Streamsong knocks it out of the Ballpark!

[archie_struthers]

 

$12 dogs are ridiculous , I don't care where it is!

[Joe Hancock]

$12 dogs are ridiculous , I don't care where it is!

I was going to say the same about pin sheets.....

[Ben Kodadek]

Pete, like you I've had about 10 rounds at SS due to the fact I live in Tampa.  The last number of posts reflect that a pin sheet would be preferred. Based on a couple conversations I've had with people in the know, this won't happen.  What definitely won't occur is the pin "segment" chart.  I hate this procedure as well. On the odd chance you play a course on "Day 4" you see the same hole locations as your previous round.  It sucks.  I'm an advocate a daily USGA pin sheet with distances as +/- from center and left or right.  It wouldn't undermine the caddy experience either.  

I've played SS with every possible caddy option.  4 guys, each their own looper, 2 caddies a couple guys on carts, 4 guys on a cart with one forecaddie, 4 guys walking on their own and 4 walkers with one forecaddie.  On Sunday I noticed a double bagger for the first time.  I was a bit surprised by this and he could not keep up with me, carrying my own bag.  I really hope this was an anomaly as it's a terrible disservice to the golfer who is new to the caddy experience.  

[Howard Riefs]

$12 dogs are ridiculous , I don't care where it is!

Never fear. They're "only" $8 now!!!

[Daryl David]

$12 dogs are ridiculous , I don't care where it is!

Never fear. They're "only" $8 now!!!

The current $8 hot dog is not the same as the previous $12 dog.  I was a bit disappointed as I thought the original I saw pictured on GCA looked pretty good if you ignored the price.  The new dog is smaller and comes without some extras.  Perhaps this new version is is still priced the same when calculated by cents per ounce.     Given the prices of other items on the menu (prices akin to the $12 dog), I doubt they just sucked it up and took a 30% price decline on that one item.  I assume the margin is the same as the old dog.

Judging from the price points of clubhouse grub, I think the eventual tabs at the hotel will not be in the central Florida ballpark. I suspect there will be a few road trips at night to Lakeland for BBQ.  

[Bryan Izatt]

Jerry,

SS could solve that very simply: Make a forecaddy mandatory with all groups whether golfers ride, pull or carry their own.

Well, that would certainly discourage part of their demographic (including me) who don't want/like the service and/or the extra cost.  They could go like TPC Sawgrass and include the forecaddie (not including tip) in the green fee - charge $250 rather than $175, for instance.  I guess there is a demographic that would like that, although that demographic doesn't include me.

Was the caddie issue a problem at the SS gathering last March?  How did you handle it?  Or was everybody of the same mind?

The pin sheet would be nice to have but pales beside the green fee and the caddie approach as an issue.

[Bill Brightly]

I went to SS with 11 guys from my club up North the day the gca guys were leaving.  We are used to paying those caddy fees. Aside from the service issues that need to be worked out, the golfing experience is first class, especially considering we played there in the middle of the winter. I'd say you're getting golf as good as any private club in Florida...without having to pay those ridiculous dues.

I understand how many will feel that the greens fee and caddy drives up the cost, but if SS can fill their tee sheet with snow birds like me, their model is working.

[Bryan Izatt]

The golfing experience for me is to play the courses and have fun and be challenged.  The bag drops, shuttles, driving range, caddies, bottled water, clubhouse, restaurants, dormie rooms, etc don't add to my golfing experience.  They detract something from it.  And they add substantial cost.  I appreciate that there are lots of people who like all of those things and have the bucks to pay for it.  I guess I'm lamenting that the "business model" of SS is such that they are not appealing to players/guests like me, but are rather appealing to a richer more pampered clientele.  It remains to be seen whether the business model will be a success in central FL.  I hope that whatever happens that there is an option to avoid those services I don't like and don't want.  

[Sean_A]

$12 dogs are ridiculous , I don't care where it is!

I was going to say the same about pin sheets.....

Boy this thread really drives home the difference between golf and resort golf - doesn't it?  While I understand that if folks pay loads of dosh they want extras, but the extras are just layers of fat that arguably push the golfer further from the experience of playing the course and ultimately the game.  I sure believe in the big world theory of golf, but man, it seems like a tough stance to take at times.  But the courses are good - right?

Ciao   

[Thomas Dai]

Good point here from Sean.

Basic golf = basic cake. Can still be very acceptable even if it is basic.

More available funds/expense/manicuring etc = the jam in the middle and the icing on the top and after that well it's cherries and hundreds & thousands* and little figures made of icing. Unless it's a fruitcake that is, and you have to be a total fruitcake sometimes to play golf!

All the best.

PS - I'm no  cake making expert although I have been known to rather enjoy eating them!

* = except in Aussie where they put the hundreds and thousands in a sandwich!

[Jerry Kluger]

Caddies should be mandatory or they should be optional otherwise it puts the player in an awkward position. I was using a cart while the others were walking so I felt obligated to pay the caddie far more than usual as it takes the same amount of time no matter how many players are using his services. My caddie was really good but he was just riding in the cart with me and using a laser for yardages (his broke so we used mine) and then helped me read some putts.  He also tended the flagstick for other players and tried to rake bunkers for them.  

[Jud_T]

Pin sheets seem like the easiest fix. I'd bet against the mandatory caddie between Memorial Day and Labor Day long term.  If you want real jocks let em head north for the summer.  I could see guys spending 6 months at Bandon and 6 at Streamsong.  I'd rather be the subject of psychological experiments to see how many hours of Honey Boo Boo I could watch before I cracked than caddie in that heat.

[Pete Buczkowski]

Pete, like you I've had about 10 rounds at SS due to the fact I live in Tampa.  The last number of posts reflect that a pin sheet would be preferred. Based on a couple conversations I've had with people in the know, this won't happen.  What definitely won't occur is the pin "segment" chart.  I hate this procedure as well. On the odd chance you play a course on "Day 4" you see the same hole locations as your previous round.  It sucks.  I'm an advocate a daily USGA pin sheet with distances as +/- from center and left or right.  It wouldn't undermine the caddy experience either.  

I've played SS with every possible caddy option.  4 guys, each their own looper, 2 caddies a couple guys on carts, 4 guys on a cart with one forecaddie, 4 guys walking on their own and 4 walkers with one forecaddie.  On Sunday I noticed a double bagger for the first time.  I was a bit surprised by this and he could not keep up with me, carrying my own bag.  I really hope this was an anomaly as it's a terrible disservice to the golfer who is new to the caddy experience.  

Yes I've heard that from the staff loud and clear.  Agree that they should not use segment charts since they limit course flexibility, but a simple sheet with paces from front and right/left edges would not compromise flexibility/simplicity of setup and still offer a player friendly service.  Hopefully they will listen to feedback and make a couple small simple changes.

[Keith Grande]

Heading down to play SS with a group of 12, two weeks from today.  How well does the course drain? Tropical Storm Karen is heading into the gulf this weekend, and wondering how the course will play after the rain passes.

[Rees Milikin]

Heading down to play SS with a group of 12, two weeks from today.  How well does the course drain? Tropical Storm Karen is heading into the gulf this weekend, and wondering how the course will play after the rain passes.

I don't think the Central FL area will be seeing too much rain and if you are coming two weeks later, then it won't have much of an effect.  Streamsong seems to drain really well because I have never seen any issues in the times I have played there

[Frank Sullivan]

TS Karen won't have any effect on Streamsong... you should be in the clear, and hopefully some fall Oct temps (mid to lower 80's) will kick in:)  You will have a blast....skip over to Mountain Lake for a round if you can.

[Ben Kodadek]

Made it back out to SS Blue on a chamber of commerce Saturday with no wind.  The round took 5 hours and 35 minutes.  Not a good thing as we head towards the end of Daylight Saving Time.  Actually, not a good thing regardless of the time of year!  Longest I've ever been on a golf course.  Still a ton of issues that need to be worked out as the "season" approaches.   I'd put pace of play at the VERY top of the list.  

[Terry Lavin]

Made it back out to SS Blue on a chamber of commerce Saturday with no wind.  The round took 5 hours and 35 minutes.  Not a good thing as we head towards the end of Daylight Saving Time.  Actually, not a good thing regardless of the time of year!  Longest I've ever been on a golf course.  Still a ton of issues that need to be worked out as the "season" approaches.   I'd put pace of play at the VERY top of the list.  

Wow, that is a bit of a joke.  Is there something about the design of the holes or the routing that is obviously contributing to the length of time, or is it a function of something else, in your judgment?

[Rees Milikin]

Made it back out to SS Blue on a chamber of commerce Saturday with no wind.  The round took 5 hours and 35 minutes.  Not a good thing as we head towards the end of Daylight Saving Time.  Actually, not a good thing regardless of the time of year!  Longest I've ever been on a golf course.  Still a ton of issues that need to be worked out as the "season" approaches.   I'd put pace of play at the VERY top of the list.  

Considering that it was the first weekend with nice weather since Spring, I am not too surprised.  

I played the Blue course on Thursday and finished in almost exactly 4 hours.

[Ben Kodadek]

Made it back out to SS Blue on a chamber of commerce Saturday with no wind.  The round took 5 hours and 35 minutes.  Not a good thing as we head towards the end of Daylight Saving Time.  Actually, not a good thing regardless of the time of year!  Longest I've ever been on a golf course.  Still a ton of issues that need to be worked out as the "season" approaches.   I'd put pace of play at the VERY top of the list.  

Wow, that is a bit of a joke.  Is there something about the design of the holes or the routing that is obviously contributing to the length of time, or is it a function of something else, in your judgment?

Streamsong Blue is a very easy golf course.  With the exception of a few holes, it's very difficult to lose a golf ball.  There are only a couple of longer/tougher transitions and even those are very mundane.  

[William_G]

Made it back out to SS Blue on a chamber of commerce Saturday with no wind.  The round took 5 hours and 35 minutes.  Not a good thing as we head towards the end of Daylight Saving Time.  Actually, not a good thing regardless of the time of year!  Longest I've ever been on a golf course.  Still a ton of issues that need to be worked out as the "season" approaches.   I'd put pace of play at the VERY top of the list.  

Wow, that is a bit of a joke.  Is there something about the design of the holes or the routing that is obviously contributing to the length of time, or is it a function of something else, in your judgment?

a few things...

not too difficult and it is fun

hard to know what the yardages are to x y or z as the tees weren't clearly marked on the card or on the ground etc... they had moved the markers up for speed of play, yet the distances are still unfamiliar and unclear

the wind switches day to day and during the round so it makes it difficult to adjust your yardages

the greens have lots of movement so it takes time after you've finally gotten on the green

when I was there the starter was attempting be the starter for both red and blue, and thus was located near the putting green instead of the actual tees

the green to tee distances aren't always a few steps

folks are not used to fast and firm golf...if you are off the mowed grass you area in sandy waste areas

 

[John Kirk]

I'd bet there's a strong correlation between the average greens fee and the average length (in minutes) of a golf round on public golf courses.

[Keith Grande]

Just wanted to update on our trip to Streamsong.  I had a group of 12 play on the Blue and Red, player range consisted of single digit handicaps to 20-something handicaps to my friend's father who is 83 years old.  Everyone enjoyed the courses, the forecaddies did a great job with yardages, reading greens and assisting our eldest of the group, including making sure there was enough water to stay hydrated.  There are water bottle stations on every hole (for no additional fee).  Service was excellent all the way around.  We can't wait to return next year.

The biggest challenge was to adjust for ground game with bermuda/hybrid grass, even with the F&F conditions.  You could really see the course soak up the water as the day went on, and the green fairways turned light brown by the afternoon.  

We were informed that the Blue course had about 8 hole locations due to the undulating features, while the Red had up to 31 hole locations.  I was disappointed to find that I putted much better on the Blue, including some long putts lagged to tap-in, while the Red continued to confound us with the subtle contours.

I heard that a new course at SS would be announced shortly, possibly a Gil Hanse design?  

[Jim Nugent]

Made it back out to SS Blue on a chamber of commerce Saturday with no wind.  The round took 5 hours and 35 minutes.  

Ben, why did it take so long? 

[John Kirk]

1.  We were informed that the Blue course had about 8 hole locations due to the undulating features, while the Red had up to 31 hole locations.  I was disappointed to find that I putted much better on the Blue, including some long putts lagged to tap-in, while the Red continued to confound us with the subtle contours.

2.  I heard that a new course at SS would be announced shortly, possibly a Gil Hanse design?  

1.  I consider this a strength of the two course design.  Nice that they are so different in this regard.  Hard to imagine 31 pins on the big Biarritz-ish 16th hole on the Red course.

2.  We are starting to see more action on the American golf course scene, which is great for many of us.  Are we emerging from the great recession?