While golf season is long over in northern parts of the country, it’s just hitting its stride in others. Plus, the turn of the year means that new courses and clubs are on the horizon. One of the most exciting grand openings took place this week at Cabot Citrus Farms in Brooksville, Florida, north of Tampa Bay and southwest of Orlando.
The 1,200-acre property, with two 18-hole courses and two shorter courses, has also become a golf destination, thanks to the recently completed homes on the fairways as well as other infrastructure that caters to multi-generational families rather than just golfers. One 18-hole course, Karoo, is described by Cabot as an “adventure golf masterpiece,” with some justification It has some of the world’s widest Bermuda fairways, expansive greens, and bold contours. The second course, Roost, mimics the old Florida landscape, with moss-draped oak trees, sandy scrublands and rolling meadows, offering good elevation. Kyle Franz designed Karoo, Franz and Mike Nuzzo created the Roost, with Ran Morrissett as architecture advisor.
“These courses represent what golf has become over the last few years—extraordinarily fun and diverse,” Ben Cowan-Dewar, CEO and co-founder of Cabot, told Robb Report on opening day. Cabot’s eventual goal is to create a village, surrounded by the golf courses, residences, a hotel, an activity center, multi-function clubhouses, and gathering points for meals. A racquet club with tennis, pickleball, and padel, along with swimming pools, will open later this year.
Cabot’s different properties around the world have moved beyond golf only and are now destinations that also appeal to non-golfers. “That’s always been core to what we’re doing,” says Cowan-Dewar. “The cottages have been so well received that the first phase sold out. Soon, we’ll have larger single-family homes that will be used as winter homes.”
The other courses on this list, from GrayBull, Nebraska to Apogee South, Hobe Sound, Florida to Jack’s Bay in Eleuthera, Bahamas, also blend into their landscapes to best effect, defining each course by the location’s natural beauty. “This is an unbelievable piece of wilderness,” says Cowan-Dewar. “We’re leaning heavily into that with trails and field guides to the trees and wildlife. We’ve reinstated a sense of ‘Old Florida’ in all the right ways.”
Cabot Citrus Farms, Brooksville, Florida
Image Credit: Cabot
CCF has technically been open for a year, but last fall its second 18-hole course, the Roost, opened for play. The resort had its official grand opening this week. The resort also features two short courses. Large swaths of sand, rugged-edged bunkers, and numerous split fairways are the marks of the existing Karoo (pictured above), with the Roost taking on a more traditional (depending on your idea of traditional) golf appearance with a creek rushing through the course and more maintained rough at the edges of play. Cabot’s emphasis on atmosphere and fun is noticeable as soon as you hit the range, with music playing through outdoor speakers and a Trackman driving range giving you a sense of how your ball is flying that day.
Jack’s Bay, Eleuthera, the Bahamas
Image Credit: Jack’s Bay
Nestled on the island of Eleuthera, Jack’s Bay is a striking combination of coastal charm and championship golf. Set to open for play this winter, the course offers panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and is complemented by a Tiger Woods–designed short course called the Playground. Jack’s Bay’s combination of golf and oceanfront cottages will make it welcome addition to luxury golf travel within a few hundred miles of the U.S.
GrayBull, Maxwell, Nebraska
Image Credit: GrayBull
The sandhills of Nebraska is the setting for one of golf’s hottest courses that opened for preview play last September. GrayBull is the first course to be constructed by the Dormie Network, a private national membership group that operates eight clubs in the U.S. After years of acquiring and operating clubs, it embarked on building this first course in 2022 with designer David McLay Kidd, who had a hand in the picking the site. The course is pure golf with the sightlines only showing golf holes and the otherworldly landscape of the sandhills.
Poppy Ridge, Livermore, California
Image Credit: Joann Dost
Architect Jay Blasi took Poppy Ridge’s existing 27 holes and reimagined the property into an 18-hole championship course designed to serve golfers of all abilities. The site features 250 feet of elevation changes and Blasi’s renovation focused, in part, on making the course more walkable. Set in the Golden California foothills, the course takes golfers on a walk with views of mountains, vineyards, and ranchland; and it’s opening this summer.
Apogee South, Hobe Sound, Florida
Image Credit: Apogee
The second of three planned courses at Apogee opened this past November. Apogee South is designed by Tommy Fazio (nephew of Tom Fazio) and Mike Davis, former executive director of the USGA. The course plays to a par of 72, with seven teeing grounds ranging from 4,039 to 7,791 yards. It also features 25 to 30 feet of elevation grade change over what was basically a flat site. Apogee will also include a 50-acre circular practice ground and short-game area with a swing and equipment analysis facility, a 12-hole drivable par-4 course, and 7-hole Wee Course. The club will also include two clubhouses, spa, exercise, pool, hiking trails, and racquet sports, as well as dozens of overnight villas for members.
Contentment Golf Club, Traphill, North Carolina
Image Credit: Contentment Golf Club
Lester George is known for his Blue Ridge Mountain courses Ballyhack and Kinloch. He is now building out Contentment, a private club one hour west of Greensboro. The plan is to take the template holes C.B MacDonald created most famously at National Golf Links of America on Long Island and transplant them onto a mountain setting. Fairways, wind, and cant define the hilly terrain, with the forest framing playing corridors in the foreground and the mountains orienting the horizon. On-site cottages, a stocked five-acre pond, and nearby Stone Mountain State Park will provide guests with non-golf activities and relaxation.
Soleta Golf Club, Myakka, Florida
Image Credit: Dave Sansom
Just outside Sarasota, this new private club will feature a Nick Price–designed, 18-hole course that emphasizes the ground game, giving golfers the chance to run shots onto the putting surface with the help of open greens and contoured slopes. Golf at Soletta will be buoyed by a David Leadbetter learning academy with 30 dedicated acres to simulate all playing situations. The club, opening this spring, will have an open atmosphere, encouraging families to visit, with a village, multiple dining options, and special kid-friendly spaces as well.
High Grove, Venus, Florida
Image Credit: High Grove
Opening later this year, the High Grove private club is almost reclusive, given that it’s in the middle of nowhere. But it’s actually a reasonable drive from every city in the state, including Orlando, Naples, and Miami. Set on a former orange grove, the site has rare elevation changes for this part of Florida. The designers are Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner. The sandy composition of the soil makes for an enticing golf canvas. Hanse has said of the site, “Outside of being along the ocean, we cannot think of a better natural site for golf in Florida.” The rendering of the clubhouse also suggests a luxe resort.
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