Streamsong (Blue)

Streamsong (Blue) – Played October 2015

• Rankings: Golf Magazine #62
• Location: 1000 Streamsong Drive, Streamsong, Florida
• Year: 2012
• Architect: Tom Doak
• Course Access: Resort
• Walking Rules: Carts & Caddies Available (Walking Only at Certain Times)

Score Card Information:

• Green: 7,176 yards, Par 72, 74.1 Rating/131 Slope
• Black: 6,698 yards, Par 72, 72.0 Rating/127 Slope
• Silver: 6,285 yards, Par 72, 69.7 Rating/123 Slope
• Gold: 5,531 yards, Par 72, 71.6 Rating/122 Slope

The second day at Streamsong featured the Blue course designed by Tom Doak.  The course features multiple elevation changes.  The course seemed like it had been there forever.  Like Coore & Crenshaw, he was blessed with a wonderful piece of land.  Also like the Red, I think the Blue will begin to rack up awards as more people get to play it.

This day also featured plenty of wind.  Unlike my trip to Bandon, I got the full wind experience.  Let’s just say it added some strokes to the score!

The clubhouse features 12 guest rooms, 4,500 square feet of conference space, a golf shop, and an outdoor terrace overlooking a lake.  It also has what I am sure is a great restaurant.  I had to play and run so I could not take advantage.  I meant to take some pictures of the clubhouse the day before, but I was glad I waited.  The raised first tee at the Blue gave me a great vantage point.

You can see below how the building sits down in the dunes.  It is a stunning structure.

Here is another view from the putting green.

In keeping with my new tradition, the scorecard can be seen below.

I played the silver tees this time.  For this round I was solo.  That meant a fast round since no one was in front of me.

Hole 1 – 330 yards – Par 4

The opener at Streamsong Blue eases you into the round.  I took an easy long iron off this tee to avoid the bunkers.  You are on some high ground here so it plays shorter than the yardage.

Depending on where you go the green will be blocked out due to the elevation change.  I would recommend a caddie if you are playing here the first time.

Like the Red, the greens are massive here.  You can see that below.

Hole 2 – 516 yards – Par 5

This hole is reachable depending on the wind speed and direction.  A good line is at the middle of the vegetation in the center of the picture.

The second shot is seen below.  If you choose to lay up the fairway is pretty wide.  Pick a line and commit.

The green is guarded by bunkers as you can see below.  Distance control is important as those bunkers are quite tricky.

The front bunker cuts into the green as you can see on the left side of the next photo.  This is another huge green.

Hole 3 – 359 yards – Par 4

This tee shot may look a little intimidating, but there is quite a bit of room to the right.  On this day it played straight into the wind.  I hit driver, four iron!

The second is slightly uphill.  There is trouble close by on the left side of the green so miss right if you have to.

This shows the large contours in the green that makes for difficult putting.  This pin in the back is tough if you didn’t get your shot back there.

Hole 4 – 369 yards – Par 4

This hole is nice and open.  There is some deep grass if you flare one way right so beware.

The approach shot is uphill with some deep bunkers on the left.  Good luck getting up and down from those.

This is one of the flatter putting surfaces.  You should take advantage of any birdie putts here.

Hole 5 – 115 yards – Par 3

The short par three is always a good hole if done right.  This one has plenty of options depending on where the flag is placed.  The green is very deep so depending on wind and pin position you could be hitting six different clubs.

See what I mean about green depth.  This is me at the front of the green and the flag is in the back.  You can barely see it!

There are some crazy contours in this green.  Take a look at the slope from the middle down to the flag.  You can really feed the ball into this pin location.

This angle is from behind and right of the green to give you perspective.

Hole 6 – 295 yards – Par 4

How you play this hole all depends on the wind.  It is reachable with downwind conditions.

I couldn’t get there so I had the approach you see below.  The green is wide open with no trouble in front.

While it is open in front, there is plenty of slope once you get on the putting surface.  It is also very wide allowing for some long putts.

Here is a closer angle.  You can really see the width and slope in this one.

Hole 7 – 176 yards – Par 3

This is the signature hole at Streamsong Blue.  I had a screaming wind in my face and had no idea what to hit.  Remember when I said to get a caddie!  The only miss is a bit short.

From this angle, you can see the interesting bunkering and ground-level view of the green.

Hole 8 – 414 yards – Par 4

This is a longer hole, but it plays downhill to give you a bit of a break.  A good line is just right of the bunker in the middle.

The second shot plays to a slightly elevated green flanked by large bunkers.

There is a large false front on this green so make sure you carry your shot deep enough.

The wide shot of the green reveals the slope throughout.

Hole 9 – 510 yards – Par 5

This tee shot plays to a blind landing area.  If you smoke one just over the left edge of the bunkers you will be in good shape.

The second shot is flat and can be played up onto the green past one bunker.  You don’t want to mess with the trees on the left.

You can see the angle into the green below.

Here is another angle.

And one more for good measure.

Hole 10 – 129 yards – Par 3

This one is another good, short par three.  The large bunker in the front isn’t really in play at all.

This view from the right side shows the runoff and internal slope of the green.

Below you can get the player’s view of the green.

Hole 11 – 427 yards – Par 4

Wide-open space from this tee and a flat landing area.  Hit your best here.

The second shot plays over flat land as well.  You can barely make out the flag in the middle of the photo.

The green is narrow compared to others.  There is also a lot of slope in the front half.  There is some more mild contouring where the flag is in this picture.

Hole 12 – 351 yards – Par 4

This tee shot is straightforward.  The middle of the fairway is all you need here.  The water is not in play unless you hit it very poorly.

The second will play over water and sand.  The green has a backstop for the front pin.  I liked the look of this shot for some reason.

Below you can see the green from closer.

Here is another angle.  Check out that slope.

Hole 13 – 279 yards – Par 4

Here we have another driveable par four, but the green is narrow and well-guarded.  A middle iron may be the smart play.

The green is there between the bunkers.  The left bunker is absolute jail.

The green opening is not very wide and would be tough to navigate with a driver.  I think a wedge approach is the high percentage play.

Here is a slightly different angle.

Here is the view from behind to give you the whole story.

Hole 14 – 489 yards – Par 5

This one is a two-shotter if you get a calm or helping wind.

I was on the left side of the hole and had a seven iron left.  The majority of these bunkers are not really in play.

If you are forced to lay up here is the angle you will most likely face for a third shot.  The green is slightly raised.

There is some room behind the green as you can see below.

Hole 15 – 357 yards – Par 4

I have noticed throughout the round at Streamsong Blue that Doak likes to give you a lot of room off the tee.  It is much appreciated because of the wind.  Plenty of space here for your drive.

From the left side of the fairway you have to carry a blowout bunker to the green.

This green looked linksy to me as it was not very defined.  I liked the look of it though.

There is a lot of left to right sloping in this green.  Many shots to the left side of the green will filter down to the right side.

Hole 16 – 205 yards – Par 3

This is just a stout hole that requires a long and accurate tee shot.  You can’t even really make out the green from here.

A slightly zoomed-in look allows you to see the green.

This view of the green is from the front and left.  Shots to the left will bounce back towards the center of the green unless extremely unlucky.

Hole 17 – 525 yards – Par 5

There are miles of room here.  Hit it anywhere but left.

It is tough to get home in two on this one.  The second shot plays over multiple bunkers.  This look reminded me of the fourth at Bethpage.

The third shot is uphill to a partially blind putting surface.  There isn’t much trouble unless you pull one into the front bunker.

This is a green where you can make some putts.  It is not overly contoured.

Hole 18 – 439 yards – Par 4

The last hole at Streamsong Blue is no easy pickings.  The fairway is wide, but it is a long hole.  A good drive sets you up here for the approach.

Here is the view from the top of the hill.  If the wind is in your face this is probably the approach you will have.

Here is a little closer look.  You might be here if the hole is downwind and you are a monster.

Below is a shot of the green.

This day at Streamsong Blue was a fun round.  The wind blew all day.  I tweaked something in my knee on the first hole, but other than that I had a blast.  I don’t know what more good things I can say about Streamsong.  You may want to wait until the Black course is completed so you can play all they have to offer!