Ben, how was it?
I was able to get out to Streamsong on Friday for 36 holes. The weather was seasonably warm with little wind in the AM and about 15 mph in the PM round. The wind was coming out the of E/SE.
The course is exactly an hour drive from downtown Tampa. The experience upon checking in was very positive. We started on the Red (6584 tees) course. The first hole is big boy golf right out of the gate. Virtually a three shotter if you don't carry the ball 250. A true 1/2 par hole. Moving to the second, you have an opportunity to get back a dropped shot immediately. If you can navigate the forced carry, you are left with a straightforward second to the par 5. That is one of my favorite things about both courses, an opportunity to make birdies. Certainly, there are number of ball busting par 4's, but one can seemingly make up for a bogey or worse in no time. FUN. I also love holes 7 and 9 on the front. Holes 10-12 are all strong par 4's. Probably the toughest 3 hole stretch on the property. The biarritz par 3 16th is something else. A massive dune on the right of the green will have many players hitting their second from a large swale to left of the green. TONS of options are available from there. The 18th is a closing par 5 that is very
gettable to a better player.
We headed out to the Blue (after a ridiculously long lunch, more on that in a bit) for the PM round (6698 tees). The first hole has been much discussed and the teeing ground certainly is interesting. I loved it. However, if Doak's sole intent was to keep guys from attempting to the drive the green and slowing up play, it failed. The green was easily reachable based on the wind condition. A relatively safe play with a hybrid left a blind second. Moving into our second round it was evident that there was much more width off the tee than the Red. Again, the short par 4's were really strong, particularly the 6th. I really liked the blind tee shot on 11 and the ability to get the ball close on the second with a running shot. The 12th presents a number of options off the tee and a world class green. My least favorite hole on this side was the 13th. There is just too much trouble to hit driver, which resulted in a 7 iron off the tee. 16-18 offered a stout finish. On the last, I hit a strong, running drive and was still left with 220 as the wind had picked up. My playing partners viewed the hole as a par 5. A bear of a hole if you are not downwind.
Positives:
The golf is a blast. Truly unique to the FL market.
The closely mown transitions are very cool. A ton of elasticity is available.
The caddie program appears strong. Doug Wilbur worked with us for both rounds. He was excellent (thanks for the rec FS).
The clubhouse architecture really works in the setting.
It's pretty tough to lose a golf ball on the Blue.
Nitpicking:
The food/beverage program at this point is struggling. No sense of urgency (getting guys out for a 2nd round) whatsoever. I understand that the resort hasn't held it's official opening yet, but if you are charging rack rate, provide rack rate service. I hate to say, I don't see it getting much better as the two managers I saw on duty didn't seem to
get it. There seemed to be a lot of grain on the greens. I wonder how intensive the verticutting/topdressing program can be on a resort course that garners play 7 days a week?
While the fairway turf is firm, the ground game around the greens presents a challenge. Was 419 the correct turf call?
The reservation/tee time system is too laborious.
Extreme nitpicking:
The shuttle to and from the range is going to be a mess. While I love the natural look of no cart path/cement, it's a dusty, sandy, wood chip mess that would remedied by a permanent path.
This is going to be an issue for the entire property as we move into the warm months and heavy cart traffic.
Each hole location was cut very poorly. There were pools of sand by each cup. Our caddie made a few comments. Additionally, the cups had the
shrinking effect as the day went on due to grain growth. Again, not an issue for some, but if I'm paying rack rate, I expect some care to be taken on course set up.
I'm extremely interested to see the pricing structure come June. The current rates are cost prohibitive to a large majority of anyone who lives within 45 miles of the property. Anyone who is looking to make a Bandon comparison needs to spend bit of time in the central FL market.
In closing, I loved the golf course and the experience. I value the fact that such a fine piece of property is an hour drive from my front door. I look forward to many rounds at Streamsong and sharing the day with friends. I hope that they can make it accessible to anyone who wants to see what it is all about.