New course is third at Tampa-area property
BROOKVILLE, Fla.– The international firm Cabot Golf is adding a 21-hole golf course called “The 21” to its Cabot Citrus Farms property near Tampa.
Holes at the Hernando County property north of Tampa will vary between 85 to 560 yards in length when it opens late this year.
The 21, designed by golf architect Mike Nuzzo, will occupy a 100-acre parcel of the 1,200-acre property, which already features two Tom Fazio golf courses. Initially, the plan was for two extra courses, one with 10 holes, the other with 11. Cabot co-founders Ben Cowan-Dewar and Mike Keiser decided to combine the two into a single 21-hole concept.
New layout to play as 10, 11 or 21 holes
The 21 is unique in the world of golf when it comes to the total number of holes. The Ohoopee Match Club in Georgia has 22-holes laid out by Gil Hanse, while Rees Jones’s Haig Point’s Signature Course on South Carolina’s Daufuskie Island has 20 holes.
Cabot’s original property, Cabot Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, Canada has a 10-hole par 3 perched on the highest point of Cabot Cliffs called “The Nest.”
When completed later this year, guests and members at Cabot Citrus Farms will be able to play the 21-hole full course or two different sides that have a bit of a Blackjack theme.
The 10-hole course, simply called The Ten, is more conventional. While the early course routing sketches do not list par, it has three holes considered as par 3s — 115 to 180 yards — and one par 5 at 560 yards.
It also features six holes of traditional par 4 yardage, four of which are between 285 and 305, essentially “half-par” holes. Showcasing the diversity, the 560-yard par 5 4th hole will have a green and landforms that resemble golf in Ireland, while the following hole, the 355-yard 5th is expected to be more reminiscent in look and feel of the Australian Sandbelt. The 11-hole course meanwhile is called “The Ace” and is comprised of par 3 holes between 85 and 125 yards.
When open, there will be different pricing options for the Ten, Ace and the full 21. At this point, the rough-shaping has been completed and irrigation is being installed as finish-shaping gets underway.
Kyle Franz involved in Cabot Citrus Farms design
Located about 60 miles north of Tampa and 80 miles west of Orlando, Cabot Citrus Farms was formerly known as World Woods. It had two Tom Fazio-designed courses that weaved their way through rolling hills and sandy soil with towering pines, palmetto trees and ancient moss-covered oaks. Cowan-Dewar says the plan is for two 18s–newly named Cabot Barrens and Cabot Oaks – to have the “firmest, fastest conditions in the south.”
Architect Kyle Franz is redoing the forested layout at Cabot Barrens and is teaming with Nuzzo and advisor Ran Morrissett, golf architecture editor for Golf.com, on the redesign of Cabot Oaks, which winds through scrubby areas.
While the Barrens will feature rugged aesthetics and wide corridors of play, the Oaks course features design elements inspired by Alister Mackenzie.
Cabot Citrus Farms, unlike World Woods, will also be a residential community and, in addition to its progress on the golf side, it is launching sales for its collection of 36 two- and four-bedroom cottages this month. Some cottages will be situated along the golf courses, while others front the main street of the community that will also feature retail, restaurants, fitness and spa amenities, communal gathering spots and a farmer’s market.
Dave Daubert, a member of the Golf Travel Writers, is an occasional contributor to Alabama Golf News
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Featured image courtesy of Caot Citrus Farms
