Evidently, there was grass growing in the bunkers and greens that were more packed mud than grass towards the end.

Enter Cabot, who burst into the golf resort scene after developing one of the most talked-about resorts in the world in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. The Cabot brand has since expanded to Scotland, British Columbia, and the island of St. Lucia. 

An American project or acquisition (in this case, both) was inevitable. And from the minute Cabot announced the purchase of World Woods and rebranded it as Cabot Citrus Farms, the buzz has been building.

Golf architect Kyle Franz was selected to build the first 18-hole layout, called The Karoo, on much of the land previously occupied by the Pine Barrens 18 of World Woods. Not surprisingly, my playing partner Greg from nearby Hermosa Beach reminded me of when a hole in the existing layout was included in the current routing and where things were the most different. He was visibly excited to see the way things have evolved, yet a tinge of nostalgia for one of his favorites lingered.