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...
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