The golf course construction business might be stagnant in some parts of the country, but it's alive and well in some sections of Florida.
Streamsong Resort east of the Tampa area announced plans to build a third course to complement its two highly acclaimed layouts.
The proposed course, Streamsong Black, will be designed by Gil Hanse, who recently completed work on the Olympic course in Rio de Janeiro, site of golf's return to the Summer Games in 2016 after an absence of more than 100 years.
Streamsong Black would join the Red course, a Bill Coore-Ben Crenshaw design that is ranked No. 29 on the Golfweek's Best Modern Courses list, and the Blue course, a Tom Doak layout that is No. 43. Both opened in 2012 to widespread critical acclaim.
"Gil is a tremendously talented architect who approaches each project with a fresh, thoughtful perspective and a keen eye for the natural landscape," said Rich Mack, executive vice president of Mosaic Co., which owns Streamsong. "He is one of the best architects in the industry, highly gifted with sand-based sites and has an exciting vision for Streamsong Black."
The Black course will be built southeast of the two existing courses on the remote site between Tampa and Orlando, as part of a 16,000-acre reclaimed phosphate-mining operation. The resort also features a 216-room lodge and three restaurants. Officials also announced plans for a second practice facility, clubhouse and restaurant to serve guests playing the Black course.
"We're honored to be a part of such an amazing venue and to be able to develop a layout alongside Streamsong Red and Streamsong Blue, which were designed by the three architects I admire the most," Hanse said in a statement. "Streamsong is about an authentic golf experience, and the natural environment and landscape at Streamsong is simply like nothing we've experienced. It's one of the very best. To work with such a great piece of land and to showcase Streamsong Black alongside Bill, Ben and Tom's designs is a dream come true for a golf course architect. We view this as a huge opportunity for our team, and one that we're very excited about. I can't wait to get started."
The course is projected to open in fall 2017.