The Roost at Cabot Citrus Farms
If you’re a traveling golfer, you’re probably aware of the Cabot name. You probably also recognize that it’s synonymous with special locations and high-end destination golf. And that’s what makes the newest property in the Cabot portfolio so noteworthy.
Cabot Citrus Farms is the very first U.S. location for the expanding Cabot collection, created on the site of the former World Woods property about an hour north of Tampa.
But what makes the Citrus Farms property even more significant is that amid the increase in current course development in Florida, this golf getaway is one of the few publicly accessible facilities in a mix that’s decidedly high-end.
While most golfers won’t be able to sniff Florida’s new private haunts like Apogee, High Grove, Kinsale, Soleta, etc., Citrus Farms offers four terrific courses — all of them completely redone — and luxury accommodations for golfers who hunger for a taste of the Cabot experience but have yet to travel to the brand’s original property in Nova Scotia, Canada.
The Karoo Course at Cabot Citrus Farms
While Cabot started with a single facility in Cape Breton, the Canadian-based brand has expanded rapidly beyond its original location in the charming seaside town of Inverness. From a simple description standpoint, it might be easiest to liken the broader Cabot Collection, as it’s now known, as golf’s version of the Four Seasons — a brand known for its worldwide luxury destination properties. There are Cabot locations in the Highlands of Scotland, on St. Lucia in the Caribbean, in Bordeaux, France, and soon in Revelstoke, British Columbia. And Cabot also made a strategic investment in the rugged Lofoten Links above the Arctic Circle in Norway, the world’s northernmost links-style course and one of the game’s most visually dramatic layouts.
Cabot’s focus as a developer of luxury resorts and residential golf destinations is great golf in memorable locations.
Founder Ben Cowan-Dewar and his team found just that on the west side of Florida, with a 1,200-acre sanctuary that’s now fully open with two 18-hole championship courses – Roost and Karoo – an 11-hole par-3 course known as The Wedge, and a 10-hole short course called The Squeeze that’s primarily a blend of par-3 and short par-4 holes, with one par-5 mixed in.
The 57 holes of golf, plus a two-acre putting course, are the most at any Cabot property. It’s only fitting that Cabot has gone big in not only a country with the most golfers (and traveling golfers) in the world, but in the nation’s most golf-rich state. And while “Florida golf” has earned a stereotypical reputation over the years, the offerings at Cabot Citrus Farms are anything but.
Roost
The newest 18-holer, designed in a unique collaboration between Franz, Mike Nuzzo, Ran Morrissett, and Rod Whitman, winds through sandy scrublands and moss-draped live oaks that are over 100 years old. The 7,200-yard layout features surprising elevation changes up to 50 feet – rare for the Sunshine state – and showcases Old Florida charm with its neighboring pastureland and limestone outcroppings. A standout feature is a picturesque par-3 that plays across a 40-foot-deep sinkhole, while strategic shot-shaping is required to navigate around preserved specimen trees.
Karoo
Kyle Franz’s first solo design is an adventurous 18-hole course characterized by wide fairways and massive, multi-tiered greens with bold contours. The 7,201-yard layout encourages creative play with multiple approaches to pins and short-grass recovery areas. The course’s rugged aesthetics and varied tee positions offer a seemingly different perspective in each round, while visiting Sandhill Cranes, whose distinctive calls inspired the course’s name, add to the ambiance in an exceedingly tranquil setting.
The Squeeze
This creative short course designed by Mike Nuzzo emphasizes fun and dramatic shot values despite its shorter length. The unique strategic challenges on the holes between 250 and 300 yards are inspired by some of the world’s best short par-4s. Notable features include a green modeled after corrugated tin roofing used in miniature golf, massive waste areas, and winding fairways leading to undulating putting surfaces. All but two holes play under 400 yards from the back tees.
The Squeeze
The Wedge
The par-3 course at Citrus Farms, also designed by Nuzzo, features some of the property’s most dramatic elements, including enormous waste areas and severely contoured greens. The bold features and holes ranging from 70 to 115 yards make it an ideal venue for casual or competitive rounds for groups of traveling golfers, and the fun doesn’t stop at sunset for resort guests. Not only does The Wedge sit adjacent to The Porch – the lively social spot that features fire pits, picnic tables, a food truck and a bar – it has low-profile lights for nighttime play.
The Wedge
Accommodations
While a new clubhouse is still being built, Cabot Citrus Farms has a cozy cluster of golf cottages between its courses that are available for nightly rental. The luxurious two- and four-bedroom cottages are comfortable and calming, with large windows, bright and spacious living spaces, and a fully customized kitchen. Pricing starts at $1,250 per night for the 2-bedroom, 2-bath cottages during peak season and $675 a night from June to October. The 4-bedroom, 4-bath cottages range from $2,500 to $3,000 nightly during the peak season.
Real estate
There is a real estate component at Cabot Citrus Farms, with the 36 individually owned cottages in the rental pool, and five two-story fairway homes currently under construction just off the 10th hole of Roost. Those homes are priced at $3.7 million and up.
Cottages at Cabot Citrus Farms
The Cabot experience
The guest experience is central to the Cabot ethos and golfers will see and feel those touches the moment they set foot on property.
There’s Trackman technology at every bay on the driving range, fresh sugar cookies in a jar on the starter’s shack near the first tee, artisan woodfired pies from the pizza oven at The Porch, and the on-course comfort stations are fully stocked with almost every food and beverage option conceivable, from locally made jerky and ice cream sandwiches to branded drinks. The metal cups, which Cabot sources from a company in Japan, deliver a uniquely special sound when a putt is dropped.
Peak season pricing ranges from $280 to $330 for resort guests on the Karoo and Roost courses, in line with many of the nation’s other top destination properties. Playing fees for day guests are about $100 more.
Beyond the courses, Cabot Citrus Farms has a sporting club with Five Stand shooting, archery, bass fishing, and axe-throwing, while guests can easily visit the neighboring Withlacoochee State Forest for hiking and biking in addition to water sports such as canoeing, kayaking, and stand-up paddle-boarding. Soon to come is an on-property racquet club with tennis, pickleball, and padel, as well as several pool areas – one for adults and another for families.
As with all Cabot properties, however, the experience starts with golf. And the range of offerings at Cabot Citrus Farms has the property well-positioned to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with other great U.S. golf destinations.