Black Bear Golf Club

I played at the request of my foursome and booked a hot deal (39) through Golfnow. Normal price is $50 or so through the course's website.

The fairways have a large amount of poa weeds growing and the greens were recently sanded. The gress are tiny - not smail - tiny. As an example, the green on the 2nd hole (a par 5) is 30 feet long and 5 or 6 feet wide. Considering that any approach shot has to be made to a green that is elevated by some 4 or five yards and trying to get it on the green is almost impossible (I hit a shot from 75 yards and was able to hit and stay on the fringe).

Poor design, poor conditions. The pace was great as there were only a fees folks playing. I wish them well but won't be back any time soon.

I've never played a course with greens this small.

I have played this course annually (with the exception of pandemic years) and it is a shame to see it deteriorate to its current condition. The greens are horrific... full of invasive grasses, lot's of bare/dead spots, even the pins themselves are bad as the cups are so worn out none of the pins fit tightly and all lean way over. This was a beautiful course and a great layout, but no longer... bunkers were a strong feature of this course but most are in very poor shape with lots of weeds/grasses growing around the upper edges... several have been let go completely. Fairways are becoming land mines with the encroaching clumps of invasive grasses. PB Dye should insist on removing his name from this facility as it in no way resembles the course he originally built. Sad to see the decline

The Course - I have always enjoyed Pete Dye courses, they are truly challenging and memorable. Southern Hills Plantation in Brooksville and Black Bear are courses that have been our favorites for many years. We were therefore very excited to return to Black Bear after a 2 year absence. That said, we found the course conditions disappointing. The bunkers left a lot to be desired with untrimmed weed growth lining most bunkers and common on the bunker faces. Secondly, the greens were very disappointing with many greens having bare spots and almost all greens having weed growth that made putting them extremely difficult and unpredictable. The overall impression that I was left with was that the course was being neglected. This was surprising considering the presence of the NXXT tour while we were there. I would have thought that every effort would have been made to have the course look and play at its best for this tournament.

The Pro Shop - You have a very serious issue in your Pro Shop. The gentleman who was working the counter displayed zero interest in our being there to play your course. No "hello", no "welcome to Black Bear", nothing. To say that this man has zero personality is not an overstatement. After loading our carts and getting ready to head to the driving range we overheard a walkie talkie conversation between him and the Starter who happened to be about 15 feet away from us. He stated "the xxxxxx group has checked in early. They paid a discount rate so I'm not inclined to let them out early" ... seriously! After finishing with the driving range we checked with the Starter who said the tee was open but he was waiting for a threesome. He called the Pro Shop and was told "the threesome are not here ... do not let the xxxxxx group go, there is a foursome coming up that paid the full rate" ... again, seriously!! We were finally allowed to go after that foursome. We met up with them at the restaurant after the round to learn that their tee time was actually after ours. I have never in all my years and thousands of rounds played across North America been treated so disrespectfully by a Pro Shop.

Prior to writing this review I read all the reviews that I could find on the internet to see if my Black Bear experience was an anomaly, and it is not. Complaints about your Pro Shop staff are common and the poor greens conditions are mentioned regularly.

Unfortuantely, nothing redeeming to write about.

Fairways are awful, no grass and pan hard. Greens are worse - covered in crab grass that make most putts look like you're playing pinball. Bunkers bad, tee boxes bad. There isn't a price point that makes this worth playing.

Been wanting to play here for a while. Layout is pretty good. Lots of up and downs if you don’t hit the fairway. Greens were not in very condition. We will go back but only if we get the special off of GolfNow.

Mostly all the greens were in very bad condition as they had a lot of weeds. Two were in real bad shape

To say I was disappointed is an understatement. The attitude and morale of the pro shop was a poor first impression. Also, the fact that they made my friend pay 70 dollars for his 4 year old son to ride along. Which was the rate to play golf. I can understand a cart fee but the full rate is pretty outrageous. The course was nothing to rave about either. The inconsistencies of the greens and fairways gave you a 50/50 shot of a somewhat decent lye. Definitely not somewhere to go if you're looking to improve your game. Especially the short game with all the crabgrass clumps on the greens. However, the 19th hole practice tee box was in great condition but low and behold was closed. The ranger is not friendly. His social skills are limited to mean mugging you until you finish the hole. The saving grace of this course was the restaurant. The waitress and chef had the most personality out of the whole course. Happy to help and provide an enjoyable experience. 5 stars to the restaurant! Based on quality and staff this should realistically be a $30-50 round!

Worst experience I have ever had…. Terrible customer service by Roger at the pro shop, $70 greens fees for popcorn greens that should cost $10 for a beginner to play on. This place used to be a hidden gem…. More like fools gold now unfortunately…..

Wow - hate to say this because I really like this course and staff but … I found this course in really really poor condition. Weeds tee thru and on green. Greens unputtable due to weeds that were longer than the grass - bumpy doesn’t describe. It is a fun layout. The challenge normally comes from hitting the greens with approach shots which is fun. Should have just stayed home or just gone to a practice range for the day.

Course was in decent shape but the greens were terrible.

Great layout made very accessible from the theme park area by the 429 extension. Fun track. However, conditions were not up to its usual standards. Staff needs to remain vigilant or the course could go south fast. Areas around the greens need attention. Fairways needs some loving care.

Great layout and amenities but the conditions are not worth $70. There seems to be a trend with central Florida courses lately. High green fees and poor quality tee boxes, fairways and horrendous greens. Charge $40 and I’ll understand.

Played the course a year ago and it’s not as nice as it was. Plants growing in bunkers & greens not in good shape, won’t go back

Elevated greens were very different to hit and hold for recreational golfers without adequate skills.

I have played BB many times over the last. Pulled of years and I would have to say the the Greens were in the worst shape of anytime that Inplayed here. Fairways were OK. There has definitely been a decline in conditions. Maybe Spring will been a change.