It wasn’t long ago, even in the last ten years, that the golf industry seemed to be in trouble.
Golf courses were closing at a higher rate, club manufacturers were downsizing or going out of business altogether and an alarming percentage of avid golfers had already retired. .
Smack in the middle of this slowdown, in what seemed like a bold commitment to a struggling sport, The Mosaic Co. announced. big plans in 2010 to build one of the largest golf resorts in the state of Florida, 22.4 miles from the nearest Publix. Grocery store. To make matters even more concerning, Mosaic wasn’t even in the golf business. It is an international mining outfit, the single largest producer of phosphate and potash in the United States and a Fortune 500 company with billions in revenue.
“The designers were delighted with the opportunity to use the mineral land and work side by side on their two courses at Streamsong Resort,” said the first press release at the building in 2010. “A 16,000-acre project, the resort is located in southern Polk County. , between Tampa and Orlando.”
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Locals wondered how Mosaic intended to attract the golfing elite to the middle of nowhere. But just a couple of years later, Streamsong opened to almost unanimous acclaim and instant success.
Fast forward 13 years, and Streamsong Resort has grown into a behemoth. Just months after Mosaic sold the resort to a subsidiary of Chicago-based Kemper Sports Management for $160 million, the property’s fourth course is set to open Dec. 1 for full preview play.
“The Chain,” a non-traditional 19-hole short course by acclaimed designers Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, meanders through more of the resort’s terrain that doesn’t feel like central Florida.
Coore and Crenshaw’s Red course, one of two courses that opened in 2013, have achieved continued international acclaim. Ranked No. 21 in the 2023 ranking of America’s Greatest Public Courses by Golf Digest and No. 19 by similar publication Golfweek, it’s no surprise that Coore and Crenshaw were included in the again.
“Consisting of moss-covered oaks, lakes, and sand-based landscapes, the short course site is very talented for golf,” said Coore. “Although smaller in scale and different in character than the Blue, Black and Red courses, we believe the site has the potential to add to the incredible golf experiences that Streamsong has made as one of the most prestigious golf destinations in our country.”
Just a short walk from the property’s opulent 228-room lodge, the Chain doesn’t require a bag full of clubs, or a full allotment of time, for a standard 18-hole round. Golfers have the option of playing different “loops,” or groups of holes. The price point depends on the time of year and the number of holes to be played, starting at $45 up to $129 in peak season.
The opening of The Chain comes at a time when non-traditional courses are flourishing, capitalizing on a continued rise in popularity for the sport. Following the success of Bandon Preserve in Oregon and The Sand Box in Wisconsin, also designed by Coore and Crenshaw, as well as the popular Cradle course at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina, The Chain brings a unique amenity for resort guests that will appeal to golfers of all kinds. levels of play.
The lack of tee markings provides flexibility and a way to play a game, where the winner of the previous hole decides which teeing area to choose on the next hole. With large teeing areas, holes can be as short as half a pitch, while others can stretch to nearly 300 yards.
In the middle of the first loop, a food truck aptly named The Bucket serves up cheesesteak sliders, smoked kielbasa corndogs and cocktails fit for an evening with your friends, whether or not you won the hole eventually won or not.
About half of the holes are currently open to tour guests with preview play, and the rest are slated to open on December 1. For more information, visit the resort’s website at https://www.streamsongresort.com/.
This article first appeared on The Ledger: Streamsong set to open ‘The Chain,’ unconventional short course
