If you were an alien that had happened to be dropped onto earth and you were told that you had landed onto Streamsong, you would guess anywhere else but Florida. There are no palm trees nor anything else that would indicate that you’re in the middle of America’s panhandle. In fact, Streamsong was built on top of a phosphate mine. Drive 75 minutes southeast of Tampa and you’ll discover a golfer’s oasis known as Streamsong. There are two golf courses — Red and Blue — that are commonly referred to as the Bandon Dunes of the East because the same designers of Bandon Dunes carved out this Florida masterpiece out of a phosphate mine: Tom Doak, Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore. Who knew a phosphate mine would become the canvas for what may become one of the best golf courses in Florida. That is a tribute to the three gentleman who have become some of the greatest golf architects of our generation.
If you’re a New Yorker, an East Coaster or a Midwesterner, this is an easy place to go for a weekend getaway of golf: It’s Scotland in Florida. Sure you can dunk your ball into the Blue Monster and every other course in Florida because water is the common challenge, but what if you saw a sprawling hilly landscape of dusty dunes, fescue and the occasional swirling wind? Unlike many Florida golf courses which are flat, Streamsong is a topography of undulations. It’s not an easy walk in the park because of its hills but it’s still enjoyable as you find yourselves pausing at moments to take in certain views. But make sure you watch out for those slumbering alligators.
Which course did I like: RED or BLUE?
According to Golf Digest’s top 75 ranking of Florida’s best public golf courses, the Red course was #1, surpassing one of the most famous courses on the PGA Tour and also home to the Players Championship: TPC Sawgrass. And the Blue course ranked third behind those two courses.
Red is a bit more scenic because it has more water in play. It also means more chances to lose your ball into the drink but at least you can catch a sleeping alligator along the water bank.
After playing one round of the Red and Blue, my initial preference was for the Red.
The Red course had my most favorite hole from the weekend: Hole #7 is a sweeping par 5 with water and trouble all along the left and bunkers sneakily placed along the right.
I’m sure I’ve become biased towards hole #7 because I was one under for the weekend on that hole. Sticking your approach shot within an inch of the hole will always leave a lasting impression on you.
Both were equally as good and it really came down to one’s preference. Half our group liked the more scenic Red but the other half liked the turns and angles of the wide open Blue.
After playing two rounds on both, I ended up changing my mind and preferred the Blue course slightly more. That’s why you need to play a course at least twice because first impressions will always be different from the last. A few of my favorite holes from the Blue:
Hole #4 Par 4 on Blue: It was long and an uphill battle. A half bad tee shot and you’re still not getting onto the green in two. Make it a good one off the tee.
Hole #7 Par 3 on Blue: Even though the green is way below the tee, best to play it an extra club.
Hole #17 Par 5 on Blue: Reminds me slightly of hole #4 on Bethpage Black because it has deep bunkers that cut across the fairway for your second shot. A bad tee shot forces you to layup and get in on 4. Even with a great tee shot, you’ll still have to hit a solid hybrid or 3-wood to get over those cross bunkers.
Hole #18 Par 4 on Blue: And to finish off a great set of finishing holes on Blue, you need to hit a great tee shot: the difference is getting to the green on 3 or an easy second shot into the green if you hit the down side of the fairway slope.
So Is It The Bandon Dunes of the East?
The reason why Streamsong is referred to as the Bandon Dunes of the East is because they are links style courses designed by the same fine architects that designed Bandon Dunes, which has been around since 1999 when the first course – Bandon Dunes – opened up. Since then, there are now 4 magnificent courses with great facilities that prevent you from leaving the premises.
Streamsong is in it’s adolescence stage compared to Bandon Dunes. It’s only been around since late 2012 but it already has courses that are comparable to Bandon Dunes. What separates Bandon Dunes apart is that it sits on bluffs high above the Pacific Ocean. Whether it’s Pebble Beach or Pacific Dunes, it’s hard to beat walking along the water or swinging away into the ocean backdrop. Usually any course along the ocean is going to have an advantage from vistas to experiences. In Golf Diget’s latest world golf course rankings, 46 of the top 100 are courses on seaside venues.
However, without the ocean vistas, Streamsong’s courses still stand toe-to-toe against Bandon Dunes. This is what I liked about Streamsong:
- Two great courses by 3 great architects
- Hotel is very modern – you would never know you’re in the middle of Florida. The building stands alone in the middle of nowhere and it reminds you of the building that gets blown up in the James Bond movie “Quantum of Solace.” It’s the most modern golf resort hotel you’ll ever step into.
- Service is fantastic. Staff is fantastic. Everyone from valet, check-in, pro shop to the wait staff: all were excellent.
- Caddies were great. Similar to Bandon Dunes, our day 1 caddies stayed with us throughout the weekend. Ask for Matt or Lee. Both were excellent and more importantly, great at reading putts. Don’t undervalue that particular skill by your caddies.
- Food is better than Bandon Dunes. Dare I say the food could’ve held it’s own if the restaurants were located in NYC. Compliments to the chef(s). Btw, the best food I ate on the trip was actually at the halfway house on the Red course which is a BBQ shack. The bison sausage sandwich may be one of the greatest inventions in BBQ history. The pulled pork sandwich is good but not condusive to playing golf because it’ll sit in your stomach like a brick for the rest of your round. On the Blue course there’s a taco halfway house and it’s quite good; better than most tacos in NYC. At Restaurant Fifty-Nine, the salads are great and the grouper sandwich is mighty good. A great recommendation from the caddies.
- And you don’t have to play just golf, though it’s beyond me why anybody would consider anything else other than golf, golf and golf. Streamsong has 2 other activities such as bass fishing and sporting clays. One of the guys in our group enjoyed doing both and gave a thumbs up.
- Spa area is simple and serviceable. They did have varying temperature pools from 103 degrees to icy cold 40 degrees. Heed my advice: don’t go into the cold bath. I could barely walk after getting out of there. After a round of golf, heading to the spa for either a massage or soaking in the various pools is a great idea. Your body will thank you, unless you dip into the 40 degree pool.
- For New Yorkers or East Coasters, it’s an easy trip to playing something similar to Bandon Dunes. It’s a 2 hr and 30 min flight from the NYC airports and there are numerous flights to Tampa or Orlando. However, similar to going to Pinehurst, you do have a 75 minute drive from the airport to Streamsong. You can leave NY in the morning and get a round in on the same day and on your last day, you can play a round and get back home by late evening.
What I wish it had more of?
- Two more golf courses. The Red and Blue are fantastic but you wanted more, especially for a long weekend. They are buildling a third (Black) which is being constructed as a tournament course, but that won’t be open till late 2017. The Streamsong owners have so much land that they could possibly build out 5 more courses. Maybe even more.
- Soap Bars or a soap dispenser. I know that sounds weird but for some reason they supplied small bottles (with screw caps) of liquid soap to wash our hands in our hotel room. It’s a bit cumbersome actually.
- Car or Shuttle Service from the airport. Streamsong was built to prevent you from having to leave the premises which is what happened to us. They have everything there from great food to a spa. So there is no need to leave the property. With that said, a shuttle service would be great from the airport to Streamsong so that I don’t have to rent a car that I’m not going to use for most of the time on the trip.
- Larger practice facilities. The facilities were fine but it wasn’t as big as I thought it would be. The driving range became crowded in the mornings since there were so many peeps with early tee times. Also, you can’t walk to the practice facilities so add in a little buffer time to get to and from the practice area.
Bottom Line
Streamsong is absolutely worthy of your next golf trip. It holds its own and it has everything that you need from two great golf courses, to great food, to great service, and to other activities like sporting clays or bass fishing. It’s very accessible, especially for anybody who lives in the Midwest to the East Coast. Book your next golf trip to Streamsong.
