Black Bear Golf Club

The course is in very rough shape. Fairways are more like a struggling to survive second cut. Greens were very slow and needing to be groomed badly. Hoping they are planning on spending a lot of time(and money) to return to its once great splendor. Very sad to see it in this shape.

played memorial day weeekend on a group golfer, me and buddy, course was in bad shape. was told many excuses from irrigation specialist quit , to greens keeper was new and just started, but to give them 3 weeks and they will be back to prime. Returned end of June to find it even worse, bare spots on greeens, Tee boxes over grown, all the lining ripped out of ponds so no water hazards, rock traps instead of sand traps, the weed to grass ratio was 12000 to 1. my dirt road is better manicured then this place now. poor management, and when we complained we were told sorry. will not return unless they pay me to play and review as a courtesy otherwise, too many other options in area.

Bought a group golfer because I had played it in the past. The course used to be solid.

The course is completely gone. Fairways are spotty at best and what grass there is in the fairway has not been mowed in at least a week.

From the tee the fairway is not distinguishable from the rough. Tee boxes are a complete joke. Uncut weeds and very spotty clumps of uncut grass.

The greens are dead in many areas and have not been cut in at least 3-4 days. I would estimate they are rolling at a 5 or less on the stimpmeter.

Bunkers are weeds and rocks. Unplayable.

Do not waste your money. Course is to far gone to come back. Just close it. Seriously.

Pace of play was good due to us being the only ones on the course.

This is what you want in a rural golf course - great views cut out of a forest and great use of hills to provide fun tee boxes w/ cool vistas and uphill challenging blind shots. The Staff was very relaxed and fun, Eric specifically was very helpful. The course was wide open. A course like this in a big city market or in a Golf Destination area would cost at least twice as much hence the great value. If you are at TreeTops or other courses nearby and want a fun day that is challenging but also fair and want to have a fun time w/ your pals - this is the place.

I get a group together from PA, MI, and GA each year to play golf in the Gaylord / Grayling area. I am also a former PGA professional with extensive experience operating golf facilities. I have never been compelled to write a bad review, but today's experience can't be ignored. We booked a 9:30 tee time. The shop staff did not arrive until 9:45 or so. We stayed for the day and the staff member could not have possibly been more rude and passive aggressive. We enjoyed the company of the group but did not enjoy our treatment at all. The golf course is in rough shape and does not lay out well for the first time player. Lines are difficult to find and definition is lacking. The greens were in decent condition and made up for the tees and fairways. It is ok that the conditions were suffering, but it is unacceptable to be treated as a total inconvenience to the staff. This was our first and last visit to Black Bear.

First review on any course I've ever written. Felt it was my duty to my fellow Michigan golfers to do so. Course is in the worst shape of any course I've played anywhere in Michigan this year. The best conditioned hole from tee to green is the 19th (practice) hole. It's all downhill from there. If you are traveling north to play, spend a couple of bucks more and play one of the Boyne courses, Garland, Treetops, etc. Black Bear will be closed in a year if the course conditions aren't turned around right away.

I have played this course many times. Great value and staff is great. Greens were above average, fairways and tee boxes burnt out. Bunkers were not touched in days. This course was in much better shape last August.

wow - played this course this past sunday - it was awesome
they have done a lot of work on the course this past year and it shows - keep up the good work because i'll be back

I had expected to play an open, worn course that skimps on maintenance. What I got was 19 holes of challenging, scenic golf. Yes this course is not cut out of a forest like most Gaylord courses but it was still very scenic. The greens were in great condition and very speedy. The only ball marks that I repaired were mine and the twosome ahead of me that didn't have a clue. The course has several blind tee shots which will change how I play this course next time. Even at the walk on rate if $39 this is an incredible value. Don't miss this course.

Very nice course. Played early in the morning. Course was in great shape. The only problem we had was the pop machines out on course were not working and it was too early for cart girl. There was also nobody to help with carts, very wet with dew. It is a very nice course. Wish I could play it more often.

Great deal because it's close to my home. Overall not bad for a discount price of $18 I payed to play there. I have been there before and will go back again.

Very nice staff! Great value, the course was nice for a beginner but was also very challenging.

This was the first time playing course and we played 36 holes. We enjoyed it very much and would recommend it to everyone. Course was in great shape and we will play it again when we are back in this area.

Nice natural setting with very few houses. "Huge piece of property.
Played early on a Sunday – from 7:15 to 10 AM – We passed the lead group on #2 and sailed through the round. No lost balls – course is very open and has generous boundaries to catch errant shots.

Some (disease?) damaged fairway grass. Greens were too fast for the slope they have. Needed to know exactly where to hit the ball to avoid 3 putts/rolling off the green below the hole.
The snaking fairways can put you in the rough but the rough is not thick, so what’s the point? Shot 79 with 35 putts – go figure. Would play again and do better knowing where not to hit the ball into the green.

This was the 2nd time I golfed Black Bear and love the views from some of the tee boxes and fairways. The greens are extremely hard to read and difficult to judge the speed of putts. I will come back to Black Bear in the near future.

When we arrived for our t time, we were told that the corse did not like golf now .com. We were told many times that they made no money off our booking. The greens and fairways were in good shape, but the sand traps are more like sand and gravel.

Beautiful fall day in Michigan. Golfing at Black Bear was great.

This course had a high slope rating, and the whole story was in the greens. Very quick and hard to hold.

19th hole is a cool feature! Played the course roughly a month ago. Could tell it'd been a dry summer. Course looks completely different now! Lush green complexes surrounding huge greens. Fairways were in decent shape, and tee boxes were in much better shape. Bunkers are edged and most are weed free! Great rates this time of year!

very nice course , but needs work - for $25.00 its a deal - $49.00 not a deal