“The operative word is fun"

Bradley Klein on the opening of Streamsong in Florida, home to Coore/Crenshaw and Doak designs.

The much anticipated 36 opened Saturday.

At an opening press conference Jan. 26, Coore said that three years ago, when and his design partner, Crenshaw, were first approached about the project, they were reluctant to build in a state that didn’t seem to need another golf course. But they were enamored with the land. Doak said it best about his first visit to the site: “Florida would have been about my 47th guess as to what state we were in.”

The routing of the two courses emerged collaboratively, and they ended up carving this wild, weird, strangely un-Florida-like landscape into a classically inspired tract with lots of width and many shotmaking options.

Comments

[Jonathan]

Played the Doak courses yesterday and will play the C/C course. Doak course is a home run. JC

[D. maculata]

Jonathan - Was it $395 for 18 as stated on the website? In FL I wouldn't pay that for a round at Seminole GC with Tenzin Gyatso.

[Amen Coroner]

Streamsong or Cabot? Put me down for Cabot.

[MattS]

My wife (8.8) and I (7.6) are traveling to Florida at the end of February to get out of the Michigan weather. Since we are getting free rooms by staying with friends and In-laws we are treating ourselves to a walking round in the middle of our week. We signed up for $175 per person, and plan to get a caddie.

I've been watching reviews closely since last summer (they are doing a great job of marketing to get it in the golf press). The most detailed review I've seen of the Blue (the course we'll play) is:

http://onegolferstravels.blogspot.com/2012/12/streamsong-resort-blue-streamsong.html

And though my pro says that no course in Florida is worth than much (except Interlochen CC) I'm really looking forward to the experience.

[D. maculata]

MattS - Please explain how you're playing for $175 vs. the $399 shown on the website. The breakfast & cart part of the package are one thing, but the lunch part must be all-you-can-eat Wagyu sliders for that price.

[MattS]

It looks like the $399 is a day play package. It includes breakfast, lunch practice facility and cart. The per player cart fee I think is $225.

We are just showing up, playing and leaving.

I just tried to do a search for multiple different dates and couldn't find any open tee times to confirm the cart fee. So I'm really glad I signed up in November.

[D. maculata]

So......breakfast, range balls and lunch are worth $174 unless you book 3-months in advance?

[Chema]

I booked two rounds in March for $175 per person per round. I called the resort directly.

[Viz]

My recommendation would be to go over to World Woods and play really good quality courses for a REASONABLE price. 2 SOLID 18 hole tracks there. There is no way I'd pay over $150 to play ANYWHERE! Including Pebble, Augusta and a host of others.

[Amen Coroner]

Market economics dictating you are wrong Viz. However I agree with you.

[Brad]

Viz....Pebble Beach is well worth the price if you can afford it.
I played it 25 years ago and still recall every hole and virtually every shot I hit.
Would do it again in a heartbeat

[tlavin]

I've talked to a number of people who have already played Streamsong and they all love it. By their accounts, I would call it Bandon in the middle of Florida. Even though Bandon might be better dubbed as being in the middle of nowhere, I can't imagine that Streamsong could actually compete with the experience that Bandon offers, but it surely can offer most of us east of Denver the opportunity to play on the day that one travels. And, not for nothing, the weather in Florida is a bit better from December until April!

In other words, I'm fired up to play, even though it looks like my group will wait until the hotel is done in November to get down there...

[Amen Coroner]

Brad, 25 years ago you didnt pay $400 for Pebble or whatever the price was. I paid $150 for Pebble in 1995 and that was the resort rate. I did just break my own personal record last March at Pinehurt and I have vowed to never pay more than $125ish again unless overseas.

Streamsong aint worth it. Will wait for summer rates.

[Amen Coroner]

At least they throw in the cart for you at Pebble... from their website.

Pebble Beach Golf Links
Resort Guests $495 incl. cart
Non-Resort Guests $495 + cart

[KLG]

I have friends who were graduate students in the Bay Area in the mid-1980s. They would save their money for the occasional trip to PB: $40-50, maybe for twilight weekdays. A lot of money at the time, but worth it. The 1000% increase since then, not so much. But Peter, Clint, and Arnie are no doubt happy!

[Brad]

Amen, agreed it was not 500 bones, but not cheap either in comparison to my income at the time. Life is short, having lasting memories from something that you are young and passionate about is worth it. Just takes awhile to figure that out!

[Chuck]

lol at "Red" Course and "Blue" Course.

For the record, I adore Crenshaw, Coore and Doak, and I'd happily buy whatever any of them are selling. Course architecture geniuses of our time.

But "Red" Ben Crenshaw spent a night in the Lincoln Bedroom of the White House under George W. Bush and "Blue" Tom Doak has, or had, an Obama bumper sticker on the back of his car. I'm just wondering if Red & Blue was an inside joke.

[Viz]

@Brad

Thanks for your love for Pebble--it is a magnificent piece of land that's for sure. I do truly LOVE the game but if people would stop paying astronomical fees to play these places the prices it would be more REASONABLE. To pay more than $150 to play these places is incredible IMO. I've played Congressional, Winged Foot, Bethpage, Harbour Town and many others and never paid over $50 to play any top course. Or what the MEDIA thinks are TOP COURSES LOL! It's all who you know and lots of politics not to pay these slugs to play these courses.

[FLGolfer]

Been there...In my opinion:

- horrible course names
- neat and fun courses to play once
- wouldn't survive on its own in 5 years, but probably will since deep pockets are involved
- in the middle of no where!!!!!
- facility is badly laid out. 9th holes don't return to the clubhouse
- weird layout when hosting large groups (range is far from clubhouse too)

Doubt it will receive the praise of Bandon or Whistling Straits

[Written off]

Chuck, the Red and Blue were simply routing lines on the course map as they laid out the two courses. Not everything is politics. Golf is much more important than that!

FLGolfer, I guess you would say the Old Course and many other classic links are badly laid out because the ninth hole doesn't return to the clubhouse? Too funny. And by the way, the range is less than 200 yards from the clubhouse, but they wisely didn't make the range the main view from the clubhouse, as many Florida courses do.

[peter kessler]

Just played them both-fun, fun, fun. The courses are very similar tee to green and Crenshaw's greens are bigger and flatter and easier to handle. WIDE fairways, almost impossible to be out of play, almost every green is open in front, you can fly it or run it. No surprises as in " if I had known that creek was there..." Really well run. 4 and 20 to play with the place packed. Great caddies. Looks like Ireland mostly and I should know, I was there in October. Huge sand and grass dunes and amphitheaters. Really cool chipping areas, you can use any club.

[ol Harv]

Viz, I'm with you on the absurd pricing of some of these tracks but isn't World Woods somewhat expensive as well? Great place that probably doesn't get enough attention. What's the nut there now?

[KLG]

@ol Harv:
Quite a bit less, it would seem. High season (right now) is $178 for 36 holes (2012 rates, both courses, weekends):
http://www.worldwoods.com/golf/putting-green
Seems pretty reasonable to me. I kind of doubt they will use Streamsong to hike their prices.

So, if we have the First Annual Southeastern Shack Open at World Woods, who is willing to show up? I tried Augusta, but they were full.

Peter: Terribly rude question, I know, but did you pay the rack rate, whatever it is?

[Amen Coroner]

Thanks Peter for sealing my vote. Cabot. Unless of course as KLG hints the gravy train is running?

Also, I will show up to anything advertised as the First Annual so long as I get invited.

[FLGolfer]

WrittenOff, not having the turns return to the clubhouse doesn't make classic links badly designed. The Florida golf business is much different than other places. Outings and tournaments will be needed to survive and not having the turns return makes that more difficult, not impossible, just more difficult (more manpower). Also, I feel badly for anyone that will walk that place in the middle of our summer, that will be tough!

I just feel the designers should have considered the functionality of the layout when it comes to the day-to-day operations. It's not like they limited land to work with.

[GolfFan]

Golf IS too expensive.

[DTF]

Ky, I love WW and would show up in a heartbeat!

As for Streamsong, it is corporate owned and effectively a playtoy of the CEO of Mosaic (MOS on NYSE). They've done a masterful job of "positioning" the property and to me the pricing strategy seems designed to keep the number of rounds down while simultaneously offsetting some of the operating costs -- with the current operating strategy there's no way they'll ever be close to profitable but with ~$2bn in annual profits Mosaic can afford the subsidy ;0)

However, one day Mosaic will hit a rough patch, and there will be a new CEO, and then we'll see how this little luxury item fares -- think Hamilton Farm and Morefar, for starters.

[ol Harv]

I'm in. As for PK's round, it was probably free and that's fine, one of the perks of being in the biz, but like our politicians who can't help but be swayed with generous donations, the same goes for free golf with writers and raters.

[peter kessler]

You're right, Harv, I didn't pay for the golf. I went on a media outing and played both courses. I confess I didn't know what the rate was to play. The trade off is I have Doak and Crenshaw on my podcast to give them some free p.r and then you have the pro on to talk about it, too.
The courses are certainly worth playing at least once even though the price may seem high, really can't wait to go back, and the price goes up by the way bc they send out a forecaddie with each group. And then of course you have to pay off your partners.......

[Amen Coroner]

Thanks Peter. Hope you took care of said Forecaddie since the golf was comped...

[John]

Comparing Streamsong to World Woods is absurd, and I've been a WW fan for years. It's not the same kind of land. Not even close.

$175 isn't chump change but it's actually very competitive in Florida peak season vs. the likes of Copperhead, TPC Sawgrass Stadium, Tiburon, Doral, etc.

[P. Diddy]

The buttboys are out in full force...

[DTF]

I'd be really interested to see if they could make a go of it without the subsidy...