World Woods (Rolling Oaks) - Florida - USA

An interpretation (some say) of Augusta. It is to be NLE and a new course built on its location by the Cabot people. The overall conditioning was so bad at World Woods last year I chose not to play WWRO based on the decline of WWPB.

That said, it was in its prime a fun place to play a round of quality golf not just a second round at World Woods. It was an excellent design for the Fazio studio.

RIP

The two courses at World Woods (not to mention the par-3 course, and 3-hole warm-up course) are a must play when you are in the Tampa area. Rolling Oaks is the lesser rated course but it is still a great design and a challenge to play. When you travel here, schedule 3-4 days...play golf, practice at their world-class practice facility, and enjoy your visit. There is not much in the way of hotels or restaurants in the immediate area but the seclusion lends itself to a focused golf trip with your group.

When we stayed at Inverness, Florida, this was my favourite golf destination. I loved the fact that both courses are just lay-out in the hilly and wooded terrain with no resort or houses disturbing the beautiful scenery. Friendly people in the clubhouse & pro-shop and a huge practise area to practice or warm up.

Although it is located in the middle of nowhere and more or less misses out on a real clubhouse, it does not miss out on charms, character or quality. Both courses are very well designed, throwing multiple golf challenges at you during the round from start to finish. Maintenance was always in pretty good condition when we played. I preferred Pine Barrens slightly over Rolling Oaks, because of the variety of the holes design and the quality of the green complexes. Being able to play both courses alternating makes this place so special and worth a detour or multiple visits.

Can definitely recommend to play both courses, and it will not disappoint.

After playing at World Woods, we normally went to Homosassa to enjoy fresh seafood at The Freezer, enjoy!

As the companion course to the more highly rated Pine Barrens Rolling Oaks will certainly always face comparison to its neighbor. The terrain is actually quite good, especially on the back nine where there are several nice rolling fairways with excellent movement. I thought the first holes were somewhat bland and overall the course lacked the strategic challenge that Pine Barrens offered. In addition, for a course that seeks to emulate Augusta, the greens were remarkably flat and lacked many features of interest. Although the round was enjoyable there were few memorable holes.

This course reminds me to be a rather typical Fazio course which is enjoyable to play but nothing too extraordinary.

It's interesting to speculate why World Woods has failed as a golf destination while Streamsong, in a similarly obscure location South of Tampa, has seemed to thrive and succeed. I believe it's a simple matter of the quality of the courses. Streamsong sought out to design world-class golf courses that people would be willing to travel to, but World Woods went the safe route and built courses that would appeal to the masses but lack the interest to drive golfers to travel and play. I think that green renovations at both courses and some revision of the bunkering at Rolling Oaks would give World Woods a chance to compete with Streamsong, but World Woods will probably be content to be an upper-level daily fee course catering to locals and people willing to travel short distances. It is a really unique piece of land and I wish more could have been done.

I have played the World Woods courses about 10 times each. I have made the trek to experience these courses many times through the years. Rolling Oaks was billed as the Augusta replica while Pine Barrens was Pine Valley. Well, neither is close but each on it's own is a stellar lay out. The conditions are typically very good. The green complexes are relatively flat but fit with the contours of the landscape. Would I make the journey to World Woods just to play Rolling Oaks.....probably not. In conjunction with Pine Barrens this is maybe the best bang for your buck in all of the South East. Just get there and enjoy it.

It is hard to say that it is the best course in the region when the better course is right beside this excellent course. That aside it is an excellent course with holes that have risk / reward and some harsh rough when not down the middle. I thought the greens were tricky but several pin placements seemed to be on the side of a hill. Ide put a high premium of keeping my ball below the hole when i play it again. I just hope I remember my own review. This really is an excellent course at a decent price .No really cool statues though - I like statues.

I am firmly in the Rolling Oaks camp for World Woods and make no qualms about it. Yes, Pine Barrens is the course to play if you only have time for one but Rolling Oaks is the course I play 3-4 times before taking another crack at Pine Barrens.

Yes, Pine Barrens probably has the best individual "type" of hole on the property (however you wish to classify them: Par, reachable long holes, compelling driveable holes, etc. ) but Rolling Oaks demolishes Pine Barrens on being greater than the sum of their parts.

As a militant walker, I find the routing at Rolling Oaks to be one of the finest anywhere and it passes the "walk in the park" test with flying colors. The same cannot be said with Pine Barrens where the same negative space is crossed multiple times in the round, strictly for the purpose of utilizing the sand quarry with parallel holes that one has to struggle to remember their place in the round. Where Pine Barrens places the golfer, Rolling Oaks traverses and the brief interruptions, such as the segue from the 10th green to the 11th tee, serve to move the golfer into a different region to explore, not simply place them at the next dramatic tee shot.

The opening stretch is perhaps a bit "stock Fazio" for most, with the long third the highlight of the openers (and best chance to get a shot back from the course) the golfer is presented with compelling tee and approach shots on the 4th, 5th, 6th (!), 9th, 11th, 12th (!), 14th, 15th, 17th (!), and 18th(!?) in the sense that you constantly feel you should probably be on a line 5 yards left or right where you ended up. Much has been made about the somewhat dreary nature of the greens at Rolling Oaks, but I frankly don't see it. They meld well with the questions being asked from the tee and much more so than than on the companion course.

For me, the stretches of golf from the 4th to the 6th and then again from the 11th to the 17th, exemplify the "walk in the park" feeling. Each shot demands a level of concentration not easily defined by any feature but instead invite differing modes of play based on your skillset and feelings for that day. The fact that I do not know what or how I'll play the 6th hole on my next visit, for example, is what keeps me coming back.

A great course on its own, perfect sister course for a 36 hole day! World Woods is well worth the drive.

In of itself Rolling Oaks is a fine golf course. Being right next to Pine barrens may cause a complex, but it is the age old question, which ice cream do you like better? Chocolate or Vanilla? Mary Ann or Ginger?

One element of Rolling Oaks that did surprise m was the lack of undulation in the green complexes. For the most part, putts were straighter than you tricked yourself into thinking they were.

I would not categorize the first hole as inviting, at well over 400 yards. I am not a fan of early par 3s and the second is a long one. You finally get some breathing room with a long par 5 on the 4th. Course is relatively flat until the 7th, which is a long uphill par 4 with a greenside bunker protecting the front. The 8th is a really cute downhill par 3 with a creek in front. Play one less club. The front ends with a bang, A long par 4 slight dogleg left uphill carry over water. I loved it (birdie!!)

The back opens with a long par 5 paralleling 9, this water hazard is really the only one of any magnitude on the entire course. The par 4 downhill 12th is one of the shorter par 4s. It can be devilish. Aim left of the tee. The fairway bunker looks a lot closer than it is. You don't want to be in it and if you fly it you will probably end up in the ravine, Long hitters may want to leave the driver in the bag. The 13th is a long par 3 with interesting random rock outcroppings in the wast area short of the green. The number one handicapped hole 15 is demanding but fair. Slight dogleg left, off the tee stay right to avoid the bunker on the inside elbow. The green is elevated and protected by two bunkers on the left side. Avoid these at all costs. Hit an extra club on your approach. The 18th is a short par 5 and a super finishing hole. If you are down you can make your move here. Take dead aim down the middle. Too far right and you will have some tree challenges and too far left you will need to draw your ball into the green. It is reachable but the uphill sandtrap protected redan green may make you think twice.

I enjoyed playing Rolling Oaks. I think it is over rated and thus i am glad that i opted to play at a twilight time where the greens fee dropped by more than half.

Good not great

Front is much flatter than the back lots of trees, bunker in the sky