Streamsong Blue- Playing Conclusions

When I first got done playing the Red, and then the Blue courses my mind was jumbled and a bit shell shocked.  My first impression was both courses seemed very similar- just given the common terrain that they both enjoy.  However after writing up the reviews of the Blue, I realized how different the courses really are.

The Blue is fashioned much more as a "links" style course.  It is much more open and by-and-large flatter than the Red course.  That being said, the course starts out uncharacteristically from atop the highest point on the property.  After that the vistas decrease as the course starts to introduce its true character. Holes 1-7 are stellar. The first and 7th are like two exclamation points between a series of well planned holes.  Holes 2 and 3 are each doglegs of opposite directions.  4 is straight ahead and tests you both off the tee and on your approach to the elevated green complex. The 5th is a short par 3 with a wicked green over 70 yards in length.  This gives the option of playing the hole from 120-194 yards from the tips.  Factor in the wind on this elevated ridge and this hole can play all kinds of ways, even in the same day.  The 6th is a great short par 4 that taunts you to go for the green.  Yet is unforgiving for those who try and miss right.  And then the crescendo, the par 3 7th that is destined to be (or already is) one of the most famous holes in Florida.  A perfect location for the green created an opportunity too good to pass up.  While the 7th feels like it should be a part of the Red course, it never the less is a thrilling conclusion to the opening 7 holes of the Blue course.

Moving onto 8, this is a tough hole.  A well placed bunker is in play off the tee and the approach into this green is diabolical, over water and a green wedged between all kinds of sand on an elevated hill. This hole then flows into the remaining timbre of the course.  Most of these holes all feature the same flattish terrain.  It is here where the Blue course distinguishes itself the most from Red.   While holes 9-12 on the Red course seemed like the least strong of that 18, in part because of their flat terrain, I didn't feel the same way playing Blue.  Maybe it was because the terrain was more congruent from start to finish on Blue, rather than a smattering of holes stuck into the middle of Red?  

Playing 9, aside from the blind tee shot over the ridge, for some reason reminded me of the 5th at Troy Burne in Hudson, WI.  10 is a good par 3, 11 features a huge fairway and fun rippling mounds around the green.  12 offers one of the most countered greens on the course protected front and right by a forced carry over water.

I really enjoyed the 13th, with its premium on strategy.  The green here is a devil.  A right pin placement is just asking for trouble.  In our foursome I was the only one to hold the green.  Everyone else fell off to the right.  Collectively the other three players took 8 chips or putts to get onto the green from less than 10 feet away.  The views from this hole are also spectacular.  A sampling of both the Red and Blue courses can be seen from here. 

The remaining holes 14-18, offer a bit of variety. From here the general play is uphill to the finish.  The 14th is an intimidating tee shot to a long but otherwise easily played hole.  15's fairways are massive.  16, the long par 3 that will test your long irons.  17 is a great hole with its cross bunkering in play for you to lay-up short of or carry on your second shot.  18 is a great, tough finishing hole with gobs of bunkers between you and the green, and the clubhouse beyond.

While the Blue course is not as visually jaw-dropping as the Red, its character is more coherent.  On the long holes, it features wide fairways.  On the shorter holes, strategy is rewarded with generous landing zones for lay-ups.  While I would term the course links-ish, it is not exactly, as many of the greens require an aerial approach. 

So which did I enjoy more?

The answer: Both


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Streamsong Blue Hole 18

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Par 4
478 | 453 | 439 | 364 yards

Boo.  I've come to the last hole of the day.  The long par 4 18th.

A majestic panoramic view surrounds you off this tee. Like the 18th on Red, dunes frame the end of this hole.

The tee shot is semi-blind over a ridge in the fairway.  Don the left side a sea of bunkers stretches as far as you can see.  The left is much more open with just scrub bordering that edge.

A beautiful walk awaits down the final hole.  Ahead beckons the clubhouse.

Beautiful scenery abounds. To the left you can see the amazing shaggy ruggedness of the 7th, 5th, 6th, and first holes of the Red course.  To the right is the 1st hole on blue and beyond it you can make out others (4th, 5th, and 6th holes).

Upon reaching the top of the ridge in the fairway, more sand stretches out between you and the green,  A line of bunkers nearly completely bisects the hole, coming in from the right.  These bunkers run across the hole around 100 yards from the green.

One more bunker sits past the line of sand at 100 yards.  This single bunker is probably 30 yards out.  The land here slopes from left to right, including all of the green.

The green is a large circular shape and is essentially level with the surrounding fairway.

A view of the 18th green from atop the 7th tee box on Red.

And one last look as we head back to the clubhouse.

Coming in on Blue I stumbled a bit out of the gate.  A double on 10 after hitting my tee shot left into the sand and then across the green into more sand.  After that it was just the occasional bogey (on 11,14, 15, and 18).  It was another 42.  So for my rounds: on Red I went 41-41 and Blue I went 42-42.  There is some symmetry for you!

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Ahead to the Bye Hole

Streamsong Blue Hole 17

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Par 5
590 | 573 | 525 | 498 yards

The 17th is a very cool hole that requires 2 good shots to clear the cross bunkers you see off the tee.  The tee shot must negotiate 2 large bunkers, not really very clear from this picture.  A large bunkers on the right comes in at 230 yards and requires a carry of 280 yards (from the tips).  Adjacent to that is a bunker on the left, just slightly ahead.  This one is 270 to reach and 290 to carry.  Threading a shot between these two doesn't leave a lot of margin for error, though it is not an impossible task.

A view here shows the bunkers that are in play off the tee.  Even from these tees is 300 yards remaining.  To the cross bunkers you have about 140 yards.  Clearing those bunkers requires significantly more distance as the sit at the base of a significant elevation rise.  Like I said, getting beyond those bunkers in two requires two really good shots.

Another view even with the right fairway bunker.

The layup area short of the bunkers is generous.  The best play is to layup as close as possible to the bunkers as you still have 160 uphill to the green from the edge of the sand.

Some of the barren wind swept trees to the left of the cross bunkers.

This is the view as you climb the ridge.  You can just see the flag stick on the horizon.

Hitting your third shot in requires negotiating yet more sand atop the ridge.  The green is curled in behind sand that protrudes from the left side.  The sand wraps all the way around the green effectively forming a peninsula you must land on.  There is room to miss to the right of the green.  This green is relatively flat with the surrounding fairway so a miss is not a hard shot back onto the green.

The caddie lasering the flag to let one of my players know "you're pretty close.  pitch it on"

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Streamsong Blue Hole 16

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Par 3
237 | 215 | 205 | 184 yards

The 16th is the longest par 3 at Streamsong.  A bruising uphill tee shot makes it play all the longer.  This hole is 237 yards from the tips.  The green is protected well short right.  Another bunker sits left, but it is well short of the green.

There is plenty of room to miss left and deep- though missing deep on this hole requires some serious effort.

I hit a 3-hybrid here.  Luckily I missed the right side of the green and the sand dangers that await.  My ball found a small knoll to the left of the green.  I found myself having a downhill shot from atop this hill.  Not a good thing on these lightning greens.  I barely got the ball started and it turned out to be just perfect, rolling to less than a foot from the cup.  Take that hardest par 3 out here!

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Ahead to Streamsong Blue Hole 17

Streamsong Blue Hole 15

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Par 4
446 | 398 | 357 | 341 yards


The 15th turns back in the opposite direction of 14 you just played.  That fairway is now to your left, and so we once again have a giant sea of fairway to work with. Down the right side of the hole we have something unusual- trees running down the perimeter.

The only real danger off the tee here is right into those trees, or far left into the naturalized grass island separating the 15th and 14th fairways slightly.

There are two central bunkers in the fairway, but there placement should not come into play off the tee or on your second shot.  They sit 70 yards short of the green so are there really just to add some visual break to the ribbon of fairway.

Here are those bunkers.  Beyond them, the green is unguarded on all sides except the back.  A large mound in front of the green causes the approach to be somewhat blind if playing in from the left side.  This hill can repel short shots or cause unexpected bounces into the green.

Behind the green is a line of bunkers.  Also in the distance, to the right rises the 17th on Blue.  To the left is the 2nd hole of the Blue course.

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Streamsong Blue Hole 14

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Par 5
545 | 510 | 489 | 452 yards

Walking from the challenging 13th, you may be feeling a little down if you found any of the bunkers on the last.  Well cheer up!  You're about to face another test.  The 14th wraps around a pond.  The tee boxes are on a narrow bridge of land between water.  You must hit your tee shot over the water to a fairway running to your right.

The fairway is elevated above the waters edge a good 20 feet at least.  Long hitters can try to carry the bunkers.  It is a 260 yard carry over the left one from the tips.  While visually intimidating, the tee shot is not that difficult.  There is plenty of room if you want to bail left.  Anything hit left of the bunkers will almost certainly find the fairway.  The 15th fairway runs adjacent, and is connected to this fairway on the left.  Only 2 islands of natural grassland sit as any kind of hazard within this sea of fairway.

From the forward tee, the water is far less daunting and you need only cut off a small amount which should not come into play.

As you walk from the tee, the fairway rises until you are even with the bunkers you saw at the waters edge from the tee.

The fairway is large for your second shot.  Water does run down the length of the right side.  A large swath of natural grassland comprises a hazard off the fairway to the left.

A close up of the natural grass area.  Behind it starts the bunker complex that runs up to the left edge of the green.

On your second shot, after hitting over the naturalized area you will find a wide landing area between 150 and 100 yards out.  Inside of 100 the hole squeezes down with sand both left and right.

Approaching the green, there is sand short left, and a single bunker short right.  That bunker is placed mostly for protection on long second shots into the green.  Other than this one small bunker there is room to hit over to the right side of the green, making this a hole you can try for in two.

Hitting left into this green is one particularly bad spot to get into.  The bunker there is the least of your worries, and if struck over there you will no doubt hope to find your ball in the sand.  Next to the sand it is very thick fescue with some bushes thrown in.  It is unlikely you will find your ball if it goes in there.

A view back down the hole from the green.  The green is relatively small.  It is circular and doesn't feature much undulation

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Streamsong Blue Hole 13

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Par 4
312 | 293 | 279 | 247 yards

A brilliantly tough hole that demands a thinking approach to the hole.  A generous landing area is split into two levels, an upper right side and lower left half.  This generous area ends abruptly around 75 yards from the green.  This is thanks to two large bunkers that choke the fairway to a narrow point here.

The right side of the landing area is fringed by sand its entire length.  The left edge of the hole is bordered by water.

From the back tees you also must hit over the mounding that comprises the forward tee box.

My Dad found the lower shelf, and unfortunately the bunker that lives on that side.

Here you can see the green nestled between and behind the two imposing bunkers.

The walk up this fairway offers some great views and shows the scale of just how big Streamsong is.

Any shot hit into the cavernous left bunker (which starts 60 yards from the green) will be next to impossible to get up and onto the green.  Getting out of the bunker in a single shot is hard enough but hitting onto the green requires hitting into the narrow angle of the green.  Taking your medicine and hitting out of the bunker sideways, or backwards may be a better option.

This green is very deep but narrow.  The left edge is fronted by a bunker and the right edge is a false side.  This is the view from the front of the green. A bunker wraps around the back right of the green, but I can't see how that hazard can come into play.

Hitting in to the right edge of the green, when the pin is located there is a dangerous proposition.  It is likely your ball will not hold the green and you will be hitting a difficult short side chip or putting up a severe slope, as all of my playing partners did.

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