Streamsong Red (Streamsong, Fl; C&C): all holes up (photos really tuned up!)

[Bill Brightly]

Joe,

Thanks for bumping this thread; your photos are excellent, as always. I think it is perfect timing as a second GCA outing has been planned for March, 2014.

Having just listened to Bill Coore's interview on The Golf Channel, I keep thinking about his comment that par is not important to him when routing a course, that he wants to use the most interesting features on the site and build good golf holes. I agree that he did this at Streamsong. The Red is chock full of stunning golf holes.

But having played the course three times in March of 2013, I found our group (ranging from 1 to 12 handicaps) gravitating to our own version of a composite course. For example, we liked the 18th from the back tees, but found it far too easy from the middle tees. But the first hole was far too hard from the back. At 504 yards, we found the 12th to be a beast from either the back tees or one tee forward, so moved up one more. My point is that making one tee selection before teeing off was difficult.

Is this a weakness in design? Or was my group making too big a deal about Par? What does the group think? What will the GCA guys who play it in March think?

[Rick Shefchik]

Bill, many courses and players are starting to use composite tees, and I see no reason (other than posting scores for handicap purposes and trying to figure out composite rating and slope) why this shouldn't be done at Streamsong or anyplace else. Golf is a lot more fun than we allow ourselves to make it sometimes.

[Steven Blake]

I know someone mentioned that the 16th reminds them of the 17th at Whistling Straits but the 16th at the red course reminds me more of the 9th at Yale.  Just me I haven't played the course but it just jumped out at me like it look similar to the 9th at Yale. For those who have played the red course ... does the 16th play like a Biarritz? Just curious.

Steve Blake

[Josh Tarble]

Steve,
The 16th may be the hardest par 3 I've ever played.  It takes a very precise shot.  But yes, if you hit it right, it is possible to land it on the front and roll a ball through the swale.  I'm not unconvinced that it's the best way to play the hole.

[Joe Bausch]

I took the time to re-do the picture URL's so they all show now (my school server changed and I had to edit each and every link, ugh!).

I was recently back at Streamsong and played the Red course again.  Here is a link to the photos from that day, some of which are very good IMHO:

http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/albums/StreamsongRed/

[Joe Bausch]

I just really tuned up this thread.  It is much better now.