[Alex Miller]

Thoughts on the tree on the left? From the pictures it just appears to be there to frame the tee shot...are framing trees ever a good thing?

Love the look of this bunkerless green and this seems like the perfect way to change it up from the last hole!

[John_Cullum]

Why cut down a perfectly happy tree. It's hardly a dominant feature of the hole

[Joe Bausch]

Why cut down a perfectly happy tree. It's hardly a dominant feature of the hole

And it gets you to avoid that side, where the better line is farther right than it 'feels' on the tee.

[Joe Bausch]

#11.  Par 4.





Choose left or right here again.  After two plays I'm not certain which is better.

Tee view:



If you stay to the right, the approach shot view:



From long and left of the green:

[Alex Miller]

Why cut down a perfectly happy tree. It's hardly a dominant feature of the hole

And it gets you to avoid that side, where the better line is farther right than it 'feels' on the tee.

Ok, just curious.  

[Jeb Bearer]

Seems like right would leave an easier approach with that greenside bunker. Does the green slope hard left? Or is there some other incentive to staying left? Is it just the sight of the flag over there?

[Greg Tallman]

The "sandpile" right of the 7th green is one of the best and most practical architectural features I have seen on a modern course.  Love it. Love it. Love it.

Why isn't is used more often?

Bogey

Paul incporporated something similar a couple/few times at Diamante, below is the par 3 second



And just short of the quasi-driveable 4th

[Mike Sweeney]

I thought the 11th was also a very good hole where the drive reminds you of the Bottle hole at National. I would typically take the high safe road on a hole like this and Kyle talked me into the low road and I hit a great iron in with a missed birdie opportunity. The low road was clearly shorter and I had a 7 or 8 iron in.

I would leave the tree.

[Joe Bausch]

#12.  Par 4.





Lots of hole at SS are just "big".  Here's another.

Tee view:



Many will have a long second shot in:



And perhaps trying to get up and down like from here short of the green:



From over the green which shows some wonderful greenside bunkering, and one of my favorite landforms at SS, that steep drop-off in the fairway:

[Bill_McBride]

I'm looking forward to seeing the Red.  One thing I like is the way so many of the greens seem to be extensions of the fairway, just mowed tighter and a different grass.  12 looks like a good example. 

[Tom_Doak]

I'm off at 8:30 tomorrow a.m. on the Red.  Hope I hit as good a drive tomorrow morning as I did for the opening ceremony today.

My draw for the first two rounds of the Renaissance Cup:

8:30  Tom Doak and Fred Muller v. Noel Freeman and Mike Policano

The winners will play the winner of the 8:40 tee time:

8:40  Ran Morrissett and Ted Sturges v. George Peper and David Fay

I'm sure you will hear all about this result tomorrow night at this time (or maybe a bit later).

[Mac Plumart]

Is Mike playing hickory?

[Joe Bausch]

#13.  Par 5.





Could this loosely be viewed as C&C's Alps-inspired hole?  There is a large dune short of the green that must be navigated, but you have choices, believe it or not.

Tee view (large dune in the center of the picture much blocking any view of the green from the tee) where a large centerline bunker must be addressed, your better players I think taking the right side:



I mishit a drive and was left with the following view, but my caddy suggested laying up way left which can leave a view of the flag left of the dune:



I executed this perfectly leaving a 9 iron in with a glimpse of the top of the flag:



My partner hit a good drive and nearly got home in two, leaving this view from short and right of the green where there is much room:



View from the back edge of the green with said dune nicely on display (and how you can see around it):



Finally, a pic from day 1 that shows the green contours nicely:

[Joe Bausch]

#14.  Par 3.





Day 1 pics.

The view from this tee might be my favorite on the complex, where you get a glimpse of what appears to be a very intimidating next hole in the distance.

Back tee view:



Middle tee view:



From short of the green:



From the back of the green:



Looking back at the green from the back of the next tee, I enjoy the look of this bunker bleeding into the terrain:

[Mark Saltzman]

I think 14R is one of the most difficult holes at Streamsong.  The hole plays into the wind and from the back tee a little uphill.  There is a false-front to runs 10 yards into the green and if found will bleed balls back to the front-right corner of the green leaving a difficult two-putt.  The green is slightly angled to the tee (especially from the middle tees) and with no rough buffer between green and the bunkers, a very precise shot is required to stay on the putting surface.  And you would never know it from the tee, but long is probably an X.  That being said, I've played the hole in 5 total strokes after two plays 

[Mike Policano]

Mac,

I left the hickories in the car for the first day. Noel and I thought we were scheduled to play Tom the architect.  Instead Tom the golfer showed up, birdied two of the first six and played like he designed the Red. And he did it while explaining everything that was going on. Fun time.

Then we had to play with that Ran guy. The one from Downton Abbey.

I played the hickories on day two. You should definitely bring your fire sticks. The courses play firm and fast. You can run the ball up most of the holes with the exception of the par 3's - 7 on the Blue and 6, 14, 16 on the Red.

On the Blue I played a mix of black, silver and gold tees. On the Red I played more Silver and Gold than Black tees due to some of the carries off tees. On both courses the gold tees are excellent for hickories.

Cheers

[Joe Bausch]

#15.  Par 4.  The No. 1 stroke hole.





I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves on this beauty.   

Tee view:



That fairway bunker left:



From the right part of the fairway, you'll have a blind approach:



Looking back down that fairway bunker:



The closer to the left part of the fairway the better, I think, as the green funnels shots to the left:



From short of the green (this is where many will be happy to be for their 3rd shot on another par 4.5):



From the back of the green where it falls off on the left:

[Mark McKeever]

Joe, at 474 from the back tees, is hole 15 as uphill as it looks??  I do love the look of that green...sort of has a saddle look to it.



Mark

[Jason Topp]

I presume the course uses bermuda grass of some variety.  How sticky is the grass around the greens and does it make use of the ground impractical? 

[Joe Bausch]

Joe, at 474 from the back tees, is hole 15 as uphill as it looks??  I do love the look of that green...sort of has a saddle look to it.

It is uphill, but not extreme, and it is a fairly gradual climb.

[Joe Bausch]

I presume the course uses bermuda grass of some variety.  How sticky is the grass around the greens and does it make use of the ground impractical? 

419 Bermuda everywhere except the greens (mini Verde).

Ground game is very accessible.  I love it.  How's this grab ya':  on the Blue course Kyle and I made consecutive birdies on the par 3 5th and par 4 6th (he the 5th, me the 6th) both with 2 putts each. 

[Bill_McBride]

I presume the course uses bermuda grass of some variety.  How sticky is the grass around the greens and does it make use of the ground impractical? 

419 Bermuda everywhere except the greens (mini Verde).

Ground game is very accessible.  I love it.  How's this grab ya':  on the Blue course Kyle and I made consecutive birdies on the par 3 5th and par 4 6th (he the 5th, me the 6th) both with 2 putts each. 

Kyle putted from the 5th tee?  I gotta see this!

Dormant 419 is a wonderful playing surface, not as good in the heat of summer.

[Pete Buczkowski]

It does play really well for the ground game, but there are some minor differences that make it play different than links turf.  First, the greens are quite a bit faster than the green surrounds.  I'm guessing, but the greens stimp around 10-11, while the fairway might be 6-7.  Also, the first bounce does take more off the speed than regular links turf.  That makes Kyle's putt from 5 tee all the more impressive!

[Cory Lewis]

Kyle putted from the 5th tee?  I gotta see this!

Kyle would putt from the tee of every par 3 if he could get away with it

BTW-When I first saw 15, I started referring to it as "the Sand Hills Hole"  It was the hole on the property that most reminded me of SH.  That belief was confirmed by my wife when she said the same thing when she saw it.

[Mike Viscusi]

Does the Red become a bit of a slog by the end of the round?  From the tips there are four Par 4's that play 474 yards or longer.  Add in the four Par 5's and that just seems like a lot of really long holes for one round.

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