Jeff Marsh
Matt Majka/Courtesy of Cabot Citrus Farms
Matt Majka
Jeff Marsh
Matt Majka
Jeff Marsh
Jeff Marsh
Jeff Marsh
Cabot Citrus Farms: Karoo
Brooksville, FL • Public
Cabot Citrus Farms: Karoo
17590 Ponce de Leon Blvd
Brooksville, FL 34614-0809
United States
Telephone
Overview
When arriving at Cabot Citrus Farms you’ll understand why Ben Cowan-Dewar sought this property for decades. A prehistoric ridge in Brookville, Fla., created rolling topography on sandy soil—a golf developer’s dream. In the early 1990s, World Woods opened with two acclaimed public courses and what was once the world’s largest driving range that hosted Tiger Woods commercial shoots. But playing conditions had deteriorated at World Woods. Its Pine Barrens course, once the 75th-best course in Golf Digest's ranking of America’s 100 Greatest Courses, quickly fell off that list in 2013. Cowan-Dewar inquired about the property with the previous owner, Japanese businessman Yukihisa Inoue, in 2014 and 2016, to no avail. Others also tried to buy it. Finally, as COVID-19 restricted travel, Cowan-Dewar chatted with Inoue through translators over Zoom and negotiated to purchase the property in 2021—giving his burgeoning Cabot resort and real estate empire its first U.S. offering.
That decades-long courtship has now paid off with Cabot Citrus Farms’ Karoo course, which opened this winter. Kyle Franz—known for his meticulous remodeling of North Carolina Sandhills courses such as Mid Pines, Pine Needles and Southern Pines—transformed the existing Pine Barrens course with Karoo, the first course to open. He reversed playing corridors in some cases, completely changing what was in the ground in many cases.
You see that immediately on the first hole—a massive double green for the first and sixth holes. Franz dubs this design style as “adventure golf.” Eleven holes boast double fairways—and the 18th has a triple fairway. “George Thomas was doing massive double fairways 100 years ago,” Franz explains. “So this was a really fun way to make people think a little differently while still staying rooted in good, classical architecture.”
The modern trend of pushing width and options is amplified with “super width” here, with some fairways over 100 yards wide, though strategy is still present—as large, exposed sand hazards often split the playing areas. Choosing the ideal side of the fairway will often open up an easier approach. —Stephen Hennessey
For a complete review of the newly opened Karoo course, click here.
About
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100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
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Reviews
Review
“This is a new course routed over the Old World Woods Pine Barrens Course. It has some of the largest greens you will play, with a lot of movement. Just getting on the green is not enough to ensure a birdie or par. It is different, but I am not sure if it is better than the old course."
Read More2026
Review
“The Karoo Course at Cabot Citrus Farms swaps restraint for a dizzying array of options on almost every tee. The greens feel borderline unplayable at first until you commit to locating your approach more meaningfully. By the 18th, my group of first-timers were evenly split between haters and devotees."
Read More2026
Review
“A trip to Cabot Citrus Karoo is less of a quick round and more of a full-on immersive golf experience—the course is wide-open with wild greens that make every approach shot interesting while rewarding creativity. The "cottage" accommodations are modern, comfortable, and right on property, with a relaxed upscale feel that makes it easy to settle in for a few days. The food is good-to-very good and the staff wants to accommodate any request. Caddies knowledgeable; consider one for your round as elevated greens are challenging to read from the fairway (and on the green itself)."
Read More2026
Review
“Cabot Citrus Karoo is a visually striking course with wide fairways, massive sand expanses, and frustrating, enormous, and creative green complexes that reflect a modern version of strategic design philosophy. The architecture encourages the player to choose his/her own line off the tee, but rewards thoughtful (best angle while avoiding obstacles) positioning far more than just power. Around the greens, the player faces unusual contours and run-offs that make even short shots feel like puzzles to solve. It’s the kind of course that’s fun and playable on the surface, yet quietly challenges you to think your way around every hole. It's one of those courses that your third round will allow the frustrations of the first two rounds to subside and appreciate the course."
Read More2026
Review
“This is a big, bold and fun golf course that at times can take those elements almost too far. The 2nd and 3rd holes are an extremely long par 4 and 3 respectively with absolutely wild green complexes. Frankly a bit too much for the length of the holes. And while it tones that down somewhat, there's a few misses. Notably to me the par 3 16th with a gigantic crater in the middle of the green - feels more like mini golf than anything else. A course that rewards length with massive fairways, Karoo can be a blast to play. As long as you know what you're going to get - it's not subtle!"
Read More2026
Review
“Some of the wildest green complexes I’ve ever seen, which I would argue are over the top and borderline on “tricked out” at some points. Fun golf course though with 4 of the more challenging Par 3’s I’ve seen. For a 7550 yard course to have 2 par 5’s at ~500 yards, the rest of the course is a real monster from the tips."
Read More2026
Review
“Karoo's greens are more unique and difficult than Ballyneal's. The first two holes start out with the craziest greens. I thought they were too over the top. The green complexes settled down and they were fun and cool. You can't miss in certain areas even on the green. The waste and greenside bunkering were memorable and different. I loved the cragginess. Some of the fairway bunkers could cause you to stay in them all day. They reminded me somewhat of Pine Valley. Very wide fairways, but a bad tee shot is penalized. The course played hard and fast."
Read More2026
Review
“This is a spectacular golf course. The shaping of greens and fairways is exceptional. The greens are huge with bold contours but still affording a variety of pin positions. The bunkers and waste areas are not only beautifully crafted to appear to have been there for decades but they are strategic in depth, placement and alignment. Most holes, even the par 3s, have at least two strategic angles or lines of play. Recovery options around the green include short grass lies, rough, hollows and mounds. The only thing missing on this course is an ocean. The 292 yard par three third hole is a unique hole that plays all-carry to the left or can be played as a run-up approach by bouncing the ball off a large hill that slopes down to the putting surface."
Read More2026
Review
“This is a spectacular golf course. The shaping of greens and fairways is exceptional. At 7,000 to upwards of 12,000 square feet, the greens are huge with bold contours but still affording a variety of pin positions. The bunkers and waste areas are not only beautifully crafted to appear to have been there for decades but they are strategic in depth, placement and alignment. Most holes, even the par 3s, have at least two strategic angles or lines of play. Recovery options around the green include short grass lies, rough, hollows and mounds. The only thing missing on this course is an ocean. The 292 yard par three third hole is a unique hole that plays all-carry to the left or can be played as a run-up approach by bouncing the ball off a large hill that slopes down to the putting surface."
Read More2026
Review
“Karoo is a fun golf course because it allows for plenty of room off the tee, but can be challenging on the large undulating greens. It allows most golfers the chance to hit the green, since they are large, but if hit in the wrong spot, it can be a challenge to two putt. The course can be more difficult if you hit into the bunkers, especially as they aren't raked that often and you can end up playing from tough lies in the sand, such as footprints and unlevel sand surfaces. These aren't PGA tour bunkers with perfect lies, so beware. I've noticed that they have sodded over some bunker areas in the fairways, so I assume they are trying to make the landing areas a little more friendly and less difficult on some holes. Some of the greens can be very difficult, such as the 16th hole, a par 3 with a green that reminds me of a wavy potato chip. This adds to the uniqueness of some of the holes, but some players may not like these features. Overall, this is a fun course, and after playing it a few times, I believe the golfer will enjoy it more and more."
Read More2026
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