Streamsong vs Cabot Citrus Farms: Florida's Interior Golf
Florida's coastline gets the attention. The interior gets the better golf. Streamsong and Cabot Citrus Farms, separated by roughly 90 minutes of central Florida highway, have both built serious golf resorts on reclaimed agricultural and industrial land far from the beach. Streamsong, opened in 2012 on former phosphate-mining terrain near Bowling Green, offers three 18-hole courses from Tom Doak and Gil Hanse. Cabot Citrus Farms, opened in 2023 on a former citrus grove near Brooksville, is the newer entrant with a Kyle Franz design and an expanding roster of short courses. Together, they form an interior Florida corridor that serious golfers are beginning to treat as a destination rather than a detour.
The Courses
Streamsong's three courses are the established draw. Streamsong Red and Streamsong Blue, both Tom Doak designs that opened in 2012, are built on reclaimed phosphate-mining land that produced dramatic dunes and elevation changes unusual for Florida. The Red (par 72, 7,148 yards, slope 140) plays across more visually dramatic terrain; the Blue (par 72, 7,177 yards, slope 142) is more strategic, with wider fairways and subtle internal contours. Streamsong Black, Gil Hanse's 2017 addition, is the newest and longest at 7,311 yards with a par of 73 and slope of 146. It features some of the most demanding green complexes at the resort.
All three courses encourage walking and offer caddies. Green fees run $275 to $395 in peak season (November through April) and $225 to $275 in the off-peak summer months. Access requires an overnight resort stay.
Cabot Citrus Farms' headline course is the Karoo, Kyle Franz's 2023 design built on former citrus-grove land. Franz, known for his Mid Pines restoration in Pinehurst, brought a ground-game sensibility to the Florida interior, creating a course that plays firm and fast on sandy soil. At par 72 and approximately 7,100 yards, the Karoo offers strategic width and green complexes that reward imagination. Green fees run roughly $250 to $350 in peak season.
The Roost, a collaborative par-3 course from several designers, is included with a Karoo round. The Squeeze, a 19-hole short course by Mike Nuzzo that opened in 2024, is included with a resort stay. Cabot's development plan includes additional courses, positioning the property as a multi-course destination in the mould of Bandon Dunes.
Maturity vs. Ambition
Streamsong is the established resort with three proven courses, a 228-room lodge, full-service dining, a spa, and a bass fishing programme. The infrastructure is complete.
A three-night trip at Streamsong playing all three courses, with walking encouraged, is one of the best golf experiences in the southeastern United States.
Cabot Citrus Farms is earlier in its development arc. The Karoo is the only full-length course currently open. The short courses add variety, but the property does not yet match Streamsong's three-course rotation. The accommodation is developing, and the ancillary programming is more limited.
This is a temporal comparison as much as a qualitative one. Cabot's ambitions are clear, and the Keiser family's track record at Bandon Dunes and Sand Valley suggests the property will grow substantially. But in 2026, Streamsong offers the more complete experience.
The Architecture
Both resorts benefit from land that is not typically associated with great golf. Florida's flat, swampy coastal terrain does not produce natural dune formations. Streamsong's phosphate mines and Cabot's citrus groves both sit on sandy soil in the interior, where the topography is more varied and the drainage is superior.
Doak and Hanse at Streamsong built courses that look and play like nothing else in Florida. The dunes, ridgelines, and expansive views are genuinely surprising for the state. The architecture asks golfers to think, to play the ground, and to accept that Florida golf can be something other than flat resort layouts with water hazards on every hole.
Franz at Cabot brought a similar philosophy. The Karoo's firm turf and ground-game emphasis feel more like a Sandhills course transplanted to Florida than a typical Sunshine State design.
Price and Logistics
A three-night Streamsong trip playing all three courses runs $2,000 to $3,500 per person depending on season. The resort is 80 minutes from Tampa (TPA) and 90 minutes from Orlando (MCO).
A two-night Cabot Citrus Farms trip playing the Karoo and short courses runs $1,200 to $2,000 per person. The property is 60 minutes from Tampa.
Combining both resorts into a single trip is possible. The 90-minute drive between them allows a golfer to spend two nights at each, playing three courses at Streamsong and the Karoo at Cabot, for a total of four days of interior Florida golf.
The Decision
Choose Streamsong for the complete multi-course experience today. The Red and Black courses are among the best resort golf in the South.
Three 18-hole courses from Doak and Hanse, full resort infrastructure, and a proven track record make it the strongest interior golf destination in Florida.
Choose Cabot Citrus Farms for the emerging option with potential. The Karoo is an excellent course from a talented architect, and the property's development trajectory suggests it will grow into a destination that rivals Streamsong within a few years. For the golfer who wants to play a new course before the crowds find it, Cabot delivers that satisfaction.
The ideal trip, for those with the time, combines both.