A new studyyes Sports forecast (yes, the launch monitor people) says Streamsong is America’s favorite golf destination.
While we know from experience that the golf at Streamsong is superb and the facilities are impeccable, the studio itself raises some questions.
For example, the study says that the average hotel rate in Streamsong is $89 per night. In addition, the study finds that there are 33 “destination” golf courses within a 35-mile radius of Streamsong.
We stayed at Streamsong and those two discoveries only leave us with questions. We think you have questions too.
As with any study, it pays to delve into the particulars.
Is Streamsong really number 1?
Foresight’s study gives us something it calls the “Golf Vacation Index.” It is a scale from 0 to 100 based on five metrics, each weighted according to overall importance. The quality of the course is the most weighted, accounting for 26 percent of the score. Looking at the top 100 public course ratings from Golfweek and Golf Digest. If a course is ranked No. 1, it receives a 100. If it is ranked 100, it receives a 1. If it is not in the Top 100, it receives a zero.
Research demand and supply of golf courses each account for 21 percent of the final ranking. The search query counts the average monthly Google search for an area and ranks it by percentile. Golf Course Supply counts the number of publicly accessible 18-hole courses within a 35-mile radius, normalized for places like Bandon or Pebble, which are on the coast.
Playable weather, which means the number of “golfable” days, counts for 17 percent of the total score. It is the number of days per year between 55 and 95 degrees. The price, meanwhile, counts for 15 percent. It should be noted that the price, in this case, has nothing to do with the cost of playing golf. It only focuses on the average hotel price per night for the area, not necessarily the resort itself.
Based on these metrics, Streamsong scored a Golf Vacation Index (or GVI) of 100. This just means it was the highest in the study, not that it’s “perfect.” Pebble Beach finished second with a 97.4 GVI while Pinehurst came third at 92.4.
A deeper look at the numbers, however, tells a different story.
We have questions
Two specifics in the Streamsong ranking jump out at us. The first is the most obvious: the average hotel rate of $89 per night. If you’ve ever been to the Streamsong lodge during high season (or even in the depths of summer), you know that’s not accurate. However, if you count the hotels and motels within that 35 mile radius plus the fact that summer rates in those places are considerably lower, you can see where the $89 number may have come from.
Someone from central Florida may say that they play golf in July or August, while it is less expensive, it may be, ahhhjust a little damp.
The second problem is with the number of “destination” courses. The study says there are 33 target public access courses within 35 kilometers (as the crow flies) of Streamsong. It only counts 18-hole courses in size, but does not quantify them by quality or conditions. The only thing that differentiates Streamsong Red, Blue or Black from Sanlan or Bartow is the top 100 national ranking.
If you take a critical look at the quirks of the study and add perspective, you can make a compelling case that Pebble or Pinehurst is a better overall destination. Again, there is no doubting the quality of Streamsong golf. Pebble, for example, scores higher in the quality of the course than Streamsong (more Top 100 courses), higher in the percentage of the search request, higher in the playing climate and higher in the availability of golf. Where it “loses” is in the price where it is scored 20 percentage points lower.
However, the fact that Pebble doesn’t have a true off-season while Streamsong does mean you have to take that particular score with a grain of salt or even the whole saltshaker.
About the time
There is no doubt that you can find a hell of a deal on Streamsong for July or August and find a hotel nearby in that $89 range. You may die on the course, but you can get a deal.
Pinehurst is no summer picnic, but it is not as oppressive as central Florida. July and August are quite humid and afternoon thunderstorms are common (as they are in Florida) but, in general, the summer heat is more manageable. Also, Pinehurst has a much deeper bench strength when it comes to courses. You could put together an incredible itinerary and never play any of Pinehurst’s 10 resort courses.
For a summer trip, Pinehurst ranks ahead of Streamsong and Pebble in terms of budget and depth of course selection. It’s a hard combination to beat.
Pebble, being Pebble, and the weather being what it is, never really has an off-season. The best deals (which are really more about availability than anything else) can be from mid-November to early February. Accommodation rates are lower in January, but rain is more likely.
Also, the list of courses in the Monterey area is very underrated. Pebble, Spyglass Hill and Pasatiempo are world class. Add in the Links at Spanish Bay (can’t wait for the redesign to open!), Poppy Hills, Del Monte, Pacific Grove, Bayonet and Black Horse and you have a pretty impressive list to choose from. The fact that the study shows 33 target courses near Streamsong but only 17 near Pebble is more than a bit of an eyebrow raiser.
Some surprises from the study
Las Vegas finished fourth overall, largely due to high average monthly searches. That’s probably because people go to Las Vegas for other reasons and want to play some golf while they’re there.
Kohler/Sheboygan, home of Loud whistleshad by far the highest search volume on Google, with an average of more than 40,000 searches per month during the study period (July ’25 to July ’26). Another Wisconsin destination, Sand Valley, was a distant second with more than 18,000 searches per month. Bandon was next at just over 12,000.
Bandon finished with the highest quality point of the course in the study. That score, however, had to be weighted because it is on the coast, like Pebble. Half of its radius of 35 kilometers is the Pacific Ocean. Pinehurst and Sand Valley finished second and third in course quality.
The lowest GVI location was Lanai, the small Hawaiian island southwest of Maui. It features the Manele Golf Course, designed by Jack Nicklaus, but it ranks so low in every category that the studio didn’t even bother to give it a GVI. The next lowest was Sun Valley, Idaho. His GVI was 19.6.
Traverse City in Michigan also surprised us by finishing in the bottom half with a 44.1 GVI. That score, however, indicates why the 35-mile radius is random and arbitrary. Golfers will fly into Traverse City and then spread out to destinations like Arcadia Bluffs and Forest Dunes (50 to 90 miles away) or to and Boyne’s estates60 to 70 miles north. The 35-mile limit gave Traverse City a golf quality score of just 21.4.
It’s your turn
As mentioned, this study comes to us from Foresight Sports. We are just the messenger, friends. However, as an organization dedicated to data, we can certainly applaud the effort as a great first step. We love the notion of a Golf Vacation Index. It has the potential to be an excellent way to evaluate golf destinations and decide where to spend your hard earned money. Clearly, the methodology needs some work, but that doesn’t mean the study is worthless. It just means that we have to think critically about what we are looking at.
With that, let’s get back to you. What do you think about the study (click here for detailed insight) and how does the ranking stack up against your experiences?
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