Sandhill cranes are large birds with long necks and spindly legs. True to their name, they prefer sandy environments, where they spend most of their days in groups and pairs. Their color is grayish. Their diet is plant-based. And their call, which is compared to a rattling bugle, is written as karoo.
In southwest Florida, where sandhill cranes are found in large numbers, karoo is also a spoken word, often uttered at Cabot Citrus Farms, a major player in destination golf. In addition to two short courses, a putting course and a sophisticated practice facility, the luxury resort and residential community has a few striking 18-hole layouts. The eldest of them, now approaching his second birthday, is called Karoo.
The course was designed by Kyle Franz, who worked under Tom Doak and Gil Hanse on projects ranging from Pacific Dunes in Oregon to the Olympic track in Rio before striking out on his own. His resume includes critically acclaimed restorations of Mid Pines, Pine Needles and Southern Pines, a trio of Donald Ross gems in the Carolina Sandhills. Franz has a great personality. He is exuberant, expressive and not afraid to color outside the lines. His work at Cabot Citrus Farms follows suit.
In his own words, Franz wanted to do something different at Karoo. His goal was to be creative, not to copy his mentors. He wanted to make a statement. Most of all, he told GOLF.com, “I wanted to build something really fun.”
As introductions go, Karoo’s opening hole is less a handshake than an in-your-face hello. A par-4 that opens out to 475 yards and plays over a minefield of sand to a fairway split by bunkers on the center line. There is plenty of room on both sides, but the corners are important. When the flag is cupped on the left side, the ideal attack is from the right side – and vice versa. The greenery, a vast and rolling expanse, gives a taste of the theme to come: scale, movement and choice galore.
Optional is a nerdy word, but it applies. The par-3 3rd can stretch to a monstrous 292 yards, or shrink to a graceful 125 yards from the front tee. Either way, a kick ramp in front of the green offers an easy-to-use alternative to an airstrike, which feeds balls towards the target. The par-5 4th, with its split fairway and sand shortcut, requires decisions from the tee: play it safe and long, or go a shorter distance with greater risk.
Then comes the par-5 6th, a hole that captures the exuberant spirit of the Karoo. It tumbles over undulating ground to an expansive double green shared with the 10th. Two heavy shots can get you started with a look at Eagle, but the contours around the green are dramatic and challenging. Play from the wrong angle and a two-putt seems like a heroic feat.
Sophie McFaul
Later in the round, the par-4 12th offers something of a change of pace. This tough, direct two-shotter plays downhill from the tee to a wide fairway below and then climbs back to a high green. It’s a test of old-school execution before the round dives back into its more flamboyant territory.
Despite his powerful personality, Karoo does not punish with punishment. It’s hard to lose a golf ball. The challenge lies in finding the best route forward, with varying lanes along the fairways and different paths to the pin.
Franz has achieved his goal. This course is a powerful statement: maximalist design in a minimalist era. And it complements the rest of the Citrus Farms menu. Today, in golf development, it is a given that multiple courses turn a property from curiosity into a destination. But variety is also essential. Karoo rounds out the selection as a counterpoint to the Roost, the resort’s other 18-hole course, which moves more sedately through a lilting canvas of creeks, lakes and ancient trees. Add the short courses – the Squeeze and the Wedge – and you have a symphony of styles.
But Karoo has a voice all its own, similar to the bird that gave the track its name.
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