(2.167 Rating) A tropical style course needing more breathing room.
- RAW BEAUTY - This was far and away my favorite aspect of the course. Perhaps it was my years of living in the lush subtropical Florida jungles, but I just love the exotic nature of palmettos, palms and Spanish moss covered live oaks. Franz Ross has all these features and it blocks out almost all of the built environment surrounding the course. There is one typical missing Florida element however. There are no water features meandering around like at many other courses in this region. In addition, the course was not well groomed for my appearance. The landscape reminded me a bit of unkempt version of Maximo in St. Pete.
- CHALLENGING - I was surprised by the difficulty here. I'm an Intermediate level player whom plays well on technical courses and I think I'd average around a 29 here. Franz Ross is listed as a par 27, on all the sites I looked at. But honestly, three holes are legit par 4s with no chance to get close off the tee due to the twisting high density tree and palm coverage. These are holes (6), (7) and (8), making it a par 30 from my viewpoint.
- BASICS - Concrete tees, adequate baskets and course map posted near tee one. The scale on the map is off a bit, but it's much better than nothing.
- QUICK PLAY - I think a solo should be able to knock out a round in less than 30 minutes.

Over zealous design.
- SPACING - This course is a perfect example of trying to delivery too much of a course into too small of space. The first 3 or 4 holes are fine. But man, starting on hole (5) the course starts to get really squeezed. Fairways (6), (7) and (8) are almost on top of each other. If I recall correctly, the approach on (7) is best played through the start of the fairway for hole (8). A couple tees are also way too close to baskets. If multiple groups are playing here, I'd keep my head on a swivel.
- MAINTENANCE - As noted above, the course was not well groomed on my appearance. Which is sad, cause it would look stunning in spots imo. Weeds were knee high all over the place. Searching for a couple minutes is going to happen here and there over the course of a round. Some areas had extensive trash build-up too.
- OVERGROWTH - Due to the general lack of maintenance, One can expect that the far fringe areas will be punishing. Like many courses in this region, there are palmetto bush patches and viney thorny areas to avoid. I'd say the course is not beginner friendly because of this, although there are definitely less friendly examples nearby. Overall, I think disc loss potential is just south of the average course, with most of the thievery occurring when a disc lands on top of a palm.
- CHARACTER - The basics are fine. Respectable baskets, concrete tees and a course map as noted in the pros. Bonus items like a practice basket, multi-tees and alternate basket placements are not present. I think there was one or two holes with seating, but it would be great to have this at every tee.
- UNIQUENESS - Like many heavily wooded South Florida courses, all the variety elements are intertwined using the shifting lines of the jungle. I like this stylistic aspect, but it's the only style here. There are no openish shots or elevation or water features.

I had the privilege of throwing my first round here DGCR members Thrembo and R2sandman. It was Thrembo's first full round since his accident and it was also the last round I've thrown in a group since this review's posting. It's always nice throwing with those that have incite about a local course and how its evolving. Enjoyed it again guys. As for the course, I liked the first 4 holes and I was thinking a solid 2.5... if the ship maintained course. Unfortunately, this ship steamrolled into a sandbar and sank by the end of the eighth hole. Someone else ought to re-image what the ending of this course looks while fixing all the spacing issues. Overall, I give it a strong 2.0. About average among all of the 9 holers I've scored as of this review. I'd say worth a play for those in the area needing a quick round to stay sane. For just about everyone else, The Preserve, should be the go to spot.