Tee off a beautiful lifestyle in a brand new golf community tucked 
away just north of Tampa Bay in the heart of old oak woodlands.

Description: Hernando Oaks is a 626-acre gated community just north of the Tampa Bay area in the west central Florida town of Brooksville.

Awards & Honors: Hernando Builders Association Parade of Homes, recipient of 23 out of 32 honors

Nearest Airport: Tampa International Airport, 30-45 minutes 

Amenities 

·         18-hole, par-72, 7,000-yard, golf course and semi-private club

·         Course designed and built by Scott Pate of Seaside Golf Development.

·         Practice facility with driving range, putting and chipping greens

·         New clubhouse, scheduled for 2005, with:

o        Dining rooms, banquet facilities

o        Billiard room

o        Pro shop and men’s and women’s locker rooms

·         Fitness center, adult swimming pool, tennis courts scheduled for completion 2005

·         Hiking and biking trails

The course was designed by Scott Pate of Seaside Golf Development.

Real Estate

·         Maintenance-free villas, 1,400-3,200 square feet, priced from $150,000

·         Custom/estate homes, 2,000-plus square feet, $200,000 and up

Hernando Oaks offers Old Florida Charm

When longtime Florida real estate developer Ronald Dunston set out to create his first golf course community, he discovered a special 626-acre tract in the wooded hills of Brooksville. Located in relatively rural Hernando County, Dunston saw great potential in this historical west Central Florida town, because it offered that charming Old Florida feel, yet it was less than 45 minutes from the Tampa Bay area.

The entrance to Hernando Oaks.

After assembling an “A team” of investors, and respected Sunshine State engineers, land planners and land-use attorneys, Dunston’s dream community took shape. And when Hernando Oaks Golf & Country Club opened last summer, Dunston’s team had already pre-sold its first phase of 192 lots to four select builders.

“We’re preparing to launch Phase Two in the next couple months and most of them are sold as well,” says Dunston proudly. 

A Strong Vision
How do you account for this early success? Very simply, it’s about Dunston’s vision of creating a community that offers all the conveniences of modern living with the charming touches of Brooksville as the backdrop.

Rendering of the clubhouse.

Some might call it the best of both worlds. On one hand, there’s Brooksville’s quaint downtown with its old courthouse and antique shops, and at the same time, there’s the convenience of three nearby hospitals and the new Suncoast Parkway that now connects Brooksville to Tampa in less than 45 minutes.

Eventually, Hernando Oaks will complete its “village-concept” community with the development of two pedestrian-friendly town centers that will offer a variety of retail, commercial and professional office space.

The course features TifEagle greens, the newest type of Bermudagrass.

“When it’s completed, we’ll have grocery stores and other things you use on a weekly basis,” says Nancy Thomas, welcome center manager for Hernando Oaks. “We’re also very close to one of the largest private county airports, and one of the few that still has hangar space.”

Powered by All-Natural Gas
One of the unique aspects of Hernando Oaks, which is master-planned for 975 units, is the community is one of the rare all-natural gas communities in the state. According to Thomas, only three percent of Florida communities are all natural gas. “It’s a little more cost effective than electric for heating, hot water and dryers,” Thomas added. 

Windjammer Homes.

Another special aspect of the community is the diversity of residential offerings. For those seeking a more maintenance-free lifestyle, but don’t want to live in a condo, Hernando Oaks offers single and two-story villas that range in size from 1,400 square feet to 3,200.

Interior of a Coachman home.

The units come with nice courtyard and patio-style floor plans and range from $150,000 to more than $400,000.

For those looking for custom or estate-type living, the community offers lots with 2,000-square-foot-plus homes, starting at $200,000. Thomas anticipates that that Phase 2 may offer different lot sizes in the custom and estate sections.

Open Space and Rolling Hills
Open space and the natural lay of the land are two of the prominent features of Hernando Oak’s 18-hole, championship course, which features TifEagle greens, the newest type of Bermudagrass that plays like bentgrass.

Five sets of tees make the course enjoyable for all levels.

Other key features: five sets of tees for the 7,000-yard layout, large undulating and challenging greens and golf carts equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.

The par-72 course was designed and built by Scott Pate of Seaside Golf Development. Among the natural countryside features Pate incorporated into the layout were beautiful grand oak trees and rare, gentle rolling hills for what is typically flat terrain in Florida. 

“If someone were to blindfold you and drop you off here, you wouldn’t think you were in Florida,” Thomas said. 

Another important point of Hernando Oaks living is a vast majority of homesites back up to open space or the golf course--a layout that appears destined for greater things.

Residents can enjoy biking, hiking and nature trails.