Photos of Streamsong Resort's new short course, The Chain, by Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw

STREAMSONG, Fla. - It is always fascinating to see a brand-new course just a little while before it is set to open. There have been no hot-take reviews, no Google Maps aerials to scrutinize pre-round - only a handful of photos teasing what's to come.

Judging by a recent advance look at its new short course, called The Chain, both Streamsong Resort and its guests for the upcoming prime season have much to look forward to.

Designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, who authored the resort's Red course, The Chain represents Streamsong's official entry alongside dozens of clubs and resorts that have added short courses of varying sizes to their golf complements. It is one of the larger examples of the genre, with its 19 holes varying in length from 50 to nearly 300 yards and wandering across a lake- and ravine-streaked plot of 100 acres in front of Streamsong's 216-room Lodge.

The opening loop - we were part of the first group to ever play it - winds counterclockwise through tranquil oak hammock, providing a mild challenge across its six holes. Large, hundred-pound drag-chain links - part of the equipment used to mine the site in the past and the course's namesake - mark the rear and forward ends of each hole's suggested tee areas; the idea is to play match play, with the side that has the honor choosing the starting position.

At the center of the tract lies The Bucket, an enormous, two-acre putting course complex with 36 holes laid around an enormous metal receptacle to which the aforementioned chain links used to be attached.

Like other short courses Coore & Crenshaw have laid out - Bandon Preserve, The Sandbox at Sand Valley and Bougle Run at Barnbougle Dunes - The Chain provided an opportunity for them and shapers like Jimmy Craig and Keith Rhebb to explore novel and adventurous approaches to contours and hole concepts in contrast to those that might featue on a "big" course. One example is the 147-yard 6th, whose green has a bunker smack in the middle, with a false front and contours meant to enable golfers to putt around the tiny pit if necessary. As ever, though, Coore & Crenshaw put the terrain first, and all of the holes at The Chain look completely at home within the landscape.

Once golfers leave the embrace and shade of The Chain's opening act, they are exposed to the bulk of the unique site: sandy scrub and bushes, ravines, oblong lakes and 13 holes that turn the intrigue up a notch. Though still finishing growing in and not yet playable, there are plenty of set-piece shots to look forward to here, highlighted by the 189-yard 11th, whose punchbowl green is among the most audacious complexes associated with any Coore & Crenshaw build. All carry across a lake, it's a hole where golfers will want to linger after holing out in order to watch the approach shots of the groups behind them ride the contours of the bowl.

Two 200-plus yard holes point to another interesting aspect of The Chain: rejection of par. Because match play is the house game, the responsibility of the golfer to figure out how to get from tee to cup as efficiently as possible is paramount. The 293-yard 8th could potentially be reached in one mighty driver blow, but someone who navigates the narrow corridor in which it sits with an iron and a wedge might be the one to make a 3. Even though the concepts of angles and multiple shot options are most often associated with longer holes, the fact that they exist on a short course like The Chain is a testament to Coore & Crenshaw's inventiveness and wholehearted embrace of fun in golf.

The Chain is set to open around December 1, 2023. It is a walking-only golf course allowing groups as large as sixsomes, accessible only to overnight guests of Streamsong Resort, with green fees expected to top out at $129.