Streamsong Resort

Amazing golf course to play and even more beautiful to just look at. I've never played Florida golf like this.

Our caddy was knowledgable and friendly and we would have had a tough time reading the greens without him.

The resort promotes walking and their philosophy is "Although carts are available, we believe that the limited visibility, noise and distractions of riding in a cart are all factors that contribute to an inferior golfing experience."

The only thing that ruined an otherwise perfect buddy trip were the marshals rushing us along to keep up with the group of carts in front and behind us.

Five stars across the board if we were allowed to walk at a normal pace.

The course design and conditions were amazing. Some some people will gripe about the crazy greens but I liked them a lot. Very unique and not something most of us play every weekend.

Streamsong advertises itself as a walkers course but we were squeezed between two groups of carts and the marshal kept rushing us along.

Ruined an otherwise amazing golf trip.

Five stars across the board if you make the carts slow down and cater to walkers like advertised.

Golf's small-c conservatism can be a hindrance. Of the thousands of golf courses that exist, very few truly prod at the edges of the art form. Streamsong Black is one of them, and as a result it is one of the most fascinating golf courses anywhere.

Gil Hanse and his "Cavemen" used the Black as a platform to challenge a golfer's notions about putting - about what constitutes a green, and what sort of importance ones putting should have on one's performance in a round. When you play this course, you'll be asked to do more with your putter than at practically any American course. The slopes on and around the greens have caused many golfers to curse and spit, but I think the place is an absolute joy. With its vast, firm fairways, you'll be glad for the opportunity to air out your driver in order to approach the sensational greens with as short a club as possible. Then, the real fun begins.

Second time playing Blue. It's a beautiful resort and set up out there at Streamsong, but I was not that thrilled with the course this time around. It's a nice course, but certainly not worth the $200 you are spending now with a caddy. Some greens have some sort of growth/disease on them so the putts start getting a little bumpy in some spots. It's a cool course, but for the $ you are better served playing a Ritz course somewhere. Went with 3 buddies who had not played any of the courses out there and they were all a bit underwhelmed. Wish I would have put us on black now since Blue is starting to show a little age. We were planning a larger golf buddy trip there for later in the year but will pick a different place now. Overall, for the price/value, it's gotten a little too expensive for what you get.

Had a chance to play Streamsong Black again yesterday and had a blast. The first round you play, you rely heavily on the caddie for sight lines, green reads and virtually everything. The second round had me a lot more comfortable with the blind shots (because there's a lot of room out there) and even more encouraged to take advantages of the wild green contours that distinguish the Black from the C&C's Red & Doak's Blue.

We had two weather delays (lighting) throughout our round which is typical of Florida in the summer. The difference is that the clubhouse and attached Bone Valley Tavern are a great place to wait out Mother Nature. In total, the round took us about 7 hours to complete (totally not the fault of the course or staff). I was playing with two friends who hadn't played the course before and even though we were only there for the day and had a long drive back, I would be happy to wait it out again.

I still haven't had a chance to try the short pitch-n-putt course called the "Round About", which looked like a lot of fun. I've tried it before, but this time we didn't have time to play the putting called "The Gauntlet".

All-in-all, the Black Course has taken over as my favorite at Streamsong. The course is fun and won't beat you up, the separate clubhouse and facilities are excellent (though there is no shower) and the overall vibe is one that I prefer.

Looking forward to heading back soon.

The best putter in your foursome will likely favor the Black course while the precision driver will like the Red and the precision iron player will like the Blue.

This is probably Tom Doak’s best design. While Pac Dunes gets a lot of fanfare and is a phenomenal course I think much of the hype around it is driven by ocean views. The Blue Course is a great piece of land but Doak is absolutely on his A game at Blue. Personally, this was my favorite course of them all because Doak gives you plenty of room on the tee and then ratchets up the difficulty on your second shot.

Unlike the Red where your goal is simply to find the fairway off the tee finding the fairway off the Blue is fairly easily done. That said, there is ALWAYS a correct side of the fairway to be on at Blue and which side you want to be on changes day-to-day depending on the pin location.

All of these courses are great but this was my favorite. I hate people that drop all the courses they've ever played but I'd probably rank the elite/new design courses I've played as:

1. Blue

2. Red

3. Pacific Dunes

4. Kiawah Ocean

5. Chambers

The best putter in your foursome will likely favor the Black course while the precision driver will like the Red and the precision iron player will like the Blue.

This course off the tee is an absolute test of someone’s ability to keep the ball in play while hitting all 9 golf shots (draw, straight, fade and then high/normal/low for each). If you find the fairway off the tee then this course becomes much more manageable as Coore and Crenshaw leave a bailout option on every green (or at least near it). Such options do not exist off the tee. Pick a line you can make and then commit and execute off the tee.

This course is a phenomenal blend of architecture with birdie holes followed directly by absolute gut punches in the routing. Further, the back 9 is something like 600-700 yards longer than the front so get your birdies early and then hang on.

Tip: if you aren’t taking a caddie then bring a range finder because bunkers that look in play are easily carryable and those that appear out of reach can easily be found with a driver kicking off a downslope and then funneling into bunkers.

While the Red and the Blue receive rave reviews because they’ve been open longer, the Black course more than holds it own compared to its counterparts. You need to be prepared for absolutely wild greens that require precise iron shots or your ball can easily be ejected off of greens if you don’t appreciate the width and angles components of golf course architecture.

The best putter in your foursome will likely favor the Black course while the precision driver will like the Red and the precision iron player will like the Blue. The first five holes or so I didn’t think the course was that difficult because I was playing to the correct parts of the green and left with flat or slightly uphill putts. The second an iron shot went off line I met the wrath of Gil Hanse and Streamsong Black.

Tip: the practice putting green is the flattest out there and not at all indicative of the course. Go practice putting on the putting course to truly appreciate what you’ll be up against.

The Red Course was the last on the list of our "Streamsong Triple" weekend. It was described to me at the tightest driving course with the least severe greens of the trio. I would agree with all of those notes and would also include that I found it played the most difficult track from the black tees (one up from the back). The Red Course also sports some really difficult par 4 holes, including 6 holes over 400 years, most of which felt like they played uphill and into the wind.

The Red has a tremendous vistas overlooking the property. I haven’t played a lot of Coore & Crenshaw designs in the past, but I’ve read and listened to a lot of podcasts on the subject of golf course architecture. I would say that the Red would be the course that you would want to take the better player or golf architecture fan if you only had one round at Streamsong. The course shares similarities with Tom Doak’s Streamsong Blue in that the round begins in the natural areas including lakes, tall grass and massive dunes (from the phosphate mining) on the front 9 and more meadow-style open back 9.

This was a fitting finish to the our weekend. The course was in excellent shape and along with the Blue and the Black make for an wonderful experience and unlike anything you’ll find in Florida.

I have lived in Florida for some years now and this was the first time that I have been able to get down to the Streamsong Resort, all I have to say is wow.

The resort is tucked away in the middle of no where and from the front entrance to the compound to the clubhouse of the Black course is a good 3 miles.

I have heard great things about the Blue and Red courses but because the Black course was just opened I had to check it out. The course requires you to take a caddy and man do you need it. For the first time player I found it extremely difficult from the back tees due to many blind tee shots and approach shots, so in my opinion the caddy was well worth the fee.

The course layout is great and I did not get bored once on the course, it always kept you on your toes, especially the greens, they were some of the most unique greens I have ever played on, they were quick and they were challenging.

I played from the back tees and those of you who usually do, I warn you that you will have a long day. However the back tee boxes offer great views of the surrounding areas and beautiful scenery.

Other than the sweltering summer heat in Florida I can not wait to go back, the prices are reasonable in the summer months and I highly recommend the resort for a guys golf trip.

Streamsong Blue was the second round of our "Streamsong Triple" weekend. This course was designed by Tom Doak and was part of the original two courses on the property along with the Coore & Crenshaw Red Course.

The Blue starts off outside the Red/Blue clubhouse high atop a bluff that overlooks a vast piece of the property as well as the #7 signature hole. The front side weaves through the water and nature preserve areas and opens up into more of a meadow style back nine.

The course was in very good shape and provided great shot values with beautiful views. Most people ask how each course rates against each other and I would put the Blue Course into the category a course that I would play repeatedly as a member. The course in generous off the with some really interesting greens and I feel like it’s fun along along with variety that you can both walk and ride.

The first of our weekend “Streamsong Triple”, the Black Course is the newest of the three tracks. The Black is set on a different piece of land that the Red and the Blue. The Black is simply a lot of fun. It’s a big golf course with a ton of fun shots. Streamsong required a forecaddie for all courses and you will get your money’s worth at the Black Course because there are a ton of blind or confusing tee shots and layups. The course plays really wide so you can be 100 yards away from your playing partner and still both be in the fairway. The now famous windmill plays as a target marker for a series of shots throughout your round.

There is a ton of variety throughout the round, so much that it’s hard to really hone in on my favorite stretch. The one tip I will give is that you need to favor the left side on #17 (Par 3) and #18 (Par 5) as everything feeds hard right. The caddie should tell you, but if he doesn’t that tip alone will save you at least few shots.

The Black Course has it’s own clubhouse with an 18 hole putting course called The Gauntlet. It’s a lot of fun post round to play a quick round with a beer or two. Take note that as of July 2018, the Black Course does not have showers, so if this is your last round before heading home, you will need to take a shuttle over to the Red/Blue to freshen up.

Of the three courses, this is the course that I would say is the most fun and unique of the three. I would definitely play it again because I'd be a lot smarter now that I've seen it.

Layout was fun really the redeeming quality. Conditions were dissapointing, fairways were thin, greens were slow and had patches throughout all of them. Then there was the service, or lack thereof. From calling in, to checking in, to playing and after, no one have any type of service at all. No communication, no one who would answer a question, and when you finally did get an answer it was different from what the previous person said. Really unbelievable for a resort of this supposed caliber. Go for the layout, but don’t expect much else.

Was expecting a more special experience. The course was not very interesting to play and not picturesque to view. I enjoyed the caddies, but the young ladies that greeted you at the bag drop could not have been less enthusiastic or helpful.

For the cost to play here and how long of a drive to get there, I would rather play Sarasota National at less than half the price.

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.

This was my first round on the Blue since a month before Streamsong opened, and it was great to see the product fully operational and matured.

We caught a great day on the Blue, with about a 2-club wind or so. I also happened to bring a pretty decent swing to the first tee, which made the round even more fun. You can really swing away on some of these holes. I did not however, bring a reliable short game (I'll blame the 5:30 am flight), and the greens really did a number on me. The greens are pure and firm and fast, and there are some runoff areas that can jump up and bite if you're not careful.

That said, I think what I like most about Doak's effort is there is some great flow between really dramatic holes, and some more mellow ones. No. 17 is a par 5 that feels like it goes on forever, and the 18th has a great reveal once you get over the crest of the fairway to your drive. The par-3 7th hole is likely the signature hole of the three courses at Streamsong. It's a wonderful tee shot, even if a playing partner of ours putted it into the hazard.

One interesting note: we wrapped up around 5pm and the restaurant only had their dinner menu, which is by no means casual bar food. It's all pretty high-end. If you want something a little more casual, go to the hotel or the Black clubhouse. ALso, look out for the taco stand at the turn. Nice touch there!

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.

As a native Floridian, I thought that I had had played it all in the Sunshine state. That was true until I made the 1 hour and 45 minute drive from Orlando to Streamsong Resort.

From the moment you drive on to the property, you know you're not at an everyday FL golf course, the landscape, architecture, mounding are unique and set you up for a memorable day on the golf course.

We walked Blue on a 75 degree January day, I can't imagine making the same walk on a 95 degree August day. From the elevated first tee box, you get a preview of what you're in for, rolling hills, plateaus, sand and you're left with curiosity about what is over the next hill or around the next corner. The greens were the fastest I've ever played.

I would highly recommend a trip to Streamsong. Make sure you're ready for a six mile walk, hydrated well and plan to eat tacos when you make the turn at the Taco Shack.

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.