Black Bear Golf Club

The only thing keeping me from giving this course a 5-star was the 5+ hour round. Otherwise, the course was in great shape and provided a nice challenge for all the clubs in the bag.

I thoroughly enjoyed playing Black Bear golf course. It is in great shape and in a very picturesque area of New Jersey, providing a serene environment. The hills and ponds provide a challenge, but it is not too difficult for an intermediate player.

i have never played this course before but got very good rate on golf now!! it was very good day. the course is in great shape you have to watch the putting look at the hole to see growth to tell grain it makes a change in speed and break. the views are also great.

I have not played Black Bear in several years. When they first opened the course it needed time to grow in. The fairways were thin and the greens were so-so. The greens have always been questionable and there are a couple of just OK holes (12, 13). I was quite surprised yesterday to find the fairways have grown in nicely and most of the greens are now very nice. They have cut back some trees and opened up the fairway and green area on 12 which makes it more playable. The bunkers still need some attention as most that I found during play did not have enough sand in them. In general the course is in very good condition, much better than the last time I played there. I will definitely go back and play there again.

Round took 5.5 hours. Talked to cart guys afterwards and they said time was pretty typical for this course. "What did I expect?" I complained and said 4:10 to 4:30 was more reasonable and they stated that the course was "too busy" and never was less than 5 hours.

Course was in decent shape overall but always two + groups on most tees. Just not pleasant playing at the pace this course has. Marshalls would go a long ways towards helping if they had any that actually did anything.

I forgot just how much I love this course. The course was is great shape with the exception of copious ball marks on the greens (most likely from an outing earlier in the day...are they really THAT hard to fix, people?!?). This was clearly not the fault of the grounds crew.

Pace of play was fantastic and the weather could not have been better. I will definitely be playing here more often this summer.

Overall excellent value with golfnow deal
Course was on super shape and staff was very friendly only problem was slowness on back nine but it is weekend golf in northeast

It was a very good course and my group enjoyed playing very much. We will try again in the near future. thanks.

My friend and I played with another twosome and had a great time. The staff was very friendly and professional and the facilities were excellent. I have played here before, and they were just as nice as always.

The course layout can provide a decent challenge to any golfer and the rough is as overgrown as I've ever seen it!!! if your ball lands in there, it can easily add two or three strokes to your score, but the course does reward good shotmaking.

The round was a little slow, but the marshals did their best to keep everything moving, so we were happy. We'll definitely play there again.

One last thing: this course really isn't for beginners; one of the reasons our round was so slow.

The starter and course rangers could be more courteous

Very enjoyable round at Black Bear. Greens were smooth and perfect speed. A few areas on greens were repaired but very well done by maintenance crew! Some areas behind/around greens are being cleared of trees and bushes which helps keep ball in play and probably keeps greens more in the sun/healthy. Definitely Mo' fun to have a pitch rather than lost in the scrub....
Shot 33 on the back nine from blue tees. Didn't expect to play that well but great conditions helped the birdies roll in. Thanks Black Bear!

It took 3 hours to play 9 holes! This was by far the worst experience I have had at this course. Usually the pace of play is reasonable.

The course was in great shape, but many of the pin placements were ridiculous. This is not the US Open -- the pins should be located where the average golfer at least has a chance to make a putt. Also, the rough could be trimmer a little lower -- on several occasions it was difficult to find the ball when it sunk down, even close to the fairway.

First time playing here, with my Dad, on a holiday Monday. The fees + cart were $65/person, which I thought pretty good for a peak rate.

The course, at least that day, did penalize you quite a bit for being in the rough. It was deep and thick, only allowing for hack outs. Greens were a bit "patchy", but rolled fine.

The course offers a good variety of shot making, terrain, scenery and challenging greens. It is definitely not walkable. The back 9 does have several of the holes closer together, as another reviewer had mentioned.

For the extras, there was decent water, ball washers and beverage cart coverage throughout.

Staff was friendly and helpful.

Grass needs to be cut and make the pace of play quicker.

Played on Memorial Day with a good buddy and made an earlyish tee time at 7:30am. Got off on time. As a twosome we were waiting on most shots but not too long. The pace was good for a holiday...4.5hrs. Beautiful weather day. Course was a little tight for my errant drives. Fairways were true and well maintained. Same with greens (true rolls and well maintained)...albeit a little slower than a private club would keep their greens. The rough was very heavy. Lost at least a couple of balls to the high rough and searched for others that should have been easy to find but the rough grabbed it and snuck it under the turf. Played from the blues which was a nice length of 6300 yards or so. Nice looking track. a handful of sidehill lies made for a nice challenge...even in the fairways. But almost no brownout areas of the fairways or rough around the greens. A couple of traps were way too thin and needed sand. On balance...a very nice round and fun place to play for the price.

Good course conditions, good pace, deep rough. Not for beginners.

Friendly staff, driving range, up keep is very good considering the saturation problems course has ( do not recommend it after a rainy day, most holes are cart path only)
However like I said greens and tees are in good condition as well as fairways.
Love the fact that there are no condos on property, power lines distract the nature, but that's half bed.

I had overall very good experience

Was a little apprehensive before I played here, as 2 people we spoke to the day before while we were playing at Ballyowen didn't really have good things to say.

Seems like their distaste for this course was not really justified, as I thought it was decent. Greens were in good shape, fairways a little soggy in patches, but not terrible. Wasn't the most scenic of courses, and looked like they were doing some work in the surrounding areas, but the course itself was in good shape.

Fairly tight in areas, but not particularly difficult or challenging. Good for a day out with the buddies.

I came there as a single and it was cloudy so not many people showed up but starter let me wait around until a couple guys showed up to join. it turned out to be a wonderful day and had a great time. greens were a lil shaggy and a couple lil wet spots but other than that course was in great shape and i will definitely go back. 59 bucks for a round through golf now was a lil high but it was worth the price. shot 86 first time there so i was happy!!