Streamsong Resort - Black Course

Playing the Black course was a nice experience. The property of Streamsong is pretty unique and part of the draw. The Black has a beautiful layout and landscape. It’s a great course to walk and feel the course with your feet. Greens are firm and fast but that’s about all I have to say positive about the greens. The designs of almost all of them are extreme for even a scratch golfer. Many of the greens are runoff areas and the usable green space is extremely small for pin placements. I loved the waste bunker areas and the runoffs from green and fairway straight into the sandy areas. Reminded me of Pinehurst and other Coore Crenshaw layouts in the sand areas of the US. I haven’t played the red or blue but it sounds like they are a little more visually appealing/memorable than the black. Greens fees food and merchandise are extremely expensive. I would feel ok paying $150 for the black course but not $260 which is the same as Whistling Straights. Will be back to play red and blue and eventually the 4th course slated to break ground later this year.

This is no doubt one of the more visually interesting courses you'll ever play. Hanse is out to make a statement on what feels like every hole. And quite a few holes here make the case for Top 5 on property. I particularly loved the par-5 18th hole, and the par-3 5th felt a bit like Florida's take on Portrush's Calamity. It's about as intimidating of a tee shot as you'll play on a par 3.

There are opportunities for birdies here, and I even had a couple make-able eagle putts. That said, I curry favor to the Red and Blue at Streamsong. I think Hanse was really trying to outdo his predecessors, and the result is a ton of sand and quirks, like blind shots and punchbowl greens. You definitely need a reliable caddie your first loop around to have any sort of idea what to do on these holes. I found Red & Blue to be a little more straightforward and comfortable off the tee, which is in my mind more appealing for a resort course.

Really wide open fairways which offset the really large and difficult greens. It really makes for some interesting and fun putts. The options around the greens are almost limitless. Bump & Run with mid-irons, long-irons, hybrids. Chip & flop shots with wedges. Putts from almost 10 yards off the green. All are options and required for this place. Making it for a full arsenal of shots in 18 holes. You will have a great time here. A must play.

A year after being one of the first golf writers to tour Streamsong Black, it was great to tee it up to see how it played first-hand. I loved it.

Having played so many modern courses, I'm kind of numb to wild greens. The criticism that they're over the top might be valid, especially the punchbowl green at no. 9 and the short par 4 at no. 14, but I'm okay with Hanse's overall philosophy. It sounds like the 13th green on the right will be the first to be tweaked.

The fairways extend for days, but I like the features that give the approach shots more definition - the massive waste bunker on no. 5, the deep circular trap on no. 6, the hump fronting the green on no. 8, the blind shot to the windmill on no. 9, the risk-reward pond shot on no. 18. To me, the really cool all-glass-wall clubhouse and Gauntlet putting green give the Black the edge as Streamsong's best overall experience.

I Played the Black Course a week after it opened.

It was a perfect day for golf with a nice breeze.

walking only was allowed. Caddie and I spent the next 4 hours just hitting golf shots to wherever he told me to aim. A lot of shots you don't see land due to the hills. Great place for mid to low handicaps.

Lots of elevation. The staff were all excellent.

The greens are large and undulating. Great place to

spend a few days with your Buds. All three courses are enjoyable.

The Black is quite different than its sister courses. Fairways wide enough to land a 747 on combined with greens that could double as parking lots. As the course advisor says, you’ll hit more fairways and greens than you usually do, but then the fun starts. The greens are the course’s defense with 3 and 4 putts much more common than normal. The punchbowl 9th green has to be seen to be believed. While the course had a year to grow in, the fairways are still a bit thin/tight compared to the other courses.

On the downside, it’s quite a long walk - at least 8 miles, though flatter than Red or Blue. Can lead to very long rounds. It is also not as scenic as the other courses. But it’s an interesting and imaginative change from the original pair of courses - a horse of a different color. Time will tell, but would not see this jumping into the courses ratings at the same lofty perch as the Red and Blue.

What a phenomenal course! The course layout was brilliant, staff was very friendly! Caddy Mike was great. What an absolute joy to play this course, it was definitely worth the wait! Definitely one of my favorites!!

Streamsong Black is unlike anything I have ever seen. The bunkers and waste areas create a very different look. The fairways are wide which makes the course playable, but the greens are extremely challenging. All-in-all a lot of fun. If you go there, ask for Kenny...he is one of the best caddies I have ever played with.

After playing Gil Hanse's new creation, I can say I really liked the new Black course, but I feel the ‘incredibly fun’ narrative does a disservice to the average golfer.

The course is everything you’d expect from a modern Gil Hanse design: big, mostly friendly fairways, and creative landscapes and landforms. It’s also walking-only, either with a caddie or carrying your own bag. I chose the latter and had a caddie in my group who was on his third loop around the course. Regardless of who carries the bag, the course is a hike (more so in 90-degree heat of Florida). Playing the black tees at 6,759 yards was more than plenty golf course for me, to the point where I can’t imagine even scratch players choosing to play the green tees, which stretch to 7,331 yards. The transitions from greens to tees aren’t long but in many places require climbing or descending significant hills.

The overall movement of the land is truly something to behold. But the element of the course that will likely receive the most attention is the green complexes. Originally, they were supposed to have a bit of fringe that was going to be barely longer than the cut of the green, but as the course was growing in Hanse and the superintendent chose to save the mowing hassle. Now, the green and the fringe (of sorts) are the same length. This makes the greens even more gigantic than scripted. You’ll also notice sprinkler heads on the greens, which makes putting over and around them interesting.

Old Macdonald at Bandon Dunes usually lays claim to having the largest average green size in North America. However, the greens on the Black course are on HGH (Hanse Growth Hormone). There are greens on the Black course that make greens on Old Mac look like a postage stamp. Not to mention they are wildly undulating.

Overall, the course is great. But at least know what you're getting into before you get overly excited about 4-putting all day.

Different from the other two golf courses in scope and design, but consistent with the use of the unique topography at this former phosphate mining site between Orlando and Tampa, the new Black Course at Streamsong Resort is a perfect complement to the golf already there and it already has its own identity. Designed by Gil Hanse, who also did the Olympic Course in Brazil as well as several other excellent designs as of late, the Black gives Streamsong a trio of courses designed by the some of most respected teams in the modern era. The other two courses are designed by Tom Doak (this one, the Blue, is more links-like than the other two) and Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore (Red). Hanse and his partner Jim Wagner have created a layout that is all their own with the Black. With 11 acres of greens that run seamlessly into the fairways and large bunkers, the course can be played just about any way you want, on the ground, in the air, or a combination of both since the greens are large and undulating, but also receptive. There are drivable par 4s, a cool, short par 3 and four par 5s that are all very different from each other. The new course also comes with its own clubhouse, which fits into the overall contemporary design of the resort. All-in-all, the Black is worth another trip out to Streamsong, and if you've never been here before, you'll want to play all three.