World Woods (Rolling Oaks)

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.”

At the start of 2022, it was announced that World Woods Golf Club had been purchased by the Cabot development group, with a view to renovating the 45-hole public facility and renaming it Cabot Citrus Farms. The complex was to shut for around 18 months, allowing the course work to be accrued out, along with constructing accommodation, a new clubhouse, and a spa/fitness centre.

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?