After having made quite a few trips to Maui over the years, I finally buckled down and decided to play the Royal Ka'anapali course, which I had driven past many times.  I had heard mixed things from different golfers and I think that uneven sentiment is understandable after playing the golf course.

There are definitely a lot of good golf holes, but a few odd/forgettable ones as well.  Also, I will acknowledge that the trade winds blew hard and the golf course was not (in my mind) designed to have the wind blowing the way it was, which was down mountain.  Every shot on the hilly golf holes in the middle of the round had to be hit "up mountain" from the greens and the wind then blew the ball essentially down wind and down hill, making the greens pseudo un-hittable.  Again, not fully knowing the "normal" trade winds direction, if this is the normal direction, then the golf course has a fundamental flaw on those middle golf holes.  If this was an odd wind, then I just got unlucky and would like to play the golf course again in better wind conditions.

Like so many other things, CoVID disrupted my formerly consistent and timely postings of new golf courses.  I've improved this calendar year but I'm still struggling to catch up with golf courses I've played over the last year.

To that end, this is the first part of a three-part Hawaiian Islands update.  I've been to the islands many times and, as in other places, but perhaps more pronounced in Hawaii, due to the sheer smaller number of courses, when a course gets shut down or changes, it has a larger impact on the golfers.  Several of these changes/closures have happened since I started this website circa 2000, with most of those being a result of activity post the Great Recession but some also being affected by CoVID. 

I had not done much historically to update things, especially where there was some "hope" that things were temporarily closed.  That being said, with this update, including any of the GolfTop18 other lists, course names have been updates and those that have closed have been noted as such, after I did more research.  Eventually, for those where the courses are permanently closed, I will move them to the Honorable Mentions or another similar listing.  For now, though, at least, the courses on the islands are at least more updated.  Part 2 and 3 will have real new reviews on both the islands of Maui and Oahu.

This post has two golf course reviews.  First, it has an update to the Reunion Legacy (Palmer) golf course in Kissimmee, Florida, which I played again recently.

Secondly, after travelling to the Orlando area for the past decade, I had driven past a certain golf course at least 50 times to and from the resorts we have stayed at, which had really grabbed my attention.  The golf hole near the road appeared to be a massive U shaped dogleg around a marsh and it REALLY made we want to play it.  So, although Mystic Dunes never officially advertised, there might not be a stronger pull then driving past what looks to be a cool golf hole.  I will say the three hole stretch (with that golf hole being the final one in that stretch) is one of the most fun and unique hours of golf one will play anywhere.  The rest of the golf course is decent to good, but enjoy the review either way.

The genesis of this golf course review website stemmed from my love of ranking things, combined with an ever-growing list of golf courses I had the pleasure of playing.  Thus, it's inherent in how I approach a golf experience.  This is enhanced further when I go to a golfing complex with multiple golf courses and more again when I go with people who are curious as to my opinions.

This year, my annual golf trip with my buddies took us to Streamsong in Florida, where they have the trio of the Black, Blue and Red courses.  I had once previously journeyed there and played two of the three golf courses.  This trip, however, was designed to let me play each golf course and, at the end of it all, I had enjoyed each one twice in my life, gaining perspective.

I was asked during and since the conclusion of the boys golf trip which of the three is my favorite and, much to my chagrin, for once, I can't answer that question: at least not directly, and here's why:

Red - there can be no doubt that the most memorable and terrifying (to the average golfer) stretch of golf holes on property is the first seven here.  Although there are a couple of "easy" holes in there, having water and/or oblivion in play on 6 of 7 tee shots and half of the approaches to start a round is tough.  So, as a golfer who loves adrenaline inducing shots, this is awesome.  However, after the 7th finishes, although the course is still challenging and has high points along the way, there are stretches that feel a little more mundane or repetitive compared to the other courses, giving this course also the "lowest" of the lows on property.

Blue - Since this shares much of the same land as Red, it should feel very similar, but Doak's design strangely feels quite a bit different and plays as the more consistent, fair and cohesive of the two layouts.  With only a couple of holes I didn't enjoy, this one relies less on terrifying shots over water (there are some) and more on a great variety of shot values and golf hole types.  Of course, by contrast to it's "brother", it never quite reaches the adrenaline highs of Red, but on a day to day basis, might be more enjoyable to play.

Black - In life, contrast can bring appreciation.  To the person who lives in a forest, the ocean can bring more awe than it might to one who lives on a beach. However, it's the contrast between the two that can make both really stand out to all people.  It is the same here with Streamsong Black.  If Gil Hanse had been given land like the other golf courses or done the same thing I might dare to say the overall reputation of the destination would have dropped.  But, this golf course is nothing like the others.  Surrounded by the more natural white sands of the region, it feels more arid and natural than the other two.  There is nearly no water on the golf course, but this is a welcome departure from the other courses, like a bridge in a great rock song.  I dare say that this would be my favorite of the golf courses were it not for the truly hateful 14th and 15th holes.  The former of these is almost universally hated, which is sad, because it actually could be easily fixed by expanding / levelling the back portion of the green to make it less like impossible mini-golf.  The latter is more debatable but I don't like the tier concept and it feels like an ill-conceived video game hole more than real life.  Nonetheless, the golf course, on an overall basis enhances the experience.

The conclusion:  a three-way tie for first place and a recommendation for golfers to visit this place, but to ensure they play all three to fully appreciate each one.

Having first journeyed to Streamsong 3 years ago to play 36 holes of golf in one day (I only achieved 34 before a lightning storm), I wasn't sure if/when I would make it back.  However, recently I went on a guys golf trip where we were able to play all the golf courses there.  This update, however, focuses on my return to both Streamsong Red and Streamsong Black for my second time seeing those tracks.

For Streamsong Red, I had originally played it in benign conditions and with a dedicated caddie.  Although I had to handicap in my last two holes due to the rain-out, I was very pleased to finish with a strong 79.  Upon my return, I felt little stress and was ready to improve upon that.  However, I quickly learned that my 2019 round was far better than I remember it as the Red Course proceeded to destroy me.  In my worst round of 2022, Coore/Crenshaw's lakes and sand traps proved too much for me as I fell into mistake after mistake, and then putted horribly to boot.

The other side of the coin, however, was my second attempt at Streamsong Black.  In my first visit I did not know it was a par 73 and played the shorter combo tees.  However, after a horrible front nine, my attempt at a comeback fell short, finishing with my most hated score, 80.  This time around, I decided to play further back at the Black tees, and remembered better where I could safely miss of the tee.  Thus, I flipped the script, playing a much better front nine and then, although sadly fading slightly at the end, finishing with a triumphant 79.

Either way, both golf courses have been updated.

Normally when I go 10+ years between rounds at a golf course, there will be some changes in the form of a couple of new bunkers or some additions or removals of trees, but in the case of Trump National Los Angeles, the owner came and went as president of the United States.  There were also some changes to the golf course, but that, in this case, is probably less newsworthy to most folks.  Either way, the golf course is a little better than I remembered it, which is reflected in the rating, even though it still is a bit over-priced and not a top-tier golf course as a certain somebody might try to convince you.

And just like that there is a new state (Montana) added into the freshly minted Mountain TZ Region page.  Although I spent way more time hiking the beauty of Glacier National Park, I found a little time to visit my friend and play a little golf too.

Additionally, there two new golf course reviews in New Mexico as well from "recent" trips taking during the pandemic to visit some family there.  It's good to see them and good to see the # of courses triple in size for this state.

It's my favorite time of year (from a weather perspective) and for spring cleaning this year, I spent some of my time indoors trying to make this golf course review website more easy to navigate.  Thus, the USA Mountain Time Zone region has been added and all of the other USA region pages have been updated.

The unexpected part of this was the realization that I had missed quite a few golf course reviews over the last two years (I'll claim CoVID-brain) so those will be coming relatively soon.

I started writing golf course reviews like the ones on this website back in the early 2000s as there were no good internet sites or online videos that could show somebody what most golf courses looked like.  I wished at the time that I could plan trips and golf visits with a little more "visual knowledge" and so decided to do that on my own and put together the website, with the help of my wife, NOT to make money or a living at it, but to help out the golfer like me who might be "looking" for some tips on course to play (at least those near where I lived).

Of course, many years (and hundreds of golf courses) later, I think we've only officially received a dozen or so actual posts from visitors asking for advice, but I know many of my friends and colleagues have used the website to get "pumped" to go play a golf course or research and area...and thus, I feel the mission is somewhat complete, even if only in my micro-golf arena of life.

There is a now a part of middle-aged me that would have encouraged the younger version of myself to do this on a more macro-golf level, like, for example, the No Laying Up podcast group.  I mention them, not out of any official affiliation (I don't know them, although I am also a public accountant, like some of them used to be) but just out of admiration and respect for guys not similar from myself taking an idea like mine and being able to pursue it, monetize it and bring it to a whole new level, so other golfers can also benefit from what they share.

One such example is the Gearhart Golf Links in Oregon.  There is zero chance I would have looked this up and made a part of a family trip to the Pacific Northwest had my son and I not seen it on the Tourist Sauce Oregon Season (free plug, again, not affiliated).  I have to say they got it right and really did provide a faithful "review" of the experience at the course.  And...as such, you can enjoy my "micro" review now courtesy of the "macro" review they did.

Last year, I made my first expansion of the "greatest" hole lists by adding The Third 18.  I've now made my first updated to that listing courtesy of the greatest golf hole at Sheep Ranch being included.  As always, you can find those golf holes and golf courses that have been bumped off any list at The Honorable Mentions page.