World Woods (Rolling Oaks) - Florida - USA
17590 Ponce de Leon Blvd,
Brooksville,
Florida (FL) 34614,
USA
+1 352 796 5500
40 miles N of Tampa
Welcome – book in advance
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Stan Cooke
Most top golf courses in the USA are for the exclusive use of club members and their guests but World Woods is a triumph for the people. Yukihisa Inoue, the president of World Woods, had a desire to provide world-class golf for all to play. With two top drawer 1993 Tom Fazio-designed courses (Pine Barrens and Rolling Oaks) and a cracking little short course that few people know about, not to mention amazing practice facilities, Yukihisa Inoue’s World Woods is an absolute must-visit pay-and-play destination. Located approximately 40 miles to the north of Tampa and 50 miles or so to the west of Orlando, World Woods is well off the beaten tourist track, but we thoroughly recommend the trip. Pine Barrens is the course that receives most of the accolades but do not overlook Rolling Oaks. Both courses are from Fazio’s top drawer but they both came from very different cabinets. “Where the Pine Barrens course is aggressive,” wrote Rob Armstrong in Golfing Florida’s Best, “Rolling Oaks is laid back; where Pine Barrens is a type-A personality, Rolling Oaks is a type-B; where Pine Barrens is rugged and raw, Rolling Oaks is urbane and sophisticated. The Pine Barrens course feels like it belongs in the hills of Virginia or West Virginia, maybe at the Homestead or Greenbrier; the Rolling Oaks course feels as if it could be in New York’s Westchester County, maybe next door to Winged Foot.” Tom Fazio is in full agreement with Rob Armstrong: “The contrasting styles of the two golf courses at World Woods in Florida contribute to the concept of a world-class golf destination. The Pine Barrens course is set in open pasture where sprawling, sandy wastes were created to provide the rugged natural look of a pine barrens. The par five 3rd hole is typical of the style on the Rolling Oaks course where bunkers are used to create a more formal, finished look.” There’s only one thing for it, you must play both courses, but you’ll be faced with a dilemma… which World Woods golf course do you tackle in the morning? |
Reviews for World Woods (Rolling Oaks)
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.
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See other reviews from Doug Roberts
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.
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See other reviews from Larry Jacobs
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.
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See other reviews from Kyle Harris
A great course on its own, perfect sister course for a 36 hole day! World Woods is well worth the drive.
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See other reviews from Donald Hudspeth
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
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See other reviews from Colin Braithwaite
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The first hole starts out with a nice

The tenth is a long 606 yard par 5 with bunkers protecting both sides of the fairway and on the 2nd shot. The green is elevated and is protected

Overall a great golfing experience that would recommend to anyone visiting the Tampa, Orlando area. It was also an excellent warm-up round to playing Pine Barrens the next couple of days. Click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk3kp11npNY to see a You Tube slide show of some pictures taken during my visit. Jim Brady
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See other reviews from Jim Brady