However, after spending a few days at this location, four of
us set out on an exploratory trip searching for serendipity and an atypical
Florida site. We had heard that we could find a moderately-priced lunch at a 100
million dollar resort about thirty miles west of Frostproof, near Fort Meade, Florida
that lived up to its intriguing name, "Streamsong."
We drove west on a two-lane highway lined by palmetto scrub,
small ponds, and mounds of discarded materials from phosphate mines, weaving
our way beside dying orange groves, cattle-grazed land, unnoticed for many years, and
through scenery that we called "the boonies." It was reclaimed mining territory, and within an hour we had entered a 16,000-acre site, last mined in
the 60's, where two 18-hole links style golf courses had been carved out of
huge sand dunes left behind by the original mining operations of Mosaic
Phosphate Company. Our first response was one of incredulity when we viewed the
particularly stark and undeveloped setting -- or so it seemed.
The place was remote, and when we saw the huge 216-room
lodge looming ahead, we were amazed at the architectural dream that has become
a global destination for golfers and those who like to stay in buildings that
reflect the natural environment. I didn't take a photograph of the six-story
lodge because it was a gray day, and the innovative design of the building
didn't particularly appeal to me, but I was told that the lodge wasn't just a product
of artistic sustainability, it had been hailed as an extraordinary piece of
architecture. To me, the building had an institutional, stronghold aura—even
the turret on the roof resembled a guardsman's post, but the design has been
heralded as "bold and audacious."
We lunched in one of the three restaurants within the lodge,
the "P205" (chemical formula for phosphate),
which featured Floridian comfort food including chicken pot pie and fried
grouper, and were told we could visit the grotto-style spa if we wished. We
declined that invitation, as well as an invite to enjoy the "infinity"
pool. The concierge informed us that Streamsong's two golf courses have been
ranked among Golf Week's best golf resort destinations in
the U.S.
Streamsong, a destination set in a remote area halfway
between Orlando and Tampa, may not have been our idea of perfect serendipity
but we agreed that it could be a place to escape the stresses of post-modern
living and to re-connect to a natural environment indicative of pastoral
central Florida.
As I said when I began this blog, the scenes on Silver Lake (shown in the attached photos) appealed more to my sensibilities. However, for golfers who like luxury and
minimalist nature in one package, Streamsong offers a unique experience off the
beaten track.
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