When Ben Cowan-Dewar first visited Cabot Citrus Farms—then known as World Woods—in 1999, he knew he wanted to develop it someday. It took more than two decades of persistence, but the founder of the Canadian golf resort company finally acquired the 1,200-acre property near Brooksville, Florida, just over three years ago. During a media outing in January 2026, Cowan-Dewar spoke candidly about what makes this his first U.S. venture fundamentally different from the typical Florida golf development.
Why Florida Was the Easiest Development Yet
For someone who spent 21 years building golf destinations from scratch across North America, Europe, and the Caribbean, Cowan-Dewar’s assessment of the Florida project may surprise many: “It was actually sort of the most interesting thing. So, two projects in Canada, one in the Caribbean, a couple in Europe and Florida. And I’d say, without a doubt, Florida was the easiest place to develop and do business.”
The advantage was largely logistical. Unlike Cabot’s flagship Cape Breton property, which required assembling land parcels and building all infrastructure from the ground up, Citrus Farms arrived with existing roads, maintenance facilities, and pump stations already in place. “It was exponentially easier than almost anything we’d done,” Cowan-Dewar explained.
However, ease of development did not mean compromising vision. The property’s unique landscape—featuring 100 feet of elevation change and 1,000-year-old mossy oak trees—provided something rare in modern Florida golf: natural terrain that didn’t require extensive manipulation to create playable courses.
Golf Destination, Not Golf Real Estate
A defining characteristic of Cabot Citrus Farms is what it deliberately avoids: the typical Florida model where residential lots line nearly every hole. Cowan-Dewar emphasized that the property’s design philosophy prioritizes the golf experience over real estate sales.
“The village that we’ve built here of all of the cottages has a beauty and an elegance that doesn’t mean every hole is lined with houses,” he said. “And the nature of this site was so different than so much of what you saw in Florida. We have 100 feet of elevation here and 1,000-year-old mossy oaks.”
When visitors drive north from Tampa, he noted, a common reaction is: “It doesn’t feel like Florida.” That sentiment—the sense of being in nature rather than a developed resort—is intentional. The two 18-hole courses, the Roost and Karoo, plus the 10-hole Squeeze and 11-hole Wedge par-3 course, are routed to showcase the property’s natural geological features rather than interrupt them.
“The thing that was interesting about this was I’d come here when it was World Woods, and I was such a fan of it,” Cowan-Dewar reflected. “And I think that’s why you’re coming to this special place—to feel like you’re out in nature.”
The Importance of Personal Involvement
While Cabot works with world-class architects—Kyle Franz redesigned the courses at Citrus Farms, and the company has collaborated with Tom Doak, Bill Coore, and Rod Whitman on other projects—Cowan-Dewar’s hands-on approach sets him apart. He serves on the panel for the World’s Top 100 courses and has played most of the world’s greatest layouts.
“I grew up drawing golf holes. I wanted to be a golf architect,” he said. “Thankfully, I realized I was better suited to be a developer. But I’ve been on the panel of World Top 100 for 25 years, and I’ve played almost all of the great courses in the world.”
Tom Doak recently told him he was “by far the most involved owner he’d ever had”—and Cowan-Dewar considers that a compliment. “I care a lot about it because I care about the end product. Once the course is done, they spend so much less time, and we end up owning it forever. Really, it’s the guest experience that, for me, was why I did it.”
Site Selection: A Gut Feeling
Cowan-Dewar has looked at hundreds of potential sites worldwide, yet he claims he usually knows within 15 minutes whether a location is right. “I remember I was looking through Asia, and I must have looked at 30 sites in one country. Some of them I’d be on for five minutes, and I’d be like, you know, no go,” he explained.
The decision-making process is deeply personal. He asks himself: “Do I really love going there? Am I going to go back to this place year after year for the rest of my life?” At Citrus Farms, that answer was unequivocal. “Whenever I’m here, I just feel like it’s peaceful. And so that’s sort of what I’m looking for.”
He acknowledged looking at an exceptional site in Argentina that ultimately wasn’t pursued, and while it was remarkable, the distance from his base in Canada made it impractical. “Some of these things are, yeah, great wine. But we are in Bordeaux, so I feel like I’m doing okay on that.”
A Multi-Course Portfolio Without Hierarchy
Asked to rank his properties, Cowan-Dewar playfully deflected: “I have three children, so I don’t do that with them either.” The reality, he says, is that each property excels at different times of year. Nova Scotia’s dramatic fall foliage, the Caribbean’s winter warmth, Scotland’s summer light, and Florida’s mild winters all have their appeal.
“When I go back to all of them, I’m excited to go back. And that is the best litmus test for me. I think if I ever got to a place where I wasn’t really wanting to go, I’d know I’d made a mistake. And I don’t feel like that ever.”
Tour Events: Not for Ego
While major championships and professional tournaments generate prestige, Cowan-Dewar is cautious about pursuing them purely for exposure. Cabot has instead focused on amateur events, which serve the company’s core customer base.
“With no disrespect to the professionals, you know, they don’t pay for green fees,” he noted. “Our customer base loves playing golf. The biggest thing is: what is the benefit? I don’t need to do it for ego, which I think is why lots of people would do it first. I would love to do it for exposure and to see people play it.”
He mentioned that professional golfers do visit Cabot properties as guests, often bringing family members on golf trips. Those moments—when the sport is purely about enjoyment rather than competition—align more closely with Cabot’s philosophy.
Lofoten Links: A Second-Course Vision
In 2019, Cowan-Dewar visited Lofoten Links in Norway and was immediately struck by its remoteness and beauty. He met the course’s developer, Frode Hove, and later invited him to Cape Breton to see what a mature, multi-course destination could look like. That exposure became an epiphany for Hove, and Cabot eventually invested in the property.
“Every time I go, it’s the same thing. I just go back. These are, you know, some of these places are hard to get to, right? And it certainly is. But you’re rewarded so richly for being there,” Cowan-Dewar said.
Regarding future development at Lofoten, he confirmed that a second course is under consideration, with input from Doak. “But it’s not a simple landscape to build. The biggest key to unlocking the second course is getting more people there. We’ve seen what’s possible in Cape Breton where we’re getting 70,000 rounds in a six-month season. I think it’s just building on the foundation of their success.”
As Cabot enters its third decade, the company continues to balance growth with the preservation of what makes each property special. For Cowan-Dewar, that balance begins with choosing the right site—a decision made not with spreadsheets or market data, but with the kind of intuition that comes from a lifetime spent walking some of the world’s greatest golf landscapes.