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A(nother) Review of Streamsong Blue, with Pictures

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Benjamin Litman:
A few general comments before my hole-by-hole analysis, which this time will feature larger and clearer photos. (Thanks again to those who have posted reviews before me; I relied on them heavily in preparing to play both courses at Streamsong.) One thing I forgot to mention in my review of the Red course is that the greens on both courses at Streamsong are among the fastest and truest I have ever putted. The turf in general at Streamsong is firm and fast (not quite links firm, as you do leave ball marks on the greens) and goes a long way to making the courses what they are. Maintenance at both courses is superb.

As for the Blue course, it coheres better than the Red course. It has fewer standout individual holes, but better stretches of holes—1-2, 4-7, 9-12, and 14-18 each offer the type of cohesive experience that makes the game so enjoyable to play. The overall experience on the Blue is therefore better and more calming—which, in turn, led me to shoot much better scores, even though, in hindsight, Blue offers up plenty of difficulty. I loved the proximity of tees to greens (with only a few exceptions—7-8, 12-13, and, possibly, 13-14—tees are either immediately next to or a very short walk from greens). Red might have more the dramatic property, but I preferred the more gentle, nuanced terrain of the Blue, which also offers up better, and more frequent, views of Streamsong’s scale and uniqueness. I felt at times as though I was enjoying a late-summer, early evening round in Long Island—i.e., heaven. To me at least, no greater compliment can be paid to a golf course.

Streamsong Blue (Doak)

Front Nine

The front nine on the Blue course starts majestically, even if out of character. A tee placed high on a dune (it’s leave-your-bag-at-the-base high, and rumor has it, although I never experienced it, that the starter will often drive players to the top) affords stunning views of almost the entire Streamsong property. Views to the left of the tee reveal the first, second, fifth, sixth, and seventh holes on the Red course in all their phosphate-based glory. But the best view is the straightaway view of the hole you’re playing, the first on the Blue. It’s an infinity-type view, as you can see beyond the first green to the second hole and the holes that flank it (principally, the seventeenth to the left). The view, together with the voice of Colin, our Scottish starter who claimed to be good friends with Gil Hanse, allowed me to hit my three best tee balls of the week—perfect three-woods to the left-center of the fairway leaving me no more than 75 yards for my approach shot. In hindsight, I might have hit iron off the tee, as those short wedge shots weren't the easiest to judge. The green is to beyond the dip in terrain on the left of the fairway (interestingly, there is a similar dip in terrain to the right of the fairway, as you'll see in the pictures), so tee shots to the center or left side of the fairway are best. Tee shots to the right side of the fairway will produce blind approaches over a hillock that guards the right side of the green. A great opener and, owing to the approach, not as easy as its short length would suggest.

Streamsong Blue, Hole 1 (tee)


Streamsong Blue, Hole 1 (fairway; the green is NOT beyond the opening in the distance)


Streamsong Blue, Hole 1 (fairway; the green is beyond the dip on the left, not the similar dip on the right)


I’d compare the gradual, sweeping, and narrowing descent of the second fairway to the fifth fairway at New South Wales—with the climb to the first green at Streamsong Blue substituting for the climb to the apex of the fifth fairway at NSW. Obviously, the topography at the end of the descent is vastly different on both courses, but the effect is similar. Together with the gradual uphill climb on the first hole, the gradual descent at the second brought a calm over me and reminded me of my best—and happiest—experiences playing golf.

Streamsong Blue, Hole 2 (tee)


New South Wales, Hole 5 (fairway)


The hole itself is deceptively difficult. Although the drive doesn't pose much of a problem, the lay up does. The fairway in the layup zone remains plenty wide, but the gradual narrowing of the hole, together with the visually distracting hazards on both sides (junk to the right of the fairway, a long mound protruding from the left into the fairway) make the golfer feel like he has to be more precise than he actually does. The green is relatively flat for the Blue course, but, unlike many of the other greens, it's reachable only through the air.

Streamsong Blue, Hole 2 (fairway, including protruding mound from left)


Streamsong Blue, Hole 2 (green)


Streamsong Blue, Hole 2 (green, looking back up the fairway)


The third hole was my least favorite on the front nine. A Cape-style tee shot, with water running down the entire left side of the hole, is not as difficult as most Capes, as the carry is minimal and the fairway begins a ways away from the hazard line. But, still, the more you cut off, the shorter your approach (although even if you fan it right, you have no more than a six- or seven-iron in). The green is relatively benign, sloping from back to front, but visually appealing—as you see only sky above it as you walk from the fairway (although I wouldn't quite call it an infinity green—and not just because I know Tom hates them). A dastardly set of bunkers left saves (at least some) pulls from the water, and a long slope right propels weak fades farther from the hole.

Streamsong Blue, Hole 3 (green)


The stretch from four to seven is all-world, even if seven, like the tee on one, is out of character for the course. Four is probably the best single hole on the Blue course. The tee shot is both visually and strategically brilliant. A large bunker/waste area at once frames and cuts into the left side of the fairway, which stretches some 50 yards to the right. But the inclination is to flirt with the bunker/waste area on the left, as the flag sitting on top of a ridge in the distance seems to suggest a shorter and better-angled approach from the left side of the fairway.

Streamsong Blue, Hole 4 (tee, early afternoon)


Streamsong Blue, Hole 4 (tee, early morning)


The opposite is true. From the right side of the fairway, the approach is easier, as the green runs diagonally from front right to back left. The approach from the right side of the fairway therefore gives the golfer more green to work with—even if, from right or left, only the flag is visible from the fairway. As I stood over my approach shot in each of the three rounds I played on Blue, I kept having flashbacks to Tom’s bunkering at the fourth at Barnbougle Dunes. If he responds to this post and says the latter in no way inspired his bunkering at the fourth at Streamsong Blue, I’d be genuinely shocked. The only difference is what lies beyond the bunkering. At the fourth at Barnbougle Dunes, the green is more interesting than at the fourth at Streamsong Blue, where the green is perhaps the flattest and least-defined on the course. Except for at the front of the green, there are runoff areas on all sides—but those runoffs are flat extensions of the putting surface, offering relatively straightforward recovery shots (or putts). Not so at the fourth at Barnbougle Dunes. That probably makes sense, as the fourth at Streamsong Blue is a longer hole with a longer approach shot (after three fairway-finding three-woods of the tee, I hit seven iron the first round, gap wedge the second round, and six iron the third round, when the morning dew and heavy air made everything play a bit longer).

Streamsong Blue, Hole 4 (approach)


Barnbougle Dunes, Hole 4 (approach)


Five is a brilliant short par-3 with more epic views of the property, including the UFO-like Bauhausian lodge in the distance (that’s not a disparagement; I love the architecture of the lodge and think it fits the landscape perfectly). As on Red’s eighth, Blue’s fifth offers two teeing grounds, right and left, which offer totally different angles of attack—from the right tee, your tee shot is diagonal to the green and therefore presents less margin for error; from the left tee, your tee shot is straightaway to the green, so much so that one could actually putt it from the tee. The relative flatness of the front of the green gives way to a wildly undulating, and downward-sloping back of the green, which actually poses a greater problem for the golfer hitting down-the-green from the left tee. Carry it too far (or hit it too hard without adequate spin), and the ball will no doubt run off the back and toward the adjacent sixth tee. Left is dead, although it’s not quite as bad as the ridge-like falloff suggests. Bunkers on the other side of the ridge will catch at least some balls and allow for recovery shots, although good luck getting the ball to stop near the hole. The undulations and bunkers right are no bargain either, although you can use the slope behind the hole to your advantage.

Streamsong Blue, Hole 5 (left tee, straightaway angle to green)


Visually, the sixth hole was candy to my eyes and unlike any hole I had ever seen. It's easy to see only the elliptical formation of fairway and fairway bunkers, gradually rising toward the fairway's left edge, and forget that there is actually a green in the distance off to the right. But there is. It's blind from most of the fairway, unless you hit a long ball to the high left side. The drive and the visuals from the tee reminded me of the drive on 17 Red, but there you're hitting downhill to the fairway, as opposed to gradually uphill from the tee on 6 Blue (which, unlike the also-short par-4 first, is potentially driveable, to boot). Once you get to the green, you're in for a treat, as its slopes will drive you mad, even if you approach them with only a wedge in your hand (as most will). I found that missing short left the easiest recovery/first putt. The large dune behind the green, which is part of the same dune formation that, farther on, contains the perched first tee, frames the hole beautifully.

Streamsong Blue, Hole 6 (tee)


Streamsong Blue, Hole 6 (fairway)


Streamsong Blue, Hole 6 (green, with my girlfriend for a sense of scale)


The par-3 seventh is the most photographed hole on the entire property, so I won’t say too much about it. Again, it’s out of character and produces the one unfortunately long and convoluted green-to-tee walk on the Blue course (after putting out, you walk back over the bridge toward the front tees on the seventh, then up the steep hill to the right to get to 8 tee)—but it’s worth it. Of the two par-3s that use the same water hazard (Red 16 and Blue 7), I prefer Red 16. But 7 Blue, which is the shorter and more downhill of the two, is still a very fun hole to play—especially on walking to the tee for the first time (until you get there, you don't see it, as it's blind over the top of a ridge to the left of the sixth green). The falloffs on the left and right sides of the front of the green are pretty severe, but with a green that big and deep, you should be punished for flirting with the edges.

Streamsong Blue, Hole 7 (walk from 6 tee)


Streamsong Blue, Hole 7 (tee)


Streamsong Blue, Hole 7 (left side of green; note sharp falloff at edge)


Streamsong Blue, Hole 7 (from walking path to Hole 8, looking back toward the clubhouse)


The eighth hole reminded me a lot of the third hole, albeit a longer version with a more straightaway tee shot. Because it’s longer than the third, it’s much harder. I hit five-iron (twice) and three-iron (once) for my approach shots, and although I hit great green-finding shots on two of those occasions, the shot isn’t easy. I imagine the hole gives many players fits. A small pond short left of the green doesn’t really come into play on the approach (it stops well short of the green), but it’s a well-placed visual distraction. And the falloff short right and bunkers long right make recoveries challenging.

Streamsong Blue, Hole 8 (fairway)


Streamsong Blue, Hole 8 (green)


I loved the stretch from 9 to 12, which play along the same meadow-like, flattish piece of land (which I've already likened to the land comprising 10-12 on Bethpage Black, minus the huge fairway-separating bunkers). The tee shot on 9, framed by three beautifully layered bunkers on the right and open sky everywhere else, was my favorite on the course. Sure, it’s blind, but having played eight holes already (even if you haven’t done your research in advance), you should know that the fairway over the crest of the hill will be wide. Plus, it’s a par-5, so there’s no need to worry too much about missing it too far left. Given the shallow, wide green and the overall length of the hole, getting home in two is almost always out of the question—or at least not a good answer to it. I’m a long hitter (my three-wood, which I hit in lieu of my untrustworthy driver, goes 265 on average), and I hit three-wood, four-iron, and wedge all three rounds. If I were ever in a position to get close to the green in two, I would aim not for the green itself but instead for the front-right bunker. The green is elevated a bit, so it’s much easier to play up to the green from that bunker than down to the green from the back bunker, especially when the pin is on the right side of the green. All three shots on the hole are very pleasing on the eye—after the tee shot, the walk through the meadow-like fairway is incredibly serene and communal even (you see golfers coming up 11 Blue in the opposite direction to your left, and even a few off to the right on 17 Red), and the approach to the green is ethereal, as the green and bunkers seem to climb gradually up to the sky, which is very high at that point.

Streamsong Blue, Hole 9 (tee)


Streamsong Blue, Hole 9 (approach)

Benjamin Litman:
Back Nine

Although I didn’t play it particularly well, the tenth is my favorite par-3 on the Blue course. It reminded me a great deal, at least visually from the tee (with the framing of the trees and the gradual climb left to the horizon in the distance), of the spectacular par-3 16th at Royal Melbourne (East). Given that Tom has been doing some restoration work at that course, I’d be curious to learn if he was inspired by that hole when he built this one. The green on 10 Blue is hard to hit and narrow at the front, especially with a falloff left into a bunker. After finding that falloff, I bailed long left (over the bunker) each subsequent round and took my chances with my lag putting. Challenging yet calming—a surefire way to produce greatness.

Streamsong Blue, Hole 10 (tee)


Royal Melbourne (East), Hole 16 (tee)


Twelve is a long, stout par-4 with perhaps the wildest green on the property. The tee shot, like the one on nine, is blind, although less severely so. A cut off the left fairway bunker framing the horizon is as far left as your starting line should be. There is tons of room to the right, although the approach shot is much longer the farther right your tee ball lands. The fairway is visually divided into two by a small dead-center bunker. Finding the land to the left of that bunker and to the right of the horizon-framing bunker on the left edge of the fairway will leave the best approach shot, but the approach shot is long (a three-iron for me each day) no matter where your tee ball lands. The approach is along a flat piece of land, but beware the green. There are mounds all along the right side of the green and a huge falloff to the back left. Par is a great, and unlikely, score here.

Streamsong Blue, Hole 11 (tee)


Streamsong Blue, Hole 11 (green)


The land on which the twelfth hole lies is 10 feet below the land on which the ninth fairway and the eleventh hole lie, but still feels like part of the same stretch of holes. (You appreciate this most when standing on the fourteenth tee on the Red course and looking to your left back up 12 Blue, with 11 Blue higher up in the distance--see picture below.) Twelve offers another wide fairway, but it is visually much narrower than 9 or 11, as huge bunkers right and left frame it. The approach shot is to a beautiful green complex nestled into the hill below and to the right of the fourteenth tee on the Red course. A swamp, though not coming into play (it ends well before the green starts), adds to the visual beauty. The green itself is long, with a large left-to-right ridge in the middle creating two distinct shelves (front and back); hitting to a back pin and holding the green requires a precise long iron with a good deal of spin. Most players will end up on the front half of the green, owing to the swale. Note that shorter players have ample room to the left of the green to place their second shots. But you lose the straightaway look up the green from that angle, so the next shot is no bargain, as you are hitting not only diagonally to the green, but with a bunker to carry in front.

Streamsong Blue, Hole 12 (swamp/green complex)


Streamsong Blue, Hole 12 and 11 in the distance (looking back from tee on 14 Red)


After the second longish green-to-tee walk on the Blue course (although it’s shorter than the walk from 7 to 8 and all in the same direction and, like that walk, provides a beverage cart along the way), you arrive at one of the most spectacular spots on the entire Streamsong property. The thirteenth tee, though not elevated like the first tee, offers stunning views. To the left and a bit behind, you get the epic view of 14 and 15 on the Red course; to the left and a bit ahead, you get a view across a pond with 3 and 4 Blue on the other side, climbing up the ridge. The latter view reminds me of NGLA. As I wrote elsewhere, even though Blue is built on less dramatic land than the Red, the Blue affords better—and more frequent—views that give you a sense of Streamsong’s enormous scale.

Streamsong Blue, Hole 13 (tee, looking left and a bit behind)


Streamsong Blue, Hole 13 (tee, looking left and a bit ahead)


The thirteenth hole itself (I unfortunately didn't take any pictures of it) is a very good short par-4, full of strategy. Missing the fairway is highly unlikely; it is perhaps the widest on the course and requires only a long iron off the tee. The short, uphill approach shot is where the hole gets interesting. There is a humongous, cavernous bunker at the front left of the perched green; any shot that misses short, even if straight at the green, has a chance of rolling back into it. If you're in it, good luck getting out in one shot—unless you play sideways back to the fairway. Most approach shots will have to negotiate the bunker, as the fairway’s width and sometimes-severe cant is off to the left. (A straight tee shot, or even one hugging the right side of the fairway, is the most rewarding in terms of ease and angle of approach; but, as is often the case, the most rewarding shot is often the hardest to hit.) Visually, the bunker makes the perched green seem smaller than it already is. From the left side of the fairway, hitting the right side of the green seems like the only option, even if you have only a wedge in your hands. But Tom cleverly built a small false front at the right side, so many balls will wind up off the green. The best approach shot is probably hit to the back of the green, with one club more than you would normally hit.

Following a short, downhill walk, the fourteenth tee (like the first tee on Red, albeit in totally different ways) does a great job of intimidating you into thinking the tee shot is hard. It isn’t, but the lake in front and to the right of you, together with the well-placed, layered bunkers on the left wall of the lake (framing the right side of the fairway), gets in your head and seems to exert a rightward force on tee shots. When you get to the fairway, you realize how wide it is (it’s contiguous with the adjacent fifteenth hole) and how aiming left was the prudent play off the tee. Getting home in two is again unlikely—the hole rises steadily uphill from the tee—so a tee shot left doesn’t hurt you. This hole presented the one design feature on the entire course that I didn’t like—the shrubbery and fescue in front of the green. Although there are bunkers there, too, the density of the shrubbery and fescue make losing a ball on a good, straight shot a real possibility—and therefore make an attempt at going for it in two unwise. I hit two three-woods and got to the front bunker and made birdie on my first attempt, but when I hit the three-wood from the fairway, I was worried I’d lose the ball, even if it was right at the green. (Not counting water carries, it's the only place on the entire course where losing a ball even enters your mind; I played with a single ball each round.) There is a slender sliver of fairway to the right, but, unless you hit a big draw, no entrance to the green from that side. That means a three-shot hole for most players.

Streamsong Blue, Hole 14 (green, looking back down the fairway)


Fifteen is a great hole, a fair, yet challenging, longish par-4. The tee shot is very peaceful, and the light on the hole, especially late in the day, is always soothing. A cut is the best tee shot, using the Principal’s Nose bunker on the left side of the fairway in the distance as your starting line. The farther left your ball lands (remember the fairway goes forever to the left, as it is shared with the fourteenth fairway), the harder, longer, and more blind the approach shot. A middle or long-iron is needed on the approach, which is framed by a mound obscuring the left-side of the green and open land to the right of the green. Funny story: On my first playing of the hole, I hit a five-iron for my approach. I started it left over the mound, as always (I naturally play a cut), and literally said to my girlfriend as it was in the air, “If I know Tom Doak well from Barnbougle, there will be a slope to bring the ball back to the right.” Sure enough, there was, and my ball ended up in the middle of the green, 25 feet from the hole. Knowing your architect pays off. One more thing: The gently climbing views into the distance from 15 Blue are stunning and whet your appetite for the closing holes ahead.

Streamsong Blue, Hole 15 (tee)


Streamsong Blue, Hole 15 (fairway, with Principal's Nose bunker on left side)


Sixteen is a long, uphill-climbing par-3, and my probably my least favorite hole on an otherwise great back nine. It’s a long iron, or hybrid, for everyone, and the miss is left, where a slope has a chance of feeding your ball back to the surface. The green is long, and with the hole being as long as it is, three strokes with the putter are likely.

The final two holes complete what is a grueling closing stretch—although, as is true for all of the Blue course, it seems less grueling because of the gentleness and serenity that characterizes the land and the holes. Seventeen is a long, heavily bunkered par-5. A huge, half-blind bunker frames the right side of the fairway, and another large bunker (though miniscule compared to the one on the right side) frames the left side, albeit farther out. The play is therefore a cut aimed at the left fairway bunker. Getting home in two is again unlikely (and I’m not saying that just because I hit some of my worst tee shots off this tee; it’s just a long hole). The second shot has to deal with a row of bunkers that cuts and climbs across the fairway from left to right (at least strategically, a bit like the huge, continuous bunker bisecting the fairway on the par-5 fourth at Bethpage Black—although leaving it short there isn't an option). Leave your second shot short of those bunkers (often necessary if you hit the right fairway bunker off the tee) and you still have a long iron for your third; clear the bunkers and you have a short iron or wedge. The green, except for a bunker guarding the left side, is big and open, with plenty of room to miss right and long. It has a false front, so bring your lag-putting game.

Streamsong Blue, Hole 17 (tee)


Streamsong Blue, Hole 17 (fairway)


Streamsong Blue, Hole 17 (fairway, looking left back over the course toward the lodge)


The closing hole completes the gradual climb upward that the golfer began at the fourteenth tee. A blind, yet inviting, tee shot over a gentle ridge is an exhilarating start to a brutal hole. Once you get over that ridge, a sea of bunkers—most visible, one not—spread out on the downhill run to the green before you. (Dunes and the clubhouse in the distance complete a stunning visual.) Thank goodness the second shot is downhill, because it’s another long-iron approach. I hit three-iron each day, and ended up short right of the green. As good as the view is down the hill, the view back up from the green reminds the golfer of the serene, almost spiritual, experience he has just had.

Streamsong Blue, Hole 18 (tee)


Streamsong Blue, Hole 18 (fairway)


Streamsong Blue, Hole 18 (green)


Streamsong Blue, Hole 18 (green, looking back down the fairway)


As you walk from 18 green to the clubhouse, you come upon the “bye” hole that Tom created to resolve all-square matches. It’s a wedge and a fun way to end a highly pleasurable round of golf. (The “bye” hole isn’t accessible from 18 Red, which finishes on the other side, and farther away from, the clubhouse.)

Streamsong Blue, Bye Hole (tee)


After you leave your clubs and golf behind, you jump on a two-minute shuttle back to the lodge, which, as I've said, is a great piece of architecture.

Streamsong Lodge (looking back from the nature/hiking trail at the end of the big lake)


Streamsong Lodge (a side view from the walking path to the pool)


Streamsong Lodge (back view from gazebo near conference center/pool)


In short, Tom Doak's Blue course at Streamsong is a delight to play. Melodic yet hard, playable yet penal, gentle yet grand. Unlike the Red, it's one of those courses you could play every day. The pacing and cohesiveness of the Blue course are superior. It's why, after we completed our pre-arranged Red-Blue-Red tour of the property and extended our stay by two days, we chose to play the Blue course on both days. I will still play the Red many times in the future, but I will always prefer to play the Blue. The two complement each other perfectly in that regard. As I said, the entire complex is what golf should be.

Streamsong Lodge (looking out at the lake at sunset)

Paul Gray:
Benjamin (or do you prefer Ben?),

Early days but it's already abundantly clear that your photographic skills will be an additional to the site. If you ever want to be shown how to take nothing but a phone onto a golf course and proceed to take terrible pictures in poor light, I'm your man.  ;D

Hope your friend won't mind by the tee shot on the first just went into my rotation list for wallpaper on the laptop. Please let me know if royalties are owed.  ;D

Benjamin Litman:
Many thanks for the kind words, Paul. I used to be a Ben for much of my life, but got tired of it after college, so reverted to Benjamin. A few old friends, however, are still grandfathered in.

Except for the three pictures with me in them (which my girlfriend took), I took all the other pictures, so feel free to use them for wallpaper. (I assume you're using the one of the view from the first tee without me in it, no?) If, however, you decide to use them more widely, we can discuss royalties at that point.

Josh Tarble:
Very nice review.

I agree with you that #4 is probably the best hole on the Blue and it might be the best course on the property.   You described the tee shot and second very well, but I think you missed the brilliant way everything is sloped from right to left towards the green.  The right side is the obvious bailout but that leaves a very delicate recovery.  Just an excellent hole and one I enjoy playing every time.


I do disagree with you on #16.  I think it's an excellent par 3 and think you maybe got it backwards.  I think even with the bunkers, the miss is right.  The slope from left isn't really severe enough to kick a ball back towards the green, but steep enough to leave a difficult recovery.  The same slope makes the recovery from right a bit easier in my opinion.  (It always depends on the lie because you could easily draw a poor one out right though).

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