Streamsong Red vs Streamsong Blue
Two of the best modern courses in America, sharing one clubhouse and one extraordinary dunescape in central Florida. The Red is Coore and Crenshaw, the Blue is Tom Doak, and their holes weave across the same reclaimed mining land. Most golfers play both, but they really do play differently. Here is the honest head to head, with our verdict up front.
Photograph: Streamsong Red, via Google
The verdict
It is one of the closest calls in modern golf, but if you make us choose, the Red has the slight edge. The Coore and Crenshaw course, opened in 2012, is the one the major rankings most often place first, a beautifully routed eighteen of subtle angles and tempting lines, with several holes framed by the lakes that lace the property and a celebrated short par 3 over water. It is the more classically strategic of the two, and lower handicaps who relish working the ball into the correct side of a fairway tend to love it.
The Blue, by Tom Doak and opened the same year, is the bigger, bolder, more wide open course, with more dramatic elevation change across the sandhills, generous fairways off the tee and fiercely contoured greens that make the second shot the real defense. Many golfers, and plenty of higher handicaps, find it the more fun and more forgiving to drive while still a serious test around the greens. The truth is you should not have to choose: the two share a clubhouse and intertwine across the dunes, and a Streamsong trip is built to play both, with Gil Hanse's Black course completing the set. Pick the Red for the routing and the purest strategy, the Blue for width, scale and theater.
Head to head
| Streamsong Red | Streamsong Blue | |
|---|---|---|
| Designer | Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, opened 2012 | Tom Doak, opened 2012 |
| Par and length | Par 72, around 7,110 yards from the back tees | Par 72, around 7,276 yards from the back tees |
| Style | Classically strategic, water framed holes, subtle angles and tempting lines | Bigger and more wide open, bold elevation change, fiercely contoured greens |
| Signature golf | A celebrated short par 3 over water and a beautifully balanced routing | Dramatic sandhill holes and second shots defended by the green complexes |
| Rankings | Most often the higher rated of the two in national course rankings | Just behind the Red in most rankings, with many golfers preferring it on the day |
| Tends to suit | Lower handicaps who enjoy shaping shots and finding the correct side of the fairway | Higher handicaps and anyone who wants width off the tee and bold, fun golf |
| On course | Walkable with caddies or playable with carts, shared with the Blue and Black | Walkable with caddies or playable with carts, shared with the Red and Black |
| Best season | Florida winter and spring, roughly November to April, warm and dry | Florida winter and spring, roughly November to April, warm and dry |
Course facts and rankings verified June 2026; scorecards, fees and tee sheets move with season and demand, so always confirm directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
Who should pick which
Pick the Red if
You want the most acclaimed of the two and the purest strategy. The Coore and Crenshaw course rewards a golfer who thinks their way around, choosing the right line off the tee to open up the green and using the lakes and the contours rather than fighting them. It tops most rankings of the resort and is the favorite of many low handicappers and architecture enthusiasts. If you only have time for one round at Streamsong, the Red is the safe and slightly superior choice, though you will wish you had played the Blue too.
Pick the Blue if
You want the bigger, bolder, more forgiving driving course and do not mind a fierce test on and around the greens. Tom Doak's Blue uses the most dramatic land on the property, with sweeping elevation and wide fairways that suit a golfer who likes to let the driver go, then asks all the questions with its contoured putting surfaces. Higher handicaps often find it the more enjoyable round, and many seasoned visitors quietly rate it their favorite. For width, scale and sheer fun, the Blue wins.
Plan your Streamsong trip
The Red, the Blue and Gil Hanse's Black across a stay, or a wider Florida golf tour. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling, and one concierge builds the rounds, the lodging and the tee times, and costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Streamsong Red vs Blue questions
Is Streamsong Red or Blue better?
It is genuinely close and largely a matter of taste, but most rankings give the slight nod to the Red, the Coore and Crenshaw course, for its routing and its water framed holes. The Blue, by Tom Doak, is bigger, more wide open and bolder in its elevation, and many golfers find it the more fun of the two. They share a clubhouse and intertwine across the same dunescape, so the right answer for almost everyone is to play both. If forced to choose one, lower handicaps tend to prefer the Red and higher handicaps the Blue.
Who designed Streamsong Red and Blue?
The Red was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and the Blue by Tom Doak, two of the most admired firms in modern golf architecture. The two courses opened together in 2012 on the same reclaimed phosphate mining land in central Florida, their holes weaving across the same big, rumpled dunescape, with Gil Hanse's Black course added later.
How long are Streamsong Red and Blue?
Both are par 72. From the back tees the Blue plays around 7,276 yards and the Red around 7,110 yards, so the Blue is a touch longer, though both offer multiple tees and play very differently in the wind. Yardage matters less here than width, angles and the firm, fast ground around the greens. Always confirm current scorecards and tees with the resort.
Should you play both Streamsong courses?
Yes, if you can. The Red and Blue, plus Gil Hanse's Black, are the whole reason to make the trip to Streamsong, and they are walkable with caddies or playable with carts. A typical stay is built around two or three rounds across the courses, so most golfers experience the Red and Blue back to back rather than choosing between them. Our concierge plans the rounds, lodging and tee times together.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts and rankings verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.