Course Breakdown: The Bear holes 15-18

#15 

The downhill par-5 15th is big, bold, and I love it. A 60-yard-wide fairway starts generously but begins to tighten as you progress, really pinching past the 280-yard mark. By 300 yards, it narrows to just 12 yards. From what I’ve seen, most tee shots that carry beyond 280 yards don’t stay in the fairway, adding serious adversity for those attempting to reach the green in two. Factor in the forced carry over the water hazard separating the fairway and green, and this becomes a make-or-break shot in your round.

There’s a huge section of fairway to the left that doglegs around the lake, but the farther left you go, the worse your angle into most pin positions becomes. The best place to lay up is the green-marked area on the right side of the fairway. This spot offers an ideal angle into the green complex—especially true when the pin is in position 1.  

To play devil’s advocate: while the angle from the left side isn’t great, it does eliminate the need to carry the water. This is where you need to assess your own abilities and decide what’s more important—having the perfect angle to go pin-seeking, or avoiding the risk of a splash and the dreaded walk of shame back to your bag for another ball.

Missing the green on this hole is extremely punishing. Anything long leaves you a dreaded downhill chip off a downhill lie. This is a better miss than short in the water but know you have to be careful. 

#16

The 390-yard par 4 doesn’t look too intimidating on the scorecard, but the 30-foot climb from tee box to green adds some serious hidden length. Off the tee, your only real obstacle is a bunker on the left, which is 205 yards to carry—but plays closer to 220 with the uphill elevation, so keep that in mind when picking your aim point.

On your approach, add about 5 yards to account for the continued uphill. The green is perched and guarded by a deep bunker short-left. At first glance, that might seem like the worst miss—but I’d argue the right bunker is even more penal. From the left, you’re at least playing into an upslope. From the right, the green runs away from you and slopes down toward that same left bunker, making it easy to watch your next shot trickle away.

I know you don’t want to hear “just hit the green,” but in this case, I really mean it. It’s a tough hole, so if you’re between clubs, aim for the front-right section—it gives you the best chance to walk away with par.

#17

After the gauntlet of the past three holes, the par-3 17th feels somewhat underwhelming. Honestly, it’s the one hole I remember the least on the entire course. At around 190 yards, it’s on the longer side, but it just doesn’t carry the same level of daunting challenge that the rest of the course seems to demand.

The main defense here is a pair of bunkers short and right of the green. Fortunately, long and left is a smart miss—it leaves you with an uphill chip to most pin positions, making recovery relatively manageable.

#18 

If I have the audacity to call the 17th “underwhelming,” you know I’m about to do a full 180—because The Bear’s finishing hole is downright overwhelming. There’s a lot going on here—so much that I had to add multiple 200- and 150-yard markers to the overhead image just to make sense of both sides of this split fairway.

The fairway is divided by a strip of rough covered in moguls and anchored by a large maple tree, forcing most golfers to choose between the safer left side or the more aggressive right. The left side offers tons of room until about 260 yards, where it begins to tighten up. The right side starts narrow but widens until about 260 yards, where water starts to pinch in. The center rough extends to about 250 yards before merging back into fairway.

That’s a lot of detail, so here’s the skinny: if you’re not worried about your ball traveling 260+ yards, aim for the right fairway. While it may look smaller, it leaves a much shorter approach. A 220-yard drive down the left leaves you another 220 yards—all over water. A 220-yard drive down the right? You’ve only got 170 yards in—also over water, but from a much more manageable distance. So ask yourself: which do you prefer?

For those with the firepower to carry it 250+, aim directly over the maple tree. There’s wiggle room in both directions, and even if you don’t quite clear the rough at 250 yards, you’re still in decent shape.

The green is the largest on the course and slopes from the back-left corner toward the front edge. It’s full of humps and bumps, but your best chance at getting up and down is from short-left of the green.

Conclusion:

My conclusion on The Bear is pretty simple: this is a badass golf course. And honestly, I kind of regret something I said in my introduction—I claimed I’d rather play The Bear’s sister course, The Wolverine, 9 times out of 10. But just like your taste buds change over time, I think your preferences in golf courses can too.

It had been at least three years since I last played The Bear before heading back out there this spring. I played poorly—snap-hooked my driver all day (UGH). It was brutal. I got my ass kicked... and I appreciated every minute of it. The Bear is incredibly difficult, but I also believe it’s a fair test. 

Would I want to play this course exclusively? Definitely not. But it’s a damn good golf course, and if you go in with tempered expectations, you’ll find something to admire—maybe even enjoy. At the end of the day, you wouldn’t win a fight against a bear in real life... and you’re not going to win this one either. My advice? Appreciate the ass beating.

Thanks for reading—and good luck out there!