Resort wise, my top four, in order, are Bandon Dunes, Pinehurst, Pebble Beach and Hilton Head. They are all great. I have hope that Streamsong could quickly slide into the fifth position, given the anticipated quality of the architecture, the Florida weather, the ease of travel and the anticipated amenities of the resort. That's pretty amazing when you think about it, because there are a lot of other resorts in America that I've frequented that I really enjoy, like Innisbrook, Sawgrass, LaCosta, Boca Raton.
To me, there are pluses and minuses at every resort. The golf, in my opinion, is simply unparalleled at Bandon Dunes. But, there's precious little else to do on property and the lure of the town is not that great. The food is good, but not great. And, not for nothing, it is somewhat arduous to get to Bandon for most people, amounting to a day travel each way without golf arriving or departing. Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill are awesome golf courses, but Spanish Bay is several notches below, at best. The Lodge is just great, but there's an attitude of superiority at Pebble that gets a little tiresome as a guest, as does the ridiculous pricing structure. But it's Pebble Fricking Beach, with its majestic views and terrific institutional history and Carmel is about as good as it gets, with Big Sur not that far away. Pinehurst, to me, is really special. The town is great, the variety and quality of golf on the resort is waaaaay above average and #2 is a national treasure. Hilton Head has a bunch of great golf (public and private), terrific restaurants and isn't that hard to get to.
Streamsong has a lot of potential. It's a little remote, but not that bad. The quality of the architecture is going to be top drawer. To think that it could vault into the top five resorts in America is bold, but not out of the question. And that's a pretty cool thing.