The cottages at Chinsegut Hill Retreat and Conference Center are secluded, quiet and reasonably priced, and the perfect backdrop for comparing scorecards and reliving that day’s memorable shots. Private baths and bedrooms surround each cabin’s shared kitchenette and common living and dining areas, where one might choose to play a game of cards or enjoy a cool beverage after a round (or two!) of golf.
The golf courses on the Brooksville Ridge, like Chinsegut Hill Retreat and Conference Center itself, are hilly with towering hardwood trees. The course architects, including such notables as Tom Fazio, Pete Dye, and Joe Lee, have used the Old Florida landscape to create character and challenges that are seldom encountered at suburban golf courses in Florida.
In Golf Digest magazine’s 2015 list of the best 75 public golf courses in Florida, World Woods’ two courses, Pine Barrens and Rolling Hills, placed 4th and 12th, respectively. The Fazio-designed Pine Barrens course was ranked 66th in the nation, repeating its inclusion in that exclusive list for the sixth time since the turn of the century.
Begin your golfer’s dream vacation by checking out Chinsegut Hill Retreat and Conference Center’s cottages, rates, policies, and map of the grounds. Learn more about the courses that comprise the Brooksville Ridge and other golf courses on the west coast of Central Florida at the Hernando County Tourism Bureau’s website.
‘Golf’ on a ‘mountain’ in Hernando County
While championship golf courses surround Chinsegut Hill Retreat and Conference Center in every direction, there is one venue that occasionally attracts players whose game is more about flinging than swinging.
An abandoned limestone quarry formerly known as the Gran Canyon is just a short drive from Chinsegut Hill Retreat and Conference Center. This tract of land has become legendary in the world of disc golf, which is played much like traditional golf, but players use a flying disc instead of clubs and a little round ball on each hole.
In the wake of a heyday that drew acclaim from professional disc golf players, the Gran Canyon closed for a few years. But disc golf competitions have been revived by Sun King Disc Sports, which works with the landowner to market the events as “Throw Down The Mountain,” a title that pays homage to the course’s rugged terrain and dramatic elevation changes.
After participants “Throw Down the Mountain,” they may wish to “Climb Up the Hill’’ for a restful night at one of the quaint, but well-equipped, cottages at Chinsegut Hill Retreat and Conference Center, where the elevations and the vistas also are breath-taking — but far less strenuous!