Day 2 of the FL trip, played the red first, 4:45 walking with a caddy, hot day. That Florida sun is different... searing. Humid, but not air heavy humid, just sweat beading humidity in FL heat. Th... Continue »

Day 2 of the FL trip, played the red first, 4:45 walking with a caddy, hot day. That Florida sun is different... searing. Humid, but not air heavy humid, just sweat beading humidity in FL heat. There were periods of time I had a hard time keeping my hands dry due to my fingers getting sweaty. Red is considered the Drivers course. Tough off the tee, keeping the drive straight, avoiding hazards, and forced carries, visually deceptive. Greens very firm. True, a fast 10 to fast 12, depending on the grain. Very grainy greens. Overall a visually pleasing property, fabulous courses on par with Bandon and Straits.. though not quite their caliber. Hotel and everything was amazing. I hear they are building a 4th course. They certainly have enough land, as it's literally in the middle of nowhere. Wildlife everywhere, including huge gators sunning. They built a 19 hole par 3 which was fun. And they have 2 18 hole putting greens, punchbowl style. I guess this is the trend with all of the resorts. I predict that in 10 years, they will have a Bandon problem, impossible to book a trip. Had a great time.

A couple months delayed, but wanted to get a review in for the Red course at Streamsong. Quick recap of the property, the red and blue share a club house & range & the new Black course is about a 7 mi... Continue »

A couple months delayed, but wanted to get a review in for the Red course at Streamsong. Quick recap of the property, the red and blue share a club house & range & the new Black course is about a 7 minute drive from here. The property is outstanding and like I mentioned in my other reviews, could be one of the coolest golf properties I've ever been to.

The red is considered by most as the best course on the property, although that is certainly up for debate. The Opener is fairly difficult long 4 and followed by a great elevated tee shot and extremely gettable par 5. Probably the best opening stretch on the property. The red is meticulously routed around the perimeter of the Blue course & has some great holes and greens complexes. The course conditions were excellent for July and greens rolled solid, although not as good as Black and Blue. Something to note for Summer visitors. They will always be verticutting one of the courses every 2 weeks all summer long. This is to keep them firm and fast even in the summer heat/humidity. When I visited, Red was most recently verticut and had the slowest greens of the 3 but that being said, they still ran medium speed and fairy true, just not pure like the other 2 courses were.

I think this property is overlooked when compared to Bandons/Pinhursts/Sand Valleys of the US. It is every bit as strong as any of the places I just mentioned and is a bucket list destination.

Day two at Streamsong today and we played the Red course from the black tees in an abbreviated session thanks to a lightning and thunder storm that rolled through and produced a decent sized squall wh... Continue »

Day two at Streamsong today and we played the Red course from the black tees in an abbreviated session thanks to a lightning and thunder storm that rolled through and produced a decent sized squall when we had just tee'd off on the 5th hole. This track was designed by Coore and Crenshaw and, after having played their incredibly tough design at Colorado Golf Club, I knew it was going to be a difficult test in every sense. After almost two hours of waiting out the passing weather, we got back on with our caddies and proceeded to finish the Red course in quick fashion, moving fast and joining our other group in front of us to get in ahead of the darkness. Conditions on the Red course very similar of course to yesterday's Blue course (see review), however there was a lot more maintenance going on throughout the round today which made it feel a bit less exceptional (totally nitpicking here - admitted). In terms of layout, it's hard not to say that the Red course is a bit harder than the Blue course - much more target golf with a lot more water that comes into play. There are fewer open fairways to simply bomb away at, and you must be very strategic off the tee to get an easy second shot approach. The uphill factor on holes like the par 5 13th and the par 4 15th is truly out of touch with what one expects in 'flat' Florida. You can hit a bomb of a drive and then the caddie hands you your 3 wood. Fun. Condition wise, again, in excellent shape all around. This is a premium resort - no doubt about that. However, today's rains made the greens a little slower overall, and a little less roll on the fairways. But still, phenomenal shape in all facets, however there were a few more 'repaired' patches on the fairways, and the sand was a bit heavier after the powerful rains. Returning to the Blue course tomorrow before heading across the state to the St Augustine area and playing one of those courses (sadly not TPC Sawgrass as there's no way I'm paying over $400 for that just to get beat up!). I will post pictures from both courses when I return to LA but the shots from this day on the Red will likely be less flattering as they will all have ominous skies putting a damper on the beauty of this landscape. But again, if you can EVER make the trip, do it. It's exceptional.