mike Nuzzo says you could play with a putter if you wanted to. Even on the dramatic par 3, 5th, only 90 yards in length, there are teeing areas that allow the golfer to putt if they so choose.
Most of The Ace, the front ten on The 21, and the new driving range is where the original short course and the massive wasteful circular range are. Stripped back, it reveals fruitful terrain with a sandy base, perfect for golf. Further, it will be enjoyed late into the night under the Florida sunset and the lights similarly to The Nest at Cabot Cape Breton. For fans of Wolf Point, the greens on the short course will not be as severe, but that is part of the design. At The 21, the greens are much smaller and as a result, the slopes will match the size, though they will provide enough interest to keep everyone engaged (I might be underselling it, slightly).
Perhaps more than any other golf course on property, The 21 is unique in not only the concepts, but the number of holes, the dynamic, operationally (lights!!), and the vibe. Play the front, play The Ace, or combine them both. A match? Sure. Stroke play? I guess. Putters only? On The Ace, yes! The best part of projects like this is they allow the flexibility to do (almost) anything you want, and with exciting architectural concepts, like the aforementioned 3rd and 4th on the ten hole loop, the 5th on The Ace, or the green surrounds on the opening on the short course, it will bring excitement, laid-back vibes, and a chill place to enjoy the day.
The tour concludes on Rolling Cabot Oaks, the used-to-be Augusta homage from Tom Fazio, which has now been taken over by the trio of Kyle Franz, Mike Nuzzo, and Golf Club Atlas/Golf‘s Ran Morrissett following the departure of Riley Johns & Keith Rhebb due to scheduling conflicts.
Unlike Pine Barrens, I never played Rolling Oaks, although friends spoke highly of it. What I do know, however, is the property is impressive. The reputation was always Pine Barrens was the sandy, brawny golf course over gently rolling terrain, if occasionally flatter, while Rolling Oaks had the heaving landscape, rising and falling constantly in an impressive feat for Florida. Still, Cabot Oaks benefits from the rolling topography through the mossy oaks and distinct vegetation. For a property to have two different courses with naturally separate identities is a pretty good head start to success, and no doubt Cabot is benefitting off the previous vision, but perfecting it in their own way.
Given the landscape and how much more it (*cough* *cough*) rolls, the architecture is much more subdued than the flamboyant, dramatic Barrens. Even more than the landscape benefits, Cabot Citrus Farms will have two very distinct golf courses that will surely cause a debate. The two previous iterations really only had Pine Barrens coming out ahead; Rolling Oaks was a cult classic, a favourite of some who were vocal it was better than Barrens, but those people were rare. Moving forward, there will be a very passionate discussion on which is better. For those who sider with some Golf Club Atlas members who think Cabot Barrens might be too much—sensory overload, of sorts, which it has the potential to blow people back—Cabot Oaks is here to ease those sorrows. If Barrens is the uncle that tells you about his trip to Cancun at Christmas as soon as he walks in the door (albeit, they are pretty wicked stories) without you asking, Oaks is the aunt that sits in the corner, observing the room, and chimes in with the most poetic phrase heard all night at the right time. They are different, yet equally deserve a seat at the table. With a table full of quiet aunts, nobody would say pass the butter because everyone would be silent; a table full of Barrens and you would be tired of hearing about the endless dramatic stories that seem to upstage the previous one. A ying to a yang, and they balance out nicely.
Specifically, the laid-back vibe comes in the bunkering scheme, which relies less on the sandy, massive expanse, and more on strategically placed hazards. I count 30 bunkers, although some of those massive exposed bunkers do bleed over from Barrens and contribute to some of Oaks. Even so, the total acreage of the bunkering array is far less, and thus, less in your face.
This is the benefit of a better property, too, and one that the trio takes full hold of. On the par 4, 13th, for example, the flipped 14th hole on Rolling Oaks, the routing tumbles down to a green tucked next to a water hazard, sans bunkers. In fact, the 8th, what looks to be an excellent one-shot hole, 12th, a long par 4, and the aforementioned 13th are all bunker-less, but that speaks measures to how good the terrain is in that specific corner of the property is. Rumpled, rolling, varied, it is all there. Oh, and I guess Franz & Nuzzo’s prowess does not hurt, either. Morrissett has joined the project as an advisor, similar to Geoff Shackleford at Rustic Canyon or George Behto at Sleepy Hollow, and it is safe to say he has seen his fair share to put the finishing touches on anything conceptual.
Ace and 21 aside, I am most excited to see Oaks come through the dirt. Not because I do not think Barrens will be great—because as my 18 hole walkthrough in February proved, it will be—but because I played Barrens before. The 4th, 10th, 12th, 14th, and 15th are ~roughly~ the same as before, with some minor adjustments. For me, Oaks is brand new. I do not have to go into the experience thinking about the old and judging it against the new; something I fear others will do at both courses, and nostalgia will take hold, rather than evaluating what is here now.
At Oaks, the plan is adventurous, exciting, and wanderlust, venturing to the drinking pond, the hills, the sandy expanse. It takes us anywhere, everywhere, and somehow, all at once. We do not return after nine (granted, after ten), and there are numerous crossovers to find the best holes possible. In some respect, Oaks is the boutique course: Sunningdale’s New to Old, Winged Foot’s East to West, and so forth. If you ask the locals at those respective clubs, they prefer that. For the tourist with one round, they are going to the Old and the West and now the Barrens, but I suspect “come for Barrens, stay for Oaks” will echo across the resort akin to Cape Breton, where you come for Cliffs, and stay for Links as it reveals itself and its layers over time. Both excellent, with different reasons to love each, and is that not the perfect resort formula?
Individually, there are standout holes to be found. Like Barrens, the opening hole is a brilliant introduction to the routing, with a “S” shape dogleg right as suggested by the three bunkers. Interestingly, playing to the outside left corner will be preferred… from the right, the big bunker will block the slightlines. Playing to the outside corner of doglegs is straight out of William Flynn’s playbook, and one of the reasons why Shinnecock Hills is so tantalizingly difficult and brilliant.
The 4th, a good middle length par 4 with some of Barrens sandy escape bleeding over, has a “Y” shape bunker running down the middle, separating the left from the right fairway, and the green and its subsequent fairway on its own island. In fact, the stretch beginning on the 5th, continuing with the long, gently bending 5th and the dramatic, uphill drivable 6th is excellent. The drama’s met with an interlude at the 7th, a bunker-less long 4 that will ask golfers to avoid trees (yes, trees! They exist in modern architecture!). The tee shot is not overly tight, but missing the fairway will ask the golfer to shape shots to get home in regulation. The aforementioned 8th is excellent, and the par 5, 9th, one of the few holes that directly reminds me of Augusta National, brings us back to the natural pond that sits between the 10th and 18th.
On the back, 13 is a highlight, although immediately conquered by one of two early-Instagram highlights at the par 3, 14th, playing over a sinkhole to a dramatic green perched up above the front. It is no 16 at Cabot Cliffs, but that has an ocean. Regardless, the concept is similar: hit it here, or pay, and it is certainly dramatic in making itself known. Three holes later, the 17th might upstage the 14th for social media’s darling, with a drop-shot par 3 over a meandering water feature akin to Rae’s Creek feeding from the natural lake that splits 10 and 18, backed by a hillside. It is the perfect penultimate hole, with long views down the uphill, water-logged 18th; a grand finish to end.
It can be difficult to really grasp what you are looking at, but that is because Oaks is slightly behind Barrens in shaping (my guess is it requires a lot less earthwork, so Barrens seems ahead, but in reality, they are about the same place). Flying my drone around, Fazio’s old layout still dominates the layout. On the ground, thick topsoil awaits those who trudge through, especially as I wheel the ATV around to find places to take photos. Nevertheless, walking (or driving) through the trees provides a wild contrast against the open, expansive Barrens, and one I think the resort has already gotten right. In the 90s, the vibe was Augusta (Oaks) and Pine Valley (Barrens). Cabot’s two new golf courses might not be direct homages anymore—for the better, I say—but they do share elements. They continue to have their own identities while sharing the same property. That is a home run in itself, and one I cannot wait to experience with a ball and a tee.
