Seeing Red
If the Blue Course was an experiment in rejuvenation, what seemed even more staggering were the18 further holes that had been carved out of the same wonderful piece of exaggerated land. Indeed, the Red Course had been devised by an architectural pairing of such standing that it would be hard to gauge which course had the upper hand.
As luck would have it, the Red was the work of the 1984 and 1995 Masters champion Ben Crenshaw and his business partner Bill Coore, who most notably combined to produce Lost Farm at Barnbungle Dunes in Australia and oversaw the renovation of Pinehurst No 2. Their efforts at Streamsong have proved to be no less impressive.
"We are so honoured to be here to showcase these two courses together," said Crenshaw at the press conference prior to the official opening. "Bill and I were extraordinary privileged to do this. This is a site which is totally different from anything we will ever do again."
Although Coore agrees, he initially had doubts about the validity of producing another Floridian course – that was until he saw the site. "The last thing on earth Florida needed was one or two more golf courses – I just couldn’t see how this really was justifiable," he recalls. "But I cruised around and what I saw was truly one of the most extraordinary landscapes you could imagine. I remember calling Ben and saying, you’re not going to believe this, but this is truly, truly special."
He continues: "For us, the people who get a chance to see ground in its most natural form; it’s raw form and then to see it evolve into something that we can all enjoy is a special treat."
Visually and architecturally, there is nothing to touch Streamsong in Florida. For a host of reasons it stands out from the crowd – there isn’t any ring-side properties to break the spell created by Doak, Core and Crenshaw. There are no palm trees and few cart paths. The ground is firm and hard (the greens have been turfed outwith MiniVerde making them lighteningly quick) and off the fairways the ground has been left in a rough-and-ready state further stressing the natural feel of the place.
Locals can still remember a time before Disney. Perhaps, in the future, they will also remember a time before Streamsong.
