GOLF COURSE REVIEW: World Woods Golf -- Brooksville, FL

If you are like me and love not just playing golf, but playing on some of the greatest tracks in the world, then you have got to make your way to a hidden gem on Florida's Gulf Coast.

World Woods Golf sits just northwest of the small city of Brooksville, FL...two counties north of Tampa/St. Pete. This golf complex features two world-class 18-hole courses named Pine Barrens and Rolling Oaks, as well as an incredible practice area that I believe can be used as a short Par 3 course for outings and such.

I have personally played at World Woods twice. The first time was in early 2005 (Super Bowl weekend to be exact) for a quick jaunt before a week of work back down in Orlando. I flew into Orlando, then drove up to Weeki Wachee where I had booked a stay & play at a nearby Best Western. I rose early and played Pine Barrens, then after a quick lunch, plowed through Rolling Oaks. I shot 81 and 83 respectively, and fell in love with the courses...particularly Pine Barrens. I knew that I had to get my friends to see this place.

So, one year later (again on Super Bowl weekend), I convinced my two buddies to join me on a return visit. This time we flew into Tampa and stayed in Wesley Chapel to act as a base from which we would also play two rounds at TPC @ Tampa Bay. The morning we went to World Woods was terrible. It had been raining for days and was still coming down pretty hard when we arrived. We waited for a couple of hours before we could tee off on the back nine of Pine Barrens, and by the time we finished, were not able to play Rolling Oaks. While it was unfortunate to have only played half the complex, and in near flood conditions, I still found the Pine Barrens course to be incredibly entertaining, and shot another tidy 81 to make it worthwhile.

I would recommend the World Woods resort to any group of golfers looking for a challenging and entertaining place to play golf for bargain prices relative to other far more over-priced areas of Florida. If you go, or have already played there, let me know what your opinions are.

Fairways and Greens!