Bear's Best Atlanta
About
| Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | 72 | 6824 yards | 73.3 | 143 |
| Nicklaus | 72 | 6513 yards | 71.9 | 140 |
| Blue | 72 | 6138 yards | 70.1 | 137 |
| White | 72 | 5624 yards | 68.0 | 126 |
| White (W) | 72 | 5624 yards | 73.7 | 135 |
| Red (W) | 72 | 4725 yards | 68.7 | 121 |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold M: 73.6/144 | 429 | 369 | 148 | 355 | 414 | 154 | 579 | 409 | 554 | 3411 | 339 | 180 | 521 | 417 | 559 | 348 | 167 | 415 | 467 | 3413 | 6824 |
| Nicklaus M: 72.1/142 | 405 | 337 | 145 | 353 | 399 | 151 | 519 | 379 | 529 | 3217 | 331 | 177 | 518 | 413 | 556 | 342 | 163 | 375 | 421 | 3296 | 6513 |
| Blue M: 70.2/136 | 390 | 314 | 134 | 316 | 360 | 147 | 489 | 370 | 509 | 3029 | 323 | 163 | 475 | 381 | 532 | 316 | 151 | 355 | 413 | 3109 | 6138 |
| Blue/White M: 69.9/133 | 387 | 314 | 134 | 316 | 338 | 147 | 489 | 370 | 474 | 2969 | 323 | 163 | 475 | 352 | 506 | 316 | 151 | 355 | 356 | 2997 | 5966 |
| White M: 68.2/126 W: 73.8/135 | 387 | 296 | 110 | 292 | 338 | 121 | 481 | 306 | 474 | 2805 | 315 | 155 | 414 | 352 | 506 | 279 | 141 | 301 | 356 | 2819 | 5624 |
| Forward M: 66.4/121 W: 71.8/129 | 387 | 296 | 110 | 292 | 270 | 121 | 428 | 306 | 427 | 2637 | 315 | 155 | 414 | 308 | 432 | 279 | 141 | 301 | 305 | 2650 | 5287 |
| Red W: 68.9/121 | 342 | 172 | 78 | 182 | 270 | 99 | 428 | 254 | 427 | 2252 | 282 | 80 | 386 | 308 | 432 | 275 | 128 | 277 | 305 | 2473 | 4725 |
| Handicap | 3 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 1 | 9 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 4 | 16 | 6 | 8 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 2 | |||
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
Course Details
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Practice/Instruction
Policies
Available Facilities
Clubhouse, Meeting Facilities, Banquet FacilitiesReviews
Reviewer Photos
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Photo submitted by ATLping on 01/19/2026
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Photo submitted by Mserrian31 on 12/12/2025
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Photo submitted by u954267058 on 11/19/2025
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Photo submitted by Charlotteko on 06/08/2025
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Photo submitted by jarno4 on 05/04/2025
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Photo submitted by rcm0214 on 07/13/2024
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Photo submitted by rcm0214 on 07/13/2024
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Photo submitted by rcm0214 on 07/13/2024
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Photo submitted by rcm0214 on 07/13/2024
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Photo submitted by bukds1 on 02/19/2024
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Photo submitted by bukds1 on 02/19/2024
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Photo submitted by bukds1 on 02/19/2024
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#11 Par 3 Photo submitted by u4620738 on 07/30/2023
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#16 Par 3 Photo submitted by u4620738 on 07/30/2023
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#10 Par 4 Photo submitted by u4620738 on 07/30/2023
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18th green Photo submitted by bryanmark3 on 04/15/2023
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My tee shot on hole number 11! Photo submitted by Chipikiri on 10/04/2022
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Photo submitted by afine1995 on 08/28/2022
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Photo submitted by changbanger on 06/24/2021
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Photo submitted by changbanger on 06/24/2021
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Photo submitted by changbanger on 06/24/2021
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Signature hole 6 Photo submitted by gtd068a on 05/07/2021
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Photo submitted by baldeagle218 on 04/22/2020
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Photo submitted by u782974053 on 06/28/2019
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Photo submitted by u000003723331 on 09/02/2018
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Hole #6 Par 3. Its beautiful and breath taking, but its not an easy one and can give ya some pain! Photo submitted by KBoyd9 on 03/28/2016
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Photo submitted by Visa6705750 on 02/18/2015
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Photo submitted by Visa6705750 on 02/18/2015
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Photo submitted by jvillani34 on 10/08/2013
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Bear's Best #5- Great par 3! Photo submitted by holeinone17 on 04/22/2013
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Photo submitted by ayrioc on 02/18/2013
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Photo submitted by Nick7460614 on 02/06/2013
great day, great course
everything in great shape. range doesn't open until 3:00. we had 2:00 tee time so didn't get to warm up. overall great course and pace of play was excellent. front nine had course to ourselves. $50 great value for course
Lived up to expectations
This was a great course and challenging. Would definitely help to play it again. Really needed a range finder as there aren't many yardage markers.
Greens played fast, but rolled well.
Great Track of golf!
I had guests from Canada visiting this past weekend and took them to Bear's Best. They loved the course and thought it was one of the best designed course they had played! It was probably my fifth time playing it and it also reminded that I can easily recall most of the holes due to their uniqueness and challenges.
We had a great day of golf even it was very cold out there, even for Canadians!!!
Enjoyable round great staff
First time here, early in the season and the greens were being refreshed so putting was not great. But the course and staff were terrific. I will be back in a few weeks as I want to see what it looks/plays like when the grass and greens are more in season.
Just Aerated, Still Great
Bear’s Best is a challenging course with some really wonderfully designed holes. You can tell that each hill, ridge, tree, and bunker are intentionally placed to affect club and shot selection. That was really fun for me. Great for players that enjoy the tactical aspect of the game. You can still go driver-short iron on most holes, and the fairways are pretty open, but placement matters on every single shot if you want a birdie or even a par. The greens were covered in sand because they aerated the day before, but they were still smooth enough and everything else about the course was in such good shape that I didn’t really care. The fairways were immaculate. Also, the Bears Best Atlanta app was awesome! And crucial since it was my first time. Super easy to tell how far it was to carry a bunker and there are a lot of shots that require that information.
Some minor details could have been better. There were no scorecards and pencils in the box by the first green and no water in some of the ball washers. But I didn’t go there for those things and those things didn’t affect my round. So yea, if you’re a serious golfer that wants a challenge, it’s a great course and a fun experience.
No value here
The staff was exceptionally helpful and friendly but the course didn't measure up. Too often when a drive landed in the fairway there wasn't even enough grass to hit off of. It was disappointing to spend that much money and find a course in such a poor condition.
Fun course
Really cool design with Mr. Nicklaus’ most famous golf holes. Course conditions were ok (lots of rain early in the week and course was very wet). Overall very fun course that would be ideal with drier conditions.
Great track*
* - unless it's been wet. this was my first time @ Bear's Best ATL; i'd been anxious to give this track a try & finally had the opportunity to take advantage of a fabulous "Hot Deal" so i jumped. the place itself is lovely & the outdoor staff are very affable, nice, engaging, &c. though at the pro shop itself when i checked in i didn't exactly get the warm 'n fuzzies but no biggie. i suspect this course looks absolutely breathtaking in a month or so as the winter rust will have surrendered to full spring in GA. that said, the layout is fine but my only gripes would be the following: first, let me say that the greens were fabulous - very well maintained, quick, true & downright delightful. however, there were A LOT of wet areas throughout the entire course & the drainage here is quite poor. second, for a place that charges what it does for a regular priced round (i did not pay rack rate though) i'd have at least expected the darned ball washers to be filled/ functional & i don't recall a single one being usable which was a bit of an agitation given how wet and kinda' muddy much of the course was. several holes were 'cart path only' - again, not a biggie but there were quite a few so i definitely got a lot of exercise but it did slow our threesome down & it was a bit inconvenient. overall, i'd give Bear's Best ATL a 3.5 out of 5 stars; it certainly wasn't the "WOW" that i was expecting/ hoping for though it is a nice track, some very challenging holes (we played the Blues) & worth the hour and half (one way) to play it. i'd play it again & recommend it. my favorites were the Par 3's definitely. the ball washer thing though really did bug me/ us; seemed a bit ridiculous for a "high-end" course such that it purports to be.
Terrible Course Conditions
We booked this round a couple days before, We arrived at the course and the practice facility was in great condition.
From the second hole we noticed some extremely wet spots in the fairways. This continued for the entire round. It would have been great if this was stated at check in, Especially when paying in excess in $100. Yes they stated cart path only but it is impossible to find a dry spot without sometimes backing up at least 50 yards. Very disappointed especially since for a couple of us it was the first time playing this course.
Fast greens, great condition
I havent play at this course for over a year due to a disappointing experience i.e., slow and bumpy greens, slow pace of play, horrible value. I gave this course a try due to limited options during the tee time than I was looking for (early morning) and to my surprise, the greens are almost back to the excellent condition that it was in 8+ years ago. Tee box is well maintained and the bunkers that I have seen were kept in well shape as well. I will be back again soon! My numbers may be off but it felt like the greens rolled at about 10-11, which is fast for a public course.
Rough it
The greens are in great shape. The fairways need grass and grooming.
Bear trap
Great layout loved the small greens only thing I did not like was the poor drainage after the little rain. Need to work on a better drainage system for this $85 a round course .
Chilly but sunny
Really enjoyed the course. Hadn’t played in a few years at Bears Best. The fertilizer over spray was a bit much but it was ok. Unfortunately a lot of previous players didn’t repair their hallmarks or use sand to replace divots. I was very pleased with the staff. The cart was very low on juice though. Great course though. Play it you will be glad you did!
Fun at Jacks
Played the course the other day and was in great shape. Unbelievable clubhouse and I was happy to see we where hitting of grass. The chipping green was great and the staff was friendly. Loved the overall course with Jack Nicklaus best holes the par 3s where amazing and I loved the par 3 6th. The par 5s however are very assessable.
The food in the clubhouse is good being a clubcorp Course. The course is a little expensive but it’s wortb it and it’s not overly crazy.
Look like a dust storm...white
First of all they didn’t tell us that the course was just limed, I guess that’s the case as it was as white as snow, all over our clothes, golf bag , hair and sometimes it looked like we were riding in a dust bowl. I purchased my tee time from golf now and when I got to the course to checkin they surcharged an extra 10.00$ over the golf now price. Said it was something as I was playing with a club-member, what ever that means. After a little argument with the guy behind my the desk, I was able to get my tee time at a lower cost. WHAT a hassle right when you’re getting ready to Tee off and then the dust bowl. Played here many times and hadn’t been treated like this before.
Staff was great but:
. I like oldies rock but not blaring out of speakers from the clubhouse. Like quiet and serenity when I play golf. Course in good shape except sand which was either went and packed or nonexistent.Hole 18. Was not a busy Thursday. Two of us played behind two foursomes( members and it was a five hour round. Starter came by and advised on 4, moving at regular pace. ( Did not want to push members I guess)Saw the cart girl once in 5 hours and the course was not busy. And on 18 tee, bombed by balls from the driving range, Both our carts were hit. Not very good planning. Only Paid 43 dollars so was a bargain but no way would I play there for the regular rate. Good luck
Best Of Bears Best!
Bears Best is always in good condition no matter what time of year. They’ve overseeded the greens for winter so they continue to roll true and fairly quick. Bears Best used to overseed the fairways and tee boxes during the winter a few years back. And they were one of the only courses in the area that did and I think it used to be a big draw for the course. Hoping that they’ll overseed the course again in coming years but nonetheless, Bears is always well-kept and a fun layout. Still one of the better higher end options in the Atlanta area.
A Challenging Must
Bear’s Best is a course you must experience. GolfNow makes what would otherwise be moderately expensive to being an incredible value and taste of worldwide challenges for not only Nicklaus but all those on tour.