Streamsong Resort's Blue Course: Tom Doak's tribute to links golf in central Florida
STREAMSONG, Fla. -- Tom Doak, the same architect who did Pacific Dunes at Bandon Dunes, brought his minimalist design philosophy to central Florida in the form of the 7,176-yard par-72 Blue Course at Streamsong Resort, which is unlike anything other golf facility in Florida.
Built on old phosphate strip mining site on top of sand dunes that reach as high as 75 feet, Doak's mostly walking Blue Course is the perfect complement to the Bill Coore-Ben Crenshaw-designed Red Course. Both courses are intertwined with each other, but the Blue Course doesn't feature as much water and seems to have landforms that more resemble Pacific Dunes without the Pacific Ocean.
The first hole, a shortish par 4, plays from a tee at the highest point on the property. And at the end, if you've still got a bet to be decided, there's an extra hole, the par-3 19th. Of course, most will simply not want the round to end after the 18th, making the decider hole too irresistible.