Course Breakdown: The Bear holes 1-5
The Bear has earned a reputation as one of the toughest golf courses in Michigan—and in the U.S. in general. Once ranked among the top 20 hardest courses in the country, I've noticed a trend of the course being toned down for public play. For my fellow golf architecture nerds, you’ll know that the designer, Jack Nicklaus, is notorious for creating brutally challenging tracks—almost to the point of punishing the average golfer for not being world-class.
All things considered, if I had to choose between The Bear and its less-premier sister course, The Wolverine, I’m playing The Wolverine 9 out of 10 times. It’s just more fun—and that’s where I find the most enjoyment when I play golf. Maybe that says more about me than the courses, but prepare yourself to get your ass kicked from the first tee shot to your final putt on 18.
The good news? You care enough about how you play to be reading this course breakdown. That means the fate of your success is now in my hands—and boy, oh boy, does that get me all giddy.
This breakdown is from the 6,600-yard blue tees. Stay out of the long grass, and let’s do our best not to short-side ourselves around the greens. One thing I love about The Bear is that it sticks to rotating pin locations. On the scorecard, each green is divided into four distinct areas where a pin can be placed. If it's a “1” day, all of the pins will be in the “1” area for that round. This makes determining pin locations easier and can help you choose the right places to miss.
Let’s dive in!
#1
The first hole is a well-mannered par 4 with plenty of room to ease you into your round. I prefer to challenge the left side of the fairway rather than the right because of the angle into the green complex. The greens at The Bear are fairly small, and working the right angles is key to scoring well.
The left fairway bunker is 237 yards to carry and, in my opinion, worth the risk to gain that preferred approach angle. The right side of the fairway dips down a foot or two and tends to be lush and soft. Jack Nicklaus loves using mounding to create uneven lies and punish players who miss the fairway—and the right side here is full of them. If you’re into a little Russian Roulette with your lies, you’ll feel right at home.
The green complex is narrow at the front and widens toward the back. It slopes from the back-right corner down to the front-left, so whatever you do, don’t go long. I'd much rather be short in the bunkers than long in the rough with no angle.
If the pin is in the front section, don’t be afraid to just aim for the fat part of the green. I’ve seen decent golfers ping-pong back and forth between the bunkers that sandwich this front section—and I’d hate for that to happen to you.
#2
The 2nd hole is one of the best out at The Bear. From the blue tees, it’s listed at 410 yards, but it plays significantly longer thanks to a steady 25-foot climb from tee to green. It’s a proper wake-up call and will definitely put some hair on your chest.
The tee shot is blind, which always adds a little drama, but don’t worry—you’ve got more room than it looks. Aim between the two clusters of trees; there’s plenty of space until about 255 yards. With the uphill grade, I’d say unless you’re routinely hitting your driver 280+, you’re safe to swing away.
The fairway essentially ends at that 255-yard mark, and from there the hole wraps around a low area of rough leading up to the green.
The green itself is wide but narrow front-to-back, so distance control is the name of the game. Generally speaking, you never want to miss long on a Jack Nicklaus-designed course—but this hole is the exception. Long is better than short. The front-left bunker is deep—like, bring your sand wedge and a prayer deep—so steer clear. Putting back from long is a far better fate than trying to escape from below green level.
#3
The 3rd is a beautiful downhill dogleg right and can definitely be one of the easier holes on the course. With the prevailing wind at your back and a wide fairway staring you down, this hole just begs you to let one rip. Stay left of the big maple on the right and pick a bunker to aim at—trust your line and swing confidently. With the downhill slope and helping wind, expect big things and don’t be afraid to take an aggressive line.
The fairway begins to pinch inside the 200-yard marker as you enter a narrow chute of hardwood trees. If your drive is offline, you’ll be forced to shape your next shot to thread through that gap—so the reward for a well-placed tee ball is real.
A solid drive gives you a legit chance to reach this green in two. If you’re going for it, your miss is short right. Just make sure you clear the creek—short is fine, long is not. If you have to lay up, I recommend leaving yourself at least a ¾ wedge—about 80 yards for me. A creek runs across the fairway roughly 50 yards short of the green, and if the pin is tucked behind the left bunker, you’ll want a shot that can land soft and hold.
The green slopes from the back-left to the front-right, so you really don’t want to miss long. That’ll leave you with a downhill chip to a green that runs away from you. Touchy stuff. A couple of decent swings should set up a good look at birdie on this one.
#4
I remember a high school tournament on this hole where I made a very respectable 8. Now, that might not sound logical—until I tell you I failed to carry the hazard that butts right up against the green three times. I finally hit the green on my fourth attempt and drained the putt. See? Pretty respectable 8.
There may not be water in the hazard short of the green, but it might as well be lava—because if your ball goes in there, it’s gone forever. You have to miss long on this 150-yard par 3. It’s not a long hole, but I respect the hell out of it, and I’ve promised myself I’ll never make 8 on it again. (Unless, of course, good ol' human error shows up.)
This hole is especially tricky for right-handed players. Honestly, it reminds me a bit of the 12th at Augusta National. Take a look at the overhead: the front-left portion of the green is about 140 yards to carry, while the front-right is closer to 155. That angle mirrors Augusta’s 12th almost exactly. For a righty aiming for the middle, a slight pull will send the ball long and left, while a push lands short—right in the hazard. That’s a good way to end up with a 7. Just saying.
My advice? Take your medicine and miss long on this dicey little par 3. You’ll thank yourself later.
#5
I’m not sure if this is always a Jack Nicklaus thing, but there are a bunch of upcoming holes where the fairway just ends and forces you to lay back. This one’s fairway cuts off at around 255 yards—but with an 18-foot drop from the tee to the fairway, it plays even shorter than that. More often than not, you’ll have a helping wind, so you probably can’t hit more than your 230 club without flirting with the water hazard.
And don’t even think about missing left—there’s a creek that runs along that side until it feeds into the main hazard. It’s pretty, sure—but it can ruin your round real quick. My kind of lady.
A perfect tee shot leaves you just under 150 yards into a two-tiered green. The bottom tier is relatively tame, but the back tier? Much tighter, and surrounded by moguls. I think I called these “mounds” back on Hole 1—but hey, tomato-tomahto(?). Anyway, moguls, mounds—same deal. They're annoying.
Unless you're feeling particularly frisky, it's best to play to the front half of the green and avoid going at the back pins. That upper tier is no joke.
