Head for the Hills – Southern Hills Plantation
BY BOB HARIG
Florida is known for its palm trees and sand, for its heat and humidity, for residents who are seemingly all from everywhere else. It is also known for its abundance of golf courses, typically made distinctive through artificial means, or a proliferation of bunkers and water.
What it is not known for is rolling hills or any kind of elevation.
So it makes perfect sense that Southern Hills Plantation, a private golf course community in Brooksville, would take every opportunity to tout its terrain. And that is just one of the facets the development can brag about.
Legendary architect Pete Dye designed the golf course, his only work in the Tampa Bay area.
Never one to boast, Dye perhaps was simply being modest when he called Southern Hills Plantation “a nice piece of property’’ back when only a trained observer like him could envision what graces the land today. He knew that for this part of Florida, actually almost anywhere in Florida, he had a pleasantly different piece of ground with which to work.
Unlike most parts of the Sunshine State, and therefore most of the state’s golf courses, Southern Hills really does have hills. The elevation change on the property amounts to more than 200 feet.
The developers were betting that home buyers would want a slice of this area in south-central Hernando County, a somewhat remote place about an hour north of Tampa yet readily accessible via the Suncoast Parkway. They apparently knew what they were doing, as more than 300 homesites were sold when sales kicked off in June of 2004.
Dye, creator of such famous courses as the TPC Sawgrass a few hours away in Ponte Vedra Beach, was a big selling point, his name used in such marketing slogans as “Dyeabolical” and “Golf to Dye For.” The course’s length (it can stretch to more than 7,500 yards), small greens, deep and small bunkers, and extensive mounding are all vintage Dye.
M.G. Orender, president of Hampton Golf Inc., which developed Southern Hills Plantation, says that five different architects came to the site and submitted routing plans.
“We liked Pete’s routing the best. Other people wanted to go on top of hills or stay in valleys. Pete looked at it and said, ‘I’ll go around the hills.’’’
Dye, now 82, made several site visits to assess how the course fit with the overall property and how it would play for all levels of golfers.
“I’ve got to make it so somebody in those lots can see the golf course,’’ he says. “If I can walk it, the rest of the world should be able to walk it. You have to get bad golfers around too, or you’re dead.’’
He knows that such widespread playability helps make a place like Southern Hills popular.
A pro or scratch player can get all they want from the 7,557-yard back tees. But beginners, women, and kids can go up to the tees that measure just 5,205 yards. And players of intermediate levels can go to any of three sets of tees in between. There is also a six-hole short course, along with a practice range and putting green.
“I try to diversify as much as I can,’’ Dye says. “Left to right, right to left. Gotta be conscious of sunlight. You can’t shade these greens.’’
The lush scenery is the course’s main attraction. A picturesque river runs along side the 11th hole. And the par-five seventh is Southern Hills Plantation’s calling card. At 618 yards from the tips, it is the longest hole on the course, set atop a big hill 40 feet above the landing area. From there, it’s another nice view, 40 feet down to the green.
The course was built amid native oaks and magnolias left behind by a former nursery and plays around scenic conservation areas, ravines, and lakes.
Membership in the golf club requires a $35,000 initiation fee (non-equity), and there will be a cap of 395 full members.
All of the dining areas feature picturesque views of the first and 18th fairways, while the lower level of the 20,000- square-foot clubhouse—which is in the mold of an Old Florida mansion—includes the golf shop, men’s and women’s locker rooms, and a screened cigar patio.
All residents can enjoy a spa and fitness center, including spa treatment rooms, free weights, and weight and cardiovascular machines. There is also a resort-style heated pool and the most recent addition, tennis courts.
Among the community’s many selling points is that it offers those from the Tampa and Orlando areas a second home or vacation home that is just an hour or so away. Southern Hills offers homes from six builders and is expected to have approximately 1,000 homes in the community when finished.
Home options include cottages, manors, estates, and mansions priced from the $300,000 range to more than $1 million. Lots are also available from $65,000 to $500,000.
Prospective buyers can take advantage of a stay-and-play package, with accommodations at a model home on the property and either a round of golf or a visit to the spa.
Just the Facts:
- Real Estate: The community got its start in 2004 and eventually will boast of about 1,000 homes. A wide variety of home options range in price from the $300,000s to over $1 million, with homesites from $65,000 to $500,000
- Location: Southern Hills Plantation is in Brooksville, about 45 miles north of Tampa and 65 miles west of Orlando.
