[Joe Bausch]

I played Streamsong Red twice on consecutive days earlier this month.  First day in the morning where it started drizzly and gray, then in the afternoon the next day where it was a high, sunny sky.  I'm selecting the photos to use of the photo tour now.  But it will start soon.

(So this is fair warning for those that don't want to view lots of photos, then don't click on this thread once the subject says the tour has formally started!)

Here is the routing of this Coore and Crenshaw course from an April, 2012 Google Earth aerial where you can see both courses are rather far along in construction, but not yet complete:



All figures and images are clickable to get a larger size.

Stay tuned for a real nice tour, IMO!

[Mark Saltzman]

Thanks, Joe! Now that a bunch of us have played it there should be some good discussion.

[Jud_T]

 

[Joel_Stewart]

I talked with someone yesterday that said 10-13 are tough.  He's pretty long and was hitting 3 irons and in one case a 3 wood into the par 4's. 

[Mark Saltzman]

I talked with someone yesterday that said 10-13 are tough.  He's pretty long and was hitting 3 irons and in one case a 3 wood into the par 4's.  

Joel, they're brutal (though 13 is a mid-length par-5). Really the tough stretch starts from 10 and there is little reprieve other than 13 until the final two holes.

I am very curious to hear how others feel about this stretch.

[Mike Hendren]

Cold and rainy here in Nashvegas today.  Come on Bausch, get on the stick!

[Joe Bausch]

Beginning of the term Bogey so I'm distracted... 

Maybe this will hold you and others for a little while longer. 

#1.  Par 4.



Photos of the opening toughie soon!

[Mark Saltzman]

[Joe Bausch]

Ok, here we go.  I'm presenting first the morning round pics, then any extras from the more sunny afternoon round the following day.

I pretty much played the tees one up from the tips.

#1.  Par 4.





As others have said, this is no pushover starter!  The fairway is much wider than it appears, and I pulled my opening tee shot over the hill left thinking I'm dead, but it was in the fairway. 

Tee view:



Many will have a long approach running gently uphill to the green.  I find SSong Red to have some par 4's like this, which for me is more like a par 4.5, while some of the par 5s could almost be par 4.5s.



I played it as a three shot hole as it was cool and drizzly, leaving a 3rd shot approach as follows:



The green is over 40 yards deep, this view from the back of the green:



I really like the opener, an 'easy 5' but par is possible (I got up and down, grin). 

Pics from the following afternoon round and high skies:









Let the discussion begin!

[Mac Plumart]

I loved the first hole.  Difficult due to length and the uphill nature of the hole, but it was stunningly beautiful in that weird naturlism meets reclaimed mining site kind of way.  Surreal, frankly.  And the fairway is very wide and forgiving.

[Kyle Harris]

Joe's last photo shows good visual evidence of the winds encountered at Streamsong. The sand in the collar was placed there by a strong south wind.

[Frank Sullivan]

#1 is a visually beautiful opener.  The first time you play, the tee shot can be a bit intimidating, but as others have said, there is plenty of fairway.  Depending on the wind direction, a drive over the right fairway bunker gives you the best angle into the green and ends up in a less uphill stance as opposed to the center of the fairway.

My only criticism is that it can be a brutally long opener for the average golfer.  I'm a 12-ish handicap, and in 3 rounds I have yet to hit the green in 2 shots.  In 2 of the 3 rounds, I hit Driver, 3 Hybrid, and a 56 degree wedge.  Conversely, the Blue opens with a wide open short to mid length Par 4.  I would guess that most golfers will walk off #1 Red with at least a five.

[Tom_Doak]

I never really knew how long this hole was when we were doing the routing work ... to get to the fairway you had to go all the way around by the clubhouse, because there was no bridge across the pond just in front of the tee.  I thought it was a 420-yard hole.

At one point in construction, before the bunkers were built on the approach, the approach reminded me of the first hole at Portrush ... it looked like they were just going to have one huge, deep bunker at the left front of the green.  I guess Bill decided the hole was too long for that, but it's a bit of a bummer for me now in comparison.

Mark:  Where's your picture taken from?  Blue 1st tee, or Red 7th?

[Mark Saltzman]

Tom, Blue 1. Decent view from there.

[Zack Molnar]

Kyle,

Does that mean that #1 plays predominately into the breeze? Or are you just saying that the winds can be significant?

[Mark Saltzman]

Very difficult way to start the day and both times I played the hole I got the feeling that it was designed to play downwind (it didn't either time). 

As visually appealing as the hole is, I don't find it very compelling as a three shot hole.

[Mike Sweeney]

Joe's last photo shows good visual evidence of the winds encountered at Streamsong. The sand in the collar was placed there by a strong south wind.

and it is visual evidence of the value of the "No Rough" theory:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,54441.0.html

[Bryan Izatt]

When I was there a couple of days ago, I took one look at the Red #1 and decided that I was happy that I was playing the Blue course.  It would be a 3 shot hole for me regardless of which tees I was playing (excepting the forward tee) and it looks really intimidating off the tee. It is long, uphill and into a slight breeze on the day I was there. What happened to easing into the round on the first hole as a design concept? 

Here's a link to a short (relatively low quality) video I took from Blue #1 tee that pans from the clubhouse over Red #1 and over to Blue #1.

http://s234.photobucket.com/albums/ee260/350dtm/Streamsong%20Blue%2001-2013/?action=view&current=MVI_2923.mp4

[Joe Bausch]

While in the fairway landing area on #1, you look to your left across some water with turtles sun-bathing and you see a hole... could it be the 2nd?



Turns out it is...

#2. Par 5 (555 yards).

So you thought after that long uphill par 4 first you'd get a break on the 2nd... nope, the No. 2 stroke hole although I'm not so certain it warrants that low a number, except maybe from the back tee.





Back tee view, where some will pucker here but there is plenty of fairway:



If you are playing the correct tees and it isn't playing into the wind, I think some players will and can reach this in two, the biggest obstacle avoiding that bunker short of the green:



A slightly elevated view of this ginormous green:

[Bill_McBride]

Is the driving range handy to the first tees?  I hope so, Red 1 and 2 look like a 30 min warm up will be in order!

[Frank Sullivan]

Is the driving range handy to the first tees?  I hope so, Red 1 and 2 look like a 30 min warm up will be in order!

Hey Bill,

No, the range is on the other side of the clubhouse from Red and Blue #1 tees.  Probably a 3 minute walk, but they have a shuttle that will pick you up at the range.  I should add that everyone on staff that I have interacted with has been extremely welcoming.  When they drop you off at the range, they ask you when you would like to be picked up.  Next time I head to Streamsong, I'm going to get there a bit earlier...I'd like to spend some quality time on the enormous putting/chipping green adjacent to the range.  It really give you an opportunity to practice the types of shots you will encounter out on the courses, especially the Blue.  I actually like the practice facility being located away from the courses (closest hole is 18 Red).

[Joe Bausch]

#3.  Par 4 (404 yards).



Note:  the green contour figure I think is not showing that the green runs a bit away.



Nifty view off the tee, where there is some room right you can't see but there are bunkers over there:



Do not feed or molest the alligators!  I think this one saw my swing off the tee.



Approach view with one pesky bunker short, with the land allowing shots to tumble in from the left:



View from short of that bunker:



From just long and left of the narrow green:



Hole 4 in the morning!

[Frank Sullivan]

I'd be interested in Kyle and Tom's thoughts on this, but to me, #3 tee shot is the most visually intimidating on the Red course.  It begs you to hit a fade around the corner which, if executed correctly, catches sort of a speed slot due to the movement of the fairway.  Mark Saltzman hit that speed slot and had a short iron/wedge into the green.  Another element that makes the tee shot demanding is there is zero room right of the fairway, so the safe play is out to the left side of the fairway which can make the hole play medium to long.  The bunker just short and left of the green has a substantial mound on the back that will kick the ball to the back of the green if you try to bump one in short and left.  I found this green difficult to hold, but I was coming in with a 5 iron:)

[Mark Saltzman]

...

[Mac Plumart]

I enjoyed holes 2 and 3 as well. 

The water on 2 is a diagonal hazard and is only as intimidating as you want it to be, depending on how much you choose to bit off.  I really love diagonal hazards, by the way.  And I liked this hole.

Like Frank said, I think 3 is damn intimidating off the tee.  Really cool on the approach.  Certainly a hole I anxious to play again.

Like I mentioned regarding the first hole, this course has a great deal of beauty to it.  And holes 2 and 3 continue that beautiful feel, IMO.

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