TAMPA, Fla. – About 60 miles southeast of Tampa, nestled in the tiny agricultural community of Bowling Green and built on what used to be an old phosphate mine, you will find Streamsong Resort.
In June the top amateur golfers in the state will make the trek to Central Florida, as the Florida Amateur Championship takes center stage at Streamsong. The 104th Amateur Championship will be contested on June 24-27 on the Blue and Red Courses at Streamsong.
Streamsong Resort first opened its doors in 2013, but its origin goes back much farther. The Mosaic Company, the resort’s developer, has owned the 16,000 acres that Streamsong sits on for more than 50 years and mined the land for phosphates in the 1960s.
After being mined, the property was left to Mother Nature, resulting in towering sand dunes covered in native grass, natural bunkers and elevations changes that are exceedingly unique to the Sunshine State. You could say, this created the perfect canvas for golf course architects.
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Streamsong Blue |
The Mosaic Company, a fertilizer giant who places a focus on repurposing their land after it is mined, took an atypical route towards repurposing and decided to create a resort that makes guests question whether they are still in Florida.
Enter three of the brightest and most respected minds in golf architecture, Tom Doak and the team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw.
The three architects were tasked with designing the first two courses on the property, with Doak designing the Blue course and Coore and Crenshaw creating the Red course. There was a catch though, they were given the same piece of land to work with, so the two courses would weave between one another throughout the 18 holes.
Doak and Coore collaborated on the original 36-hole routing, with Coore giving Doak the first choice on which 18 he wanted to build after the two had walked the property mentally intertwining holes.
The Blue course, which will serve as the primary course for the 2021 Amateur, is routed on the more dramatic piece of the property. This can be seen from the very first hole as the back tee sits atop a 75-foot sand dune.
It features multiple elevation changes and large bunkers that roll off of towering sand dunes. Doak crafted a bold set of greens with unique green complexes and massive shelves and dips. The Blue course is a bit more compact than the Red, as it sits on the inside piece of the site.
The Red course, which is routed along the outside of the Blue course, winds through decades-old sand dunes that were created by a massive phosphate strip mine. It features striking landforms, expansive lakes and rolling terrain.
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Streamsong Red |
While Streamsong Resort is unlike any golf property you will find in Florida, it just recently became unlike any course in the industry. Last year, the Blue and Red courses underwent a massive course enhancement project with the installation of a new grass type, Mach 1, on all 18 greens of Red and Blue.
Streamsong is now the first golf destination in the work to showcase Mach 1 on two 18-hole layouts.
Mach 1, which was developed by renowned golf course superintendent Rodney Lingle, is known for being one of the cleanest, purest and smoothest rolling turfs in the industry. It is also heat and drought tolerant, making it ideal for Florida's turbulent weather patterns.
While the resort will host its first Amateur Championship in June, Streamsong is no stranger to hosting state and national championships, having previously hosted seven FSGA championships, including the 2019 Boys’ and Girls’ Junior Amateur Championships in back-to-back weeks. It was also the site of the 2nd U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship, as well as being a U.S. Open Final Qualifier site in 2019.
The Florida State Amateur Championship is one of the oldest and most prestigious amateur golf championships in the country, with a rich history dating back to 1913. Past champions include Jack Veghte, Gary Koch, Blayne Barber and Sam Horsfield.
