Starting with the sandy remains of an old phosphate mining site, Tom Doak and Bill Coore worked together to devise a 36-hole routing that put this brand new resort in central Florida on every golfer's map. It wasn't until after the whole project was planned that we decided that Coore & Crenshaw would build the Red course, which mostly traverses the perimeter of the property, and that Tom and Renaissance Golf would build the Blue course, in the center.
The leftovers of the mining operation had been shaped by the wind and revegetated by nature for more than a decade, so most of the site's contours look and feel natural, apart from the large, deep lakes that are a feature of several holes. Yet the abrupt rise of the 4th fairway or elevated tee shot on the par-3 7th are much more dramatic than anything you'll find on other courses in Florida. From the day the new resort opened, both courses have been the focus of instant national attention, and their success has spawned the creation of a third course designed by Gil Hanse, to open in late 2017.
