Black Bear Golf Club

We found this golf course for our second round in the US. We'd sent a few emails for info prior to playing and always got quick helpful responses from Roger, the owner. We went out at lunchtime as we wanted it a bit quieter on the course. The club was easy to find and we were welcomed/checked in Roger on arrival.

We hired rental clubs which were brand new Callaways and taken out of the wrapper on arrival! I was living a golfers dream!! These were loaded onto our golf cart for us. I'm guessing this doesn't happen every time but you will get a good quality rental set at this club.

They have a good range to practice before your round with new range technology coming.

The views on this course are amazing, you can tell care has been taken in it's maintenance, fairway lies are always good, the challenge of this course comes from bunkers (120+) - some very difficult to get out of if you find yourself there and well placed pins. The 18th is a challenging hole to finish your round with a shot over water but is great fun as well. Other local golfers also made us feel so welcome and were very friendly.

The clubhouse is very nice with a bar, patio and small pro shop. The staff were very friendly and welcoming and being remember when we returned was a really thoughtful touch. It's added bonus is that you can order food and drink before your round to collect after hole 9 which was very welcomed.

All in all when we come back to Orlando we will not hesitate in booking another round here.

Fairways were ok. Tee boxes were good. Greens, fringes and rough were absolutely terrible. All 18 greens are in horrendous shape and almost unputtable.
Slow, holes in them, bumps and divots everywhere. All had giant sand patches and didn’t roll at all. I only gave it one star because I played free on golf now credits and I still feel like I got had. We played well and it’s a fun layout but the conditions were terrible. I won’t be going back any time soon which is sad because I’ve played in the past and it was great.
Save your money and time

Really like playing this course…condition of greens have really improved over the last year. Typography provides a challenge, but it’s a course you can go low on. A little off the beaten path, but close enough to make the drive. Recommend.

They tell you before you golf that there are issues with the greens which are half of them.
Issues will take a few months to correct.

WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO PLAYING THIS COURSE AFTER PLAYING MANY TIMES ,I WAS COMPLETELY SHOCKED HOW BAD OF SHAPE IT WAS FAIRWAYS ALL WEEDS. GREENS VER BAD SHAPE LATGE PATCHES OF SAND DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY GOING HERE

One of my favorites for years , but I won’t be back for a long while ! The greens are in horrible shape the rough is now just uncut weeds tee boxes rough and they still want 55.00 truly a shame

I’ve played the courses in this area many times. Black Bear is hands down the best

The layout is fun and challenging. You will be punished for a bad shot. Greens are narrow and course is links style

I’ve always been treated like a king and enjoy the food or beer after a round No snobs the people are down to earth

The ownership cares about your experience you can tell. Therefore they monitor pace of play and politely help out

At this moment, yes some of the greens experiencing water related trouble. But go anywhere else nearby and you’ll find they are better

I have played this course many times; it has a great layout and friendly staff. However, it has become a mess in recent weeks. My friends and I drive 40 minutes to play here, and today, we paid full price (around $60) to play a course that should not have charged us more than $20. When we got to the starter, my partner asked how the greens were today, and he answered, "Terrible," and then proceeded to tell us all the problems. Literally, every green has issues. Hole 6 has had a temporary green for at least three months and isn't even mowed like most course fairways. I love this track, but won't be back until it is confirmed that they have addressed the problems, which, by the looks of things, is going to take a while, sadly. For $60, a ton of other places to play in and around Orlando.

tee boxes and greens were awful….dirt patches and weeds….leave your putter at home. tiny greens…unmaintained bunkers full of weeds. burned up fairways…in florida where it rains a lot, there is no reason for this…other than lack of course maintenance/management.
they have a nice clubhouse and pro shop…great bar….past that is a waste of money.

Love this course and layout. Needs some TLC but still good for the value

They have discounted rates right now primarily due to the course not being in top condition. It’s nice to see course management recognizing this. That being said, my playing partner and I only really encountered these conditions on the greens and even then, they were very puttable. Tee and fairways were just fine for this really nice layout. Take advantage now because fees here are normally double the current rate.

Greens were very slow and in poor condition! Fairways were ok; weeds in numerous spots.

We love this course! But it's an hour away from us so we don't play as much as we would like. Yesterday was very disappointing because of the condition of the Fairways in the greens. Apparently the hot weather is taking its toll! We will not be back till next year hopefully they will do some repairs.