Hole 1

The opener presents a dichotomy of width. A central spine of scrub and sand cleaves the fairway in two, offering a strategic ultimatum immediately upon pegging the ball. The left route is expansive and safe, a comforting harbor for the first swing of the day, but it lengthens the approach and obscures the view. The right channel is narrow and fraught with ruin, yet it opens the throat of the green. It is a test not merely of execution, but of decision.

This terrain, formerly Fazio’s Pine Barrens, has been stripped of its artificial composure. Kyle Franz has peeled back the turf to reveal the raw, heaving sandy soil of Brooksville. It no longer attempts to mimic the New Jersey landscape; it simply exists as a rugged, exposed stretch of Florida sand that refuses to be manicured into submission. The architecture feels discovered rather than constructed.

The vibe is less ‘resort greeting’ and more ‘tactical briefing.’ There is no gentle warmup here. The wind usually hums through the pines, and the waste areas wait with open jaws. You may make a four, but you will have to negotiate terms with the ground to get it.