Black Bear Golf Club

STAFF MAKES GOOD COURSE SEEM AVERAGE. I did play the course and enjoyed the layout for the most part. However, I did not realize I made two tee times one for Saturday and one for Sunday. I missed the tee on Sunday and was charged (this is the first time this has ever happened to me). I contacted golfnow and they reached out to the course and explained what happened and they refused to refund the charge. If they don't understand that people make mistakes and are not willing to refund a single tee time, I have no interest in going back. What amused me most is when I played on Saturday as a single and was paired with a couple for a total of three. The two groups ahead of me on were 3somes and the group behind us was a twosome so it's not like they were selling all of their tee times anyway.

Also, their range has no nets so the terrible golfers slicing it on the range (which there were plenty of) covers the 18th fairway in range balls. So good luck to anyone who puts their tee shot in the fairway or right side on 18, you will not find your ball.

I play courses all over the central Florida area and Black Bear is among the leaders in condition and quality of greens. Our group kept commenting on how good the fairways and greens were.

Great course, tiny greens, but roll very well. If you aren’t in the fairway be ready for an odd stance or off angle lie. Very challenging but didn’t lose any balls and i typically lose many balls, could have been a good day but course layout fit my game well. Hot dogs were solid too, the starter was awesome and we finished our round in under 4 hours.

I love to play this course. Great layout elevated tee boxes and elevated greens. It was tough today with the wind, but still a great time.

As always, Black Bear was great…..certainly a challenge…..couple of smallish greens are extremely tough…..great track and wonderful personnel…..

I have been playing black bear for 20 plus years and the past two years it has been in the best condition for at least the past 15-16 years. The management has done an excellent job making sure the course in in shape. Everyone is super friendly and very accommodating when things come up. Recommend playing the Bear!!!

The greens are very small and slow. Layout of each hole is good. Entire property does not look clean for gardening.

Impressed with everything there. Clurse layout the only 4 star as the greens may be unfair for most people. We did not get a chance to enjoy the restaurant and var as we were strapped for time. However we will try it next time!

First of all the staff was extremely friendly and accommodating. For example, I had a sandwich and good clam chowder soup inside and left my rangefinder on the table, and it was turned in by the nice waitress, so I got it back. I've read many reviews where people said they're lost rangefinder was never found....

Also, I loved that the fairways were so wide open! I played 27 holes and I must have had 20 bombs down the middle of the fairway because there was no pressure to hit it straight!

But, the greens were some of the most narrow and small greens I've ever seen or played! I walked one off and it was 24 ft from front to back! It's such a shame that the course has such wonderful fairways and then it's almost impossible to hit some greens because they're hard and will not stop in a 24-ft width! Another problem is that they have these huge fairway bunkers all over that are far enough from the fairway to make it still play wide open, but there's just so steep that the sand is washing down on almost all of them. So they become a real eyesore... The course would have been much better just having a few smaller bunkers that were not so deep. I know they were trying to make it seem like a links course but the bunkers were overkill.

They should have taken some of the money that all those monstrous traps must have cost and made the greens two or three times bigger. I'm a scratch golfer and very accurate but two or three par threes were almost impossible to hold.

All and all though....I really had a good time with my buddies playing here... But one of them loved it (John) and the other hated it (Mike)....Lol...

(The price was fantastic! Cost about $55 to play 18 holes then we played a third nine holes for $18!)

I think the thing to do is just to come out and enjoy banging your driver and not feeling bad if you score four or five strokes higher than usual because of the 4 or 5 nearly impossible greens.

PS Nice bar/restaurant!

Overall condition is excellent. Moderate difficulty. Just the green slow.

Too bad we couldn’t play due to rain, only played six holes, we. Will be back again.

Enjoyed this course. Nice homely pro-shop attached to bar/restaurant. Newer range balls. Large putting green. Course itself was in very good shape from tee to green. Not a complaint but worth noting-

The greens are very small. They are mostly deep/wide, but very thin landing areas. Correct yardage is a major factor here. Enjoyed the challenge it was worth the drive.