acres of the sand-rich and uniquely shaped site known as Streamsong in remote and land-locked Polk County would be an attractive carrot to dangle in front of two of the game’s most revered architects. “It was just a random mess of
contours that we inherited that were incredible,” Coore said. Added Doak about the mercurial mining landscape, “They built some features we’d never think of.” And so Coore-Crenshaw and Doak jumped into their sandbox and went to work, skillfully sculpting courses that meet their lofty expecta- tions and reputations. In only two years, Golf Magazine has already slot- ted the Red at No. 12 and the Blue at No. 16 in its Top 100 Courses You Can Play rankings, just ahead of 2015 U.S. Open host and 17th-ranked Chambers Bay.
The Red and Blue courses conjure
a Bandon Dunes aesthetic, a remarkable achievement considering that rural Florida farmland an hour outside Tampa and 90 minutes from Orlando looks nothing like the bluffs over- hanging the Oregon coastline. Even Bandon Dunes Resort owner Mike Keiser has gushed, “Prepare to be astonished.” Coore-Crenshaw and Doak creat- ed authentic links golf with Bermuda grass, crafting holes through, around and over bold dunes and wild featur- ing for a pair of thrilling and very un-Florida-like rounds. Both painted Streamsong with their unmistakable and unrivaled bunkers, enveloping fairways, and holes that dissolve art- fully into their environment. The major publications all favor the Red Course slightly over the Blue, but that’s simply a matter of prefer- ence. The Red is a bit more distinct; the blue a bit more dramatic. You’ll get a different answer from each four- some you ask. Doak’s Blue Course blasts off atop
a 75-foot dune to a potentially drivable par 4, one of three that are reachable if the wind is cooperating. Bunkering,
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green settings and even entire holes borrow from Doak’s Pacific Dunes and Old Macdonald, and the Blue Course summits spectacular and dynamic dunes throughout the round, while yielding staggering sneak previews from unique angles along the way. Doak’s trademark blowout bunkers that double as dungeons always lurk, but it’s his daredevil greens that will test your mettle, as well as the dura- bility of your putter shaft. Some greens are wild in a cute
way. The green on the 120-yard fifth hole is 75 yards long. The green on the blind, but drivable, sixth hole curls up in front of a Himalaya dune for a beautiful backdrop. But most are wild in a mechanical
bull way, bucking and lurching and doing whatever they can to kick you off them. Three-putts are unavoid-
able, and four-putts are inevitable. The invisible and wind-aided currents can make you look silly, sweeping your ball away for a comebacker lon- ger than your first putt, or into a flag stick that was laid down seemingly safe, some 20 feet away from the hole. The MiniVerde greens—a light-
ning-quick hybrid of Bermuda that thrives in hot climates—are kept at a very unlinks-like 11 on the Stimpme- ter, a speed that makes Doak’s churn- ing greens downright treacherous. But no matter what you shoot,
or how much you owe, you can settle your bets after the round on Doak’s extra “Bye Hole,” an exciting 100-yard shot over water to a slick horizontal green—think a miniature version of No. 12 at Augusta. The simple pleasure is a delightful detail and a fantastic finishing touch,
No. 2 (Red)
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