Streamsong Resort Part 3: Streamsong Red and the Bye Hole

The next morning, hubby and I woke up early so we could have breakfast at the clubhouse before our morning round at Streamsong Red. It was a Friday, and the clubhouse seemed busy with golfers preparing to go out. Hubby and I were still debating whether to hire a caddie or a forecaddie, the difference being that a caddie carries bags while a forecaddie does not. Either way, we were only going to hire one person. I didn't want a personal caddy again, but I did feel we needed someone who could guide us around the course. Generally, the Streamsong Red course encircles Streamsong Blue but we noticed the day before that the holes are so subtly marked, it could be very easy to get lost out there.

We ended up hiring a forecaddie and renting pull-carts. The starter kept calling the pull-carts "rickshaws," which I thought was odd, until I realized that the pull-cart's brand name is Riksha. They have huge wheels and a light frame and were pretty easy to use, although they don't look like they'd fold down easily to fit in a car trunk, in case I wanted to buy one to use at home.

When we requested a forecaddie, I told the pro shop staffer to make sure not to give us Matt again. Erik was already booked, so I was a little nervous about who our forecaddie would be. I wish I'd read about what to expect from a caddie before the trip, but I had quickly learned from playing Streamsong Blue that ideally the guy should have experience and a good sense of humor. Equal parts tour guide, coach and cheerleader.

Our forecaddie was Geno, a friendly and wise professional who had not only men's tour experience, but once caddied for an LPGA pro.

This guy had a really chill vibe about him. You could tell he loved golf and enjoyed helping golfers play their best. He pointed out interesting features of the landscape, and did a cool trick on Hole 5. If you get Geno as a caddie or forecaddie, ask him about it.

It was overcast the day we played, and I was determined to play better than the day before.

There seemed to be more water in play on Streamsong Red.

Fairways seemed wider on the Blue course, leaving me with the sense of almost too many options. 

On the Red course, either I was more focused or the course focused me, with narrower fairways and hazards dictating a more specific strategy.

But the Red course has the same unique topography and overall feel as the Blue course.

At times it felt like you might be stumbling upon some archaeological discovery, if it weren't for the flagstick off in the distance. 

This time, I carried my own scorecard and used my laser rangefinder to get yardages on my own. Hubby and I used the pull-carts but Geno usually took care of them from each putting green to the next hole. I relied on Geno mainly for course knowledge. I found that having a caddie or forecaddie is really useful for letting you know about hidden trouble on the fairway. Or when a putting green is too far to see clearly, they can warn you about false fronts and drop-offs so you'll know whether it's better to miss short or long, right or left. Geno also gave great putting advice. He pointed out breaks I wouldn't have seen otherwise. I made four pars on the front nine, thanks to Geno.

Of course, sometimes I couldn't always execute the shots Geno suggested. For example, he couldn't save me from an errant shot into this enormous bunker. I think it took at least two shots to get out. Between me and hubby, our caddies sure earned their dough raking bunkers.

Because of that bunker, I double-bogeyed the 9th. But I rallied at the turn and birdied the 10th, a par 4. I think Geno was proud of me.

We were actually playing with another twosome, two doctors from New York. 

They each had their own caddies too, so there were a total of seven people on any given hole.

The doctors were self-described "weekend players," but they seemed to enjoy themselves, even though I was "smoking them," as Geno put it. But how could you not feel bliss with views like this, (even if it is a scary par 3 over water)?

Which, by the way, I parred.

Like a boss.

On the last few holes, the sun made an effort to come out. The way the light played in the clouds made me feel like I was in a strange kind of heaven.

I really hope heaven has a golf course.

In the end, I shot a 92. If you've been reading my blog lately, you'll know I ended the season in kind of a slump. So this was the first time I'd shot in the low 90s for awhile. I considered it an end to my slump. I couldn't ask for a better souvenir from Streamsong.

After the round, Geno pointed out the Bye hole, the 37th hole at Streamsong. A bye hole is usually used to assess a golfer's skill at the beginning of a round, or to settle bets and wagers afterwards. The Streamsong Bye hole is near the clubhouse, at the start of the golf courses. Since we'd already finished 18, we were on the other side of the tunnel leading back to the first tee. The bag attendants had already started unloading our clubs from the pull-carts, so Geno told us to grab a 105-yard club and a putter and he'd drive us back through the tunnel to the Bye hole. I brought my 7 and 8 irons, plus my putter and my laser rangefinder.

It turned out that the Bye hole was 82 yards from the gold tees. It was over water, so I hit an easy 8-iron and the result was just fine. Hubby wedged his shot much closer, but we both made par.

Looking back, it was a great experience. I'll forever remember Streamsong Red for breaking my slump, and playing a Bye hole was a fitting end to another golfy year.

Streamsong Resort Part 2: The Hotel

After playing Streamsong Blue and having a meal at the clubhouse, hubby and I drove to the Streamsong Hotel, which is a few minutes away from the golf course. From afar, it looks like a commercial building or some sort of factory.

Close up, its clean, curved lines and Mondrian windows make it look like an art school or a fancy new library. 

It was certainly quiet as a library in the lobby. We were checking in around 4pm, and there was no one else around.

The lobby lounge area is full of modern leather seating options in brown tones.

 

The panoramic lake view is spectacular.

The gym is spacious and clean, with the usual treadmills and new-fangled cardio machines. 

On the first floor is a reading area where you can learn about the geographic history of the local surrounds and look at cool artifacts. When a hotel has a giant fossil of jaws, you definitely feel like you're in an usual place.

We requested a Lakeview room with a king-size bed. The space was roomy, with interesting views from various angles.

The TV has two sides, with the bed on one side and a sectional sofa on the other,

The bed looked pretty comfy, but later hubby would complain that the sheets weren't soft enough. He also expected that for the price we paid, the room should include a shoehorn and room slippers. At least there were two bathrobes.

The bathroom had marble countertops and high-end toiletries.

The floor and shower walls look like wood but are actually ceramic tile.

Kind of a modern Zen vibe, overall.

The view from the bed offers an excellent view of the sunset. The louvered wooden blinds shut completely if needed.



The bookshelf near the sofa has classic works of literature. Wonder which came first, the custom shelf or the perfectly fitted books?

At dusk, firepits and lights started to appear outside on the hotel grounds.

But hubby and I were mesmerized by the sunset view...

I would recommend staying at the hotel if you're playing either of Streamsong's courses. It's quiet and restful and gives a sense of place. I slept well and awoke refreshed and ready to play Streamsong Red.

Streamsong Resort Part I: Streamsong Blue

As our Christmas gift to ourselves, hubby and I took a mid-December trip to stay and play at the Streamsong Resort, one of the most talked-about golf destinations of the past year. The resort has two 18-hole courses, Streamsong Blue (designed by Tom Doak, architect of Pacific Dunes at Bandon Dunes Resort and Bally Neal in Colorado) and Streamsong Red (designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, the duo known for Kapalua Plantation course on Maui and Bandon Trails at Bandon Dunes Resort). To truly appreciate the Streamsong experience, the resort strongly encourages walking golf. In fact, riding a cart is allowed only after a certain time each day, and it's not even an option from January to mid-April. As a proponent of walking golf, Streamsong sounded like my kind of course.

Streamsong has a big fleet of caddies, too, so we decided to hire caddies to carry our bags for our first round, which was at Streamsong Blue. For the second round, at Streamsong Red, we planned to walk with pull-carts. Streamsong Blue is a slightly longer course, so if you can only hire a caddie for one of the courses, the consensus seems to be to hire one for the Blue.

The closest major airports to Streamsong are Tampa and Orlando. We flew into Orlando, drove an hour south and stayed at a hotel in Lakeland the night before our Streamsong Blue round, so the next morning we'd have a half-hour drive to the resort. The resort is situated in a pocket of remote nature, with the nearest sign of development being at least 20 miles away. Streamsong's courses were coaxed out of the remains of an old, neglected phosphate mine, with sand dunes and grass patches and lakes, features that others have said are more evocative of Ireland or Scotland or Oregon than Florida.

The clubhouse has a modern feel, with concrete and steel complemented by natural woods. I would describe it as rustic-industrial chic. The facade is minimalist, so it's a little unclear which door to enter. (It's the one furthest left, under the roof.)

Once inside, I checked out the women's locker room. It's small, but pretty swank.

After signing in at the pro shop, an attendant drove us in a golf cart to the practice area. I was a little self-conscious when he stood behind us, watching and waiting till we were done. My husband said, "It's like Downton Abbey. You have to get used to the servants being around all the time."

From the driving range, you can walk to the chipping and putting practice area. It has an otherwordly feel, like you're walking on the edge of the moon.

You can practice chipping, but unless you're playing with balls covered in velcro, you're better off practicing putting. The greenside rough is trim and firm, and the greens are undulating and smooth, so running putts up to the hole is a better strategy than trying to get a chip to stick. I learned this later, after playing both Blue and Red courses and realizing I'd hardly touched a wedge unless I was in a bunker.

After practicing for a bit, it was on to the first hole. With all the fluffy white sand, I felt like I was at a beachside course, though the ocean isn't around for miles.

Streamsong has four sets of tees. I played from the Gold tees, which are the forward tees.

The weather was in the low 60s and sunny, perfect for walking golf. There was some wind, but nothing too distracting. Soon there was a nice view of the clubhouse from above.

Here's a candid shot of our caddies.

My caddie was named Matt (the guy on the left in the picture). He was a young local guy from Lakeland, who was probably a good golfer but didn't seem to be a very experienced caddie. He was pretty quiet. Although he carried my bag, cleaned my clubs and balls, and even kept track of my score for me, he wasn't very forthcoming about explaining the layout of each hole. I had to ask him for yardages to the pin and any hazard of obvious concern. After a few holes, I felt like I would have been better off using a yardage book and my own laser rangefinder. Also, he seemed bored to be caddying for me. I know I am an average golfer, but if I'm shelling out $80-$100 for a caddy, it would be better if he didn't act like he was doing me a favor. It was unfortunate, since Matt was my first caddy ever and I wish he hadn't been such a dud.

On the other hand, my husband's caddy (the guy on the right in the picture) was awesome. His name was Erik Nelson. He is a professional caddy with experience at Bandon Dunes and on the Web.Com Tour. He even has a business card. Erik was upbeat and had a great sense of humor. He announced the yardage and explained the layout of each hole with a flair for the dramatic that was not only entertaining but also conveyed the uniqueness of the course. He was quite chatty, and later he told us that some golfers have criticized him for being too "verbose," but for us first-timers at Streamsong, he was perfect. He kept the round lighthearted in mood, and helped us have a good time even if our golfing wasn't the greatest.

While my game wasn't the best that day, the beauty of the course made up for it.

Many of the putting greens were quite large, and it was sometimes hard to tell where exactly the rough ended and the greens began.

Some of the gold tees didn't seem to have a proper tee ground. Instead, they seemed plopped down in the middle of the fairway. Like this one:

And this one:

If I hadn't lost two balls at this par 3, I might have had a shot at breaking 100.

On steep steps like this, I was glad to have a caddy carrying my bag.

Here's a decent approach shot of mine:

Most times, the pin seemed more than two putts away.

Beautiful blue skies, though. Never mind that bunker on the right.

More often than not, there were bunkers that couldn't be ignored.

Missing a bunker was no small victory.

Yet another bunker:

If you don't land the green, whether to chip or putt is not an obvious choice.

There were some water hazards too.

But even the hazards weren't hard to look at.

Here's hubby in the mother of all bunkers.

He got out in one shot. Erik told us a story of a golfer who took 7 shots to get out.

I missed this bunker, but not by much.

A pretty picture, yes. But not a great place from which to take a shot. (That's hubby on the lower right, under the tree.)

Here's another of the forward tees, conveniently plopped down in the middle of the fairway. I can see the clubhouse in the distance, so this must be the 18th hole.

Yes, the approach to the 18th green is guarded by --- you guessed it --- bunkers.

Finally, the pin. In the end, I shot a 104. I couldn't wait to pay off my caddie and let him go home. He didn't even look me in the eye when I handed him the cash. Erik stayed and chatted with us. We promised to look him up when we get around to playing Bandon Dunes.

Then it was off to the clubhouse restaurant for some post-round grub. I think my cheeseburger cost $16 and the french fries cost $8. Kinda pricey, but worth it.

The ultramodern decor of the clubhouse restaurant gives just a taste of the hotel itself, as we would soon find out...