The Bear (Grand Traverse Resort)
(231-938-2100 or 800-748-0303)
Michigan Golf Course Review - 7/29/02 -
The Bear at the Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City Michigan is a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, and the crown jewel of 1,400-acre award winning resort and recreational community. On property are 750
rooms, diverse restaurants,
a health club, 2 swimming pools, jacuzzi, children's center, cross-country ski center, beach club, shopping gallery, and 85,000 square feet of meeting/convention space. The golf complex features 54 holes of championship play, including Spruce run - the original resort design, and Gary Player's The Wolverine. The Jim McLean Golf School is a state of the art facility with an indoor/outdoor Learning Center, that features individual lessons, clinics, and golf school programs varying from one to four days in length.
 The clubhouse is wonderfully appointed with a top line pro shop, lounge, and
inside/outside dining areas with outstanding views of the first and eighteenth holes of the Bear. It is centrally located to service all three courses. The
expansive double-ended driving range includes grass and mat tee areas, and is complimented by two putting greens, one by the clubhouse and the other
near the first tee of Spruce Run. Light green-side chipping is allowed.
We were on a tight schedule with the first tee time of the morning, and were delighted to discover an outdoor "breakfast cart" with muffins, bagels, coffee
and juices ( no tequilla however) available for a reasonable fee. The rangers and professional staff that greeted
us made note that we had chosen the correct course. While the Spruce Run is a wonderful resort experience,
and the new "Wolverine" is extremely popular - most employees at Grand Traverse listed the Bear as their
favorite, and the one to play out of the three if a choice had to be made. This is an early Nicklaus design, and
one that will challenge golfers of all skill levels. Our first note read - keep it on the fairway!
 There are ample
landing areas off the tee on most holes - accuracy is a must here as the rough is quite penal. Many of the greens are raised (as are quite a few
fairways) - with rolling mounds of thick rough serving as a reminder that straight is good. With the three sets of tees measuring 7065, 6176 and
5281, most golfers will choose the whites - which is a good test for the average to good player. The front tees provide a nice challenge with a
137 slope rating, and the low handicappers will find that the tips play to a 146 slope with a 76.8 course rating.
These ratings we found to be amongst the highest for all sets of tees of any course we have ever played ...
anywhere. The good news is that the opening holes provide the opportunity to get off to a good start. The 11th,
15th and 13th handicaps are included in the first four holes, with the third handicapped par four-second
sandwiched in between. Though a bit intimidating on paper, we found the Bear to be very fair. Hit a good shot
and you are rewarded. Mess up and you are penalized. This is the way it is supposed to be. The greens are
undulating but very putt-able, and level lies will greet you on the fairways, if you play good positional golf. If you
are having a bad day - enjoy the spectacular views and the lush conditioning. This is a first class golfing experience on one of Michigan's most gorgeous properties.
 The opening hole features rolling mounds with high rough on the right, with a
lake that must be cleared if you are playing from the tips. The two-tiered green is flanked on both sides by sand bunkers. The view from behind the green is
outstanding, and paints an accurate picture of the environment you will encounter throughout the day. More rolling mounds on the second, coupled
with an uphill tee shot and a putting surface that is totally surrounded by bunkers, makes the par four second one of the toughest holes on the course.
This is followed by a reasonable par five - one of the most picturesque holes of the layout. It is quite open off the tee, but snakes right then left on the second and third shots.
 A utility wood or long iron must find the fairway through a tight opening, and lay up before the
creek that runs across approximately 20 yards out. Your ball is wet if you go for the flag and are short left. There is a bit of bail out room to the right, which
is the cautious play. There is also some bail out room to the left on the par three 4th, which must carry a formidable wetland. Although mounding awaits
behind the green, long is better than short here. There is more room on the fairway than it seems on the par four 5th, though using driver off the tee may be pushing you luck.
 A stream guards the front and right side of the green on
the approach, and large mounds await on the left of this triple-tiered putting surface. This is a beautiful hole - and is also the number one handicap! A
raised fairway with a large waste area on the left makes for a challenging tee shot on number six. At just 471 yards from the whites, a fairway wood or
long iron is recommended off the tee. The approach is tight, but playing this as a 3-shot hole may result in a good birdie opportunity. The par four 7th
demands a carry over marsh of the tee, with a swale running in front and along the right side of the green creating a tight approach. The green here
is three-tiered and very undulating. A lake on the right creeps out towards the fairway on number 8, only 190 yards out from the white tees.
 A fairway wood or long iron off the tee will leave you with an approach that is nearly
all carry over the hazard, with some bail out room short left. The closing hole is a short par three, that is intimidating off the tee. There is room long,
though the pitch from that area will be back towards the water hazard. With very little room for error, it is best to go for the flag here. The bunkers may save you.
The tenth is perhaps the best birdie hole on the course - a short par five with a ravine running across a mounded fairway, about 100 yards from the
green. Two shots may reach, or at least set up a short wedge approach. The eleventh has a narrow fairway, with mounds to the left and wetlands right. If the wind is up, the uphill
approach over a creek will play even tougher on this number four handicap.
 Woods border the fairway on the mid-length par four12th. Pay attention to the pin placement on the approach
over water, as the putting surface is noticeably double-tiered. There is about 30 yards of grass between the hazard and the green. The
signature par three 13th is next. The tee shot must carry a water hazard, with 5 formidable green-side bunkers creating the need for accuracy.
The short dogleg left par four 14th and par 5 fifteenth present good scoring opportun
 ities going into the final stretch. The 15th is especially
gorgeous from behind the green, with a lake in front and rolling mounds bordering both sides of a narrow fairway. The prevailing wind may cause a little havoc on the approach. Number sixteen is
deserving of its # 2 handicap rating. The landing area drops off on both sides of the fairway, with mounding playing an important role all the way
to the green. A prevailing headwind and intimidating green-side bunker complex make the approach one of the most challenging on the course.
Par is great here. The par three seventh plays long from the tips, but is very reasonable from the two other tees. It plays downhill with about 30
yards of fairway between the front traps and the middle of the green. Grassy hollows make for an interesting
pitch on anything hit to the left. The closing hole is a great finisher. The double fairway creates an opportunity to
cut the hole short with an approach entirely over water. The safe play is to the left side, though the lake must still be carried on the approach. There is bail out room to the left.
We found this to be true on many of the tough holes - bailing out and playing for an up and down par/ easy bogie
was often an option. This is a thinking man's course, but one that also demands some ability to hit for distance. I
was surprisingly able to play to my 14 handicap, while approaching the course cautiously. We highly recommend
picking up a yardage booklet at the pro shop. The $6 investment will save some strokes, as you will find hole
diagrams, accurate yardage and tips on how to play each hole. There are 100,150 and 200 yard markers on the
course, and many of the sprinkler heads are also measured to the center of the green. Small indicators on the
flag sticks indicate the day's pin placement, and GAMS are provided for on all the white tee boxes. The course
conditioning was excellent and the service efficient and friendly on our visit. For golf purists, and those wishing to explore the top golf experiences Michigan has to offer - The Bear is a must play!
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