Come on.. You know about Streamsong!
If you’re a golfer, unless you have been living under a rock these last few years, you have heard about Streamsong Resort in Bowling Green, Florida. Many visit this golf destination mecca each year due to its fantastic three courses, top-rated hotel, restaurants on property, and amenities. Now seven years since they first opened, they have continued to evolve and improve every few years, and now is no exception!
Streamsong first made waves opening with two courses, the “Blue” Course designed by Tom Doak, and the “Red” course, designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. In 2018 they added the “Black” course, designed by Gil Hanse. These master course designers all put their fingerprints on Streamsong, and even though they are next to each other, they each have a unique feel and design. Each day you play there is a new and unique experience compared to the day before. Each night at dinner with your group, you can almost always guarantee the conversation comes up “so which course is your favorite”? The funny part is that every person has a different answer, which is a true testament to the uniqueness and craftsmanship that has gone into each course.
Continuing that tradition of always evolving and betterment, Streamsong had plans to regrass the greens on the “Blue” course in 2020. The Director of Golf Agronomy, Rusty Mercer, was tasked with finding the perfect grass for the project. He built test greens of all different grass types on the property and invited employees, guests, and friends to test out each grass and give their feedback. Through much deliberation, a winner emerged, the “Mach 1” Ultradwarf Bermuda grass.
Let’s make it Better, let’s regrass!
The plan was to regrass Blue in 2020 and Red in 2021, but when Covid struck, the management team decided to push up the timeline on Red and regrass both at the same time. Back when Covid first hit the United States in March, people did not know if this would last three weeks or several months. In hindsight, it looks like an easy decision, but it was a bold move that has paid off! This past month, both the Red and the Blue courses opened back up for full play, and what a great job the greens crew did!
Before I go into how the ball rolls on putts, I must talk about a prevalent scenario after a course regrasses their greens. Typically for about a year, the green will remain hard, causing all incoming shots to bounce forward a good 4-5 yards upon the first impact. I have heard guys say many times, “oh, don’t go play that course. They just re-did their greens earlier this year”. Somehow Streamsong Resort figured this problem out in 7 months (or just got lucky) because it acts as an established grass green. I could not believe my eyes. In all my years playing golf, I have never seen such a feat! Streamsong is genuinely open for business!
Now on to the Mach 1 Ultradwarf Bermuda grass, which again is like no other Bermuda on the planet in my eyes. What makes this grass so different? It is an extremely tight turf and very fine blade. The big downside to Bermuda grass is the grain, which can cause the ball to move inches in one direction or another, depending on the direction the grass is growing. If you are not from the southeast United States, Bermuda grass is like a cursed turf, brought to life only to torment you and baffle those while putting and chipping. It is extremely common to hear players from outside the region, screaming out, “I just don’t understand the grain and how to putt on this stuff.” I would even go so far as to say this discourages many folks from coming down and traveling to the southeast more often. This Mach 1 has solved the dilemma. The small blade and tight turf are like a medium between Bentgrass from the northern United States and Bermuda of the south. And even better, there is no grain! What you see is what you get, no sorcery or trickery here on the Red and Blue! You have greens that putt like you are standing on a pool table that is 10,000 square feet, man are they smooth.
So why the change? After all, the Red and Blue were are only seven years old? In speaking with Rusty Mercer, he explained, “we didn’t want to be just another golf resort; we want to be a top tier resort in the world.” With these greens, all three courses rated in the top 25 “courses you can play” in the United States, a beautiful 228 room hotel, five restaurants on property, pool, spa, fishing, and clay shooting, there is no reason not to go!
With these new greens, I really must say Streamsong Resort has hit this one out of the park! Whether you have never been to Streamsong or you go every year, you need to make this trip a priority and experience everything the resort has to offer! Visit the Streamsong web site to book your package now!