Walden Lake — A Better Course. A Stronger Community.
Walden Lake has always been more than a collection of homes. It has been shaped by recreation, golf, and the places where neighbors gather. We see an opportunity to restore an important part of that identity through a thoughtful, golf-first reinvestment in the former course property.
As lifelong Plant City residents, we understand what the golf course meant to Walden Lake families; and what its closure meant. Bringing golf back is not simply about restoring a game. It is about renewing a community asset, preserving meaningful open space, and creating a place for people to spend time outdoors and reconnect.
We also understand that many residents would prefer to see all 36 holes restored. We respect that sentiment and share the belief that golf belongs at Walden Lake. But a lasting return of golf must be supported by a plan that is financially durable, responsibly scaled, and able to invest in the property for the long term.
At the center of the plan is The Patch: a new nine-hole, par-36 course designed for regular play, practice, and an afternoon outdoors close to home. Its routing maintains much of the original layout, responding to the site’s wetlands, woodlands, water, stormwater needs, and floodplain. The goal is a course with a natural Old Florida character—welcoming to experienced golfers, newer players, families, and neighbors alike.
The clubhouse will support the golf course as a place to gather before or after a round, with dining and social spaces that complement the club’s primary recreational purpose. Members will receive priority access during morning hours, while public tee times will help keep golf accessible to the broader Plant City community.
For non-golfing neighbors, this proposal is equally about the long-term future of the land. It brings private investment, enhanced landscaping and buffering, parks and trails, environmental and stormwater improvements, and substantial open space to property that has sat closed and overgrown for years.
The proposal before the City includes four primary elements: a nine-hole golf course, a golf clubhouse and amenities, 280 single-family homes, and 60 villas in 30 buildings. Across the 319.3-acre property, the majority of the land remains devoted to golf, parks, trails, wetlands, stormwater systems, floodplain areas, and open space.
The residences are not a departure from bringing golf back; they are part of what makes its return possible. They provide the economic foundation for restoring a course and caring for the broader property without asking taxpayers to fund or maintain it. The course will be privately owned and operated by Plant City Country Club.
No plan will meet every expectation in every detail. The question is whether this proposal moves Walden Lake toward a stronger, more useful, and more connected future. We believe it does: it restores golf, preserves open space, supports recreation, and gives Plant City a new place to gather.
That is what “A Better Course. A Stronger Community.” means to us—preserving what matters, investing responsibly, and creating something lasting for Walden Lake and Plant City.
Learn more:
waldenlake.info
Walden_Lake@yahoo.com
PlantCityCountryClub.com
info@plantcitycountryclub.com
Instagram: @PCCC
