Only one golf course designer could do justice to the natural beauty at Great Bear Golf Club—the one known worldwide as the Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus.
His 18-hole championship design demonstrates why he has been considered the master of his game for decades. Nicklaus has taken the natural advantages of the site and worked harmoniously with them to create a course that is an experience in golf and aesthetics.
Integrating the three lakes, several streams, wetlands, small bridges and rolling terrain, Nicklaus has created a course that presents itself differently to golfers of varying skill levels. For the experienced player, the course offers interesting challenges and pro tees that will bring out the best in even the strongest golfers.
Yet it’s also designed to be a course with the ultimate in fairness and playability. It ensures for golfers of all abilities an enjoyable experience, round after round, and reveals its intricacies and craftsmanship the more you play it. Great Bear is destined to be one of the Golden Bear’s most-talked-about layouts.
The first lesson in Golf Course Architecture 101 is that land should dictate design. So it’s no surprise that hall-of-famer Hale Irwin, one of the few players in history to win three U.S. Opens and a prodigious student of the game, would follow that rule to a “tee” at Coyote Crossing in West Lafayette, IN. The award-winning layout fits the property like a well-worn glove.
