Streamsong Resort: In Tune With a Different Florida

There are Florida luxury golf resorts, and then there is Streamsong Resort, which steers refreshingly clear of many common Florida golf resort conventions. The 216-room property is inland, and two hours from both Orlando’s and Tampa’s airports by car. It covers 16,000 acres of dunes, prairies and forests that, at different angles, evoke African savannah, the Australian outback and terrain from other corners of the United States. A day rolling along its Black, Blue or Red courses can resemble a safari with a surprising array of wildlife. Three main buildings — The Lodge, the Red Blue Clubhouse and the Black Clubhouse — carve a dramatic presence in this unusual, otherworldly setting.

It is also unquestionably golf-centric, which makes it a wonderfully tranquil place for serious enthusiasts to try out its three challenging courses, designed by pros Tom Doak, Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw and Gil Hanse and have quality permutations of father-and-son or guy’s weekend (or girl’s weekend) family time. Along with these one-of-a-kind courses, there are other activities providing visitors with a genuine appreciation of this hidden corner of Florida.

Streamsong View from Pegasus. Photo: Streamsong Resort

Before or after a round of golf, guests can try their hand at archery, sporting clay shooting, trick golf shots on floating platforms or bass fishing with the resort’s affable guides. While these activities will also make non-golfing guests feel welcome, golf lessons taught by the resort’s pros and its Gauntlet 18-hole putting green allows everybody to participate in its decidedly un-snobby take on the golfer’s lifestyle. There is also a nature walk around the lodge any guest can enjoy (weather permitting) as well as a beautiful infinity pool. However, management suggests more activities will be rolled out over the next year that will be in tune with its natural setting.

Streamsong Gauntlet At Dusk. Photo: Streamsong Resort

The AcquaPietra Spa, which offers an extensive selection of massages, facials and treatments with Naturopathica products, also takes a fresh approach to the resort experience. Rather than affecting a Southeast Asian or European setting, it exists on its own terms in a way that’s harmonious with its singular outdoor landscape. While most resorts allow guests to use spa amenities on the day of their treatments, here they are welcome to use the four thermal pools, cold plunge pool and saunas throughout their stay.

Spa. Photo: Streamstrong Resort

With the exception of SottoTerra, its excellent Italian fine-dining venue, Streamsong’s restaurants all constitute an inventive mix of Southern, New American and Tex-Mex sensibilities while maintaining distinctive identities. Restaurant Fifty-Nine is a USDA Prime steakhouse in the Streamsong Red-Blue clubhouse with elegant and seasonal preparations of beef and seafood mostly harvested off the Florida coast. Bone Valley Tavern, the gastropub in the recently completed Streamsong Black Clubhouse, is focused on inventive variations on classics such as nachos, salads and sandwiches by day and elegantly, casual-plated dishes by night.

Lobster Salad at Bone ValleyTavern. Photo: Streamsong Resort

P2O5 (a nod to the area’s phosphate mining industry), a contemporary three-meal restaurant in the main lodge, also features a fine weekend breakfast buffet. Rooftop cocktail bar Fragmentary Blue is the perfect happy hour hangout with its novel nibbles, generous artisanal cocktails and the night’s PGA, NFL, NBA or Major League Baseball games projected on large screens. Some of the most memorable holes in one, food wise, are the grab-and-go items such as brisket and tacos served at different snack shacks between the eighth and ninth greens of Black, Blue and Red courses.

Although the resort does not actively court families with young children, we observed a few sets of golf-loving parents traveling with their children enjoying it to the fullest. Those kids clearly got a kick out of being watched by the resident raccoon and other critters through Bone Valley Tavern’s panoramic windows. As several rooms, restaurants and outdoor spaces are available for weddings and other family celebrations, the staff will accommodate children and teens traveling with their parents (especially budding golf fans).