Golf Course | Bear's Best Atlanta | Suwanee, GA

Bear's Best Atlanta

Bear’s Best is home to a collection of 18 replica holes that were selected from Jack Nicklaus’ more than 200 golf course designs around the …

Bear’s Best is home to a collection of 18 replica holes that were selected from Jack Nicklaus’ more than 200 golf course designs around the world. They come together to form an incredibly unique round of golf. Players will get to experience both European and American courses all in one fantastic round of golf.

# 1 /

Par: 4

Yardage by Tee:

GOLD 429

Nicklaus 405

BLUE 390

WHITE 387

RED 342

Pro Tips

The course opens with a hole modeled after the 10th at St. Mellion, which was Jack Nicklaus’ first design in Europe. This medium-length par 4 with a narrow fairway plays 100 feet downhill from tee-to-green. Club selection on the second shot can be a challenge as the small green slopes left and back and is guarded by a deep waste bunker on the right.

# 2 /

Par: 4

Yardage by Tee:

GOLD 369

Nicklaus 337

BLUE 314

WHITE 296

RED 172

Slope:

Gold 143

Pro Tips

On land that once featured the filming of both MASH and the Dukes of Hazard, Sherwood has also hosted Greg Norman’s Shark Shootout and Tiger Woods’ World Challenge. The second hole is a short dogleg left par 4 with a fairway that’s well-protected on both sides by trees. A center bunker just short of the green guards the approach and a large oak tree on the right and sand on the left protect the green.

# 3 /

Par: 3

Yardage by Tee:

GOLD 148

Nicklaus 145

BLUE 134

WHITE 110

RED 78

Slope:

Nicklaus 140

Pro Tips

The third will make you feel like you’re playing the #3 ranked golf course in Tennessee, Spring Creek Ranch. It’s a par 3 with a multi-tiered green that’s guarded in front by a dry streambed. Bunkers protect all sides of this putting surface, one on the left and two on the right.

# 4 /

Par: 4

Yardage by Tee:

GOLD 355

Nicklaus 353

BLUE 316

WHITE 292

RED 182

Slope:

Blue 137

Pro Tips

Even the smallest detail on this dogleg right par 4 mimics the 2nd at Old Works. In the Montana version, the sand in the bunkers is the leftover from smelting down millions of tons of ore and it’s the same at Bear’s Best. Approach shots must avoid two black bunkers on the right and one on the left of this green.

# 5 /

Par: 4

Yardage by Tee:

GOLD 414

Nicklaus 399

BLUE 360

WHITE 338

RED 270

Slope:

White 126

Pro Tips

In 1996, when The Golf Club of Purchase opened, it was named one of the “12 Golf Courses Where Wall Street Big Shots Love to Play.” A large wetland in front of the tee box on this hole guards the fairway. Approach shots will need to carry another wetland that crosses the fairway just short of the green. Finally, the green is narrow and protected on the left by a large bunker.

# 6 /

Par: 3

Yardage by Tee:

GOLD 154

Nicklaus 151

BLUE 147

WHITE 121

RED 99

Pro Tips

The sixth will probably be recognized as the 12th at Muirfield Village because of the Memorial Tournament that it hosts each year. Reminiscent of the 12th at Augusta, this par 3 plays over water from an elevated tee box with bunkers guarding the front and back of the green.

# 7 /

Par: 5

Yardage by Tee:

GOLD 579

Nicklaus 519

BLUE 489

WHITE 481

RED 428

Pro Tips

The 7th at Bear’s Best takes after the 3rd at Shoal Creek, which has hosted some of the most prestigious events in golf, including the 1984 & 1990 PGA Championships, 1986 U.S. Amateur, and the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open. This straightaway par 5 plays to a narrow fairway that’s guarded by two bunkers on the left. The second shot must navigate another large bunker on the right side of the approach. Finally, the long, narrow green is also protected by deep bunkers on both the left and right.

# 8 /

Par: 4

Yardage by Tee:

GOLD 409

Nicklaus 379

BLUE 370

WHITE 306

RED 254

Pro Tips

This medium-length par 4 is designed to look and play like the 9th at Nevillewood, one of Pennsylvania’s finest golf courses. It plays slightly uphill to a wide fairway. The approach shots must carry three ponds that guard the front right side of the putting surface.

# 9 /

Par: 5

Yardage by Tee:

GOLD 554

Nicklaus 529

BLUE 509

WHITE 474

RED 427

Pro Tips

A 16-year host to the Ford Senior Players Championship on the PGA Champions Tour, TPC Michigan is the next featured golf course at Bear’s Best. This medium-length par 5 requires a tee shot that avoids 3 bunkers down the right. The second will also have to avoid some bunkers on both sides of this narrow fairway. An undulated green awaits players, which is also well-guarded by three bunkers.

# 10 /

Par: 4

Yardage by Tee:

GOLD 339

Nicklaus 331

BLUE 323

WHITE 315

RED 282

Pro Tips

The back nine begins with an Irish hole, from Mount Juliet, that’s host to the Irish Open in 1994, 1995, and 2021. This par 4 features a deep swale with six bunkers that cross the fairway just short of the green. Most players will want to lay-up short of the trouble, which will leave a medium to short iron in to this undulated green that’s protected by three bunkers.

# 11 /

Par: 3

Yardage by Tee:

GOLD 180

Nicklaus 177

BLUE 163

WHITE 155

RED 80

Pro Tips

The 11th recreates the famous “Bear Trap” hole from the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic. This long par 3 plays entirely over water and features a greenside bunker on the left.

# 12 /

Par: 5

Yardage by Tee:

GOLD 521

Nicklaus 518

BLUE 475

WHITE 414

RED 386

Pro Tips

We return to Europe for the twelfth hole, one that’s designed like the 18th at Gleneagles, a course that’s hosted the Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup, and European Tour events. This long par 5 plays uphill from tee-to-green. A large bunker short right guards the narrow approach. Undulated slopes and a back-right bunker protect the putting surface.

# 13 /

Par: 4

Yardage by Tee:

GOLD 417

Nicklaus 413

BLUE 381

WHITE 352

RED 308

Pro Tips

The thirteenth returns to the home of the Memorial Tournament, Muirfield Village, with a replica of the third. This dogleg left par 4 features a tee shot that plays downhill to a landing zone framed by trees on the left and bunkers on the right. The second will force players to carry a deep native area to a green guarded by four bunkers. Missing the green will make it difficult to get up-and-down due to the undulated slopes.

# 14 /

Par: 5

Yardage by Tee:

GOLD 559

Nicklaus 556

BLUE 532

WHITE 506

RED 432

Pro Tips

The longest hole at Bear’s Best comes from the 17th at Governors Club, host to numerous U.S. Open qualifiers and the Carolinas Amateur Championship. Tee shots play uphill to a relatively small landing area that’s guarded by a bunker right and OB left. The second will require a player to hit a downhill shot to a well-protected green. A large bunker crosses the fairway short of the green, which forces most players to lay up on their second.

# 15 /

Par: 4

Yardage by Tee:

GOLD 348

Nicklaus 342

BLUE 316

WHITE 279

RED 275

Pro Tips

For the 15th, we return to Sherwood Country Club, which has also hosted film crews from the television shows MASH and Dukes of Hazard. A tee shot down the right side of this par 4 will set up the best angle into this narrow green. Deep bunkers on both the left and right guard this undulated green.

# 16 /

Par: 3

Yardage by Tee:

GOLD 167

Nicklaus 163

BLUE 151

WHITE 141

RED 128

Pro Tips

The sixteenth is a re-creation of the 15th at Elk River Club, where altitudes range from 3450-4650 feet. This picturesque par 3 plays 35 feet downhill, so club selection is critical. The green is fairly small, undulated, and surrounded by four bunkers.

# 17 /

Par: 4

Yardage by Tee:

GOLD 415

Nicklaus 375

BLUE 355

WHITE 301

RED 277

Pro Tips

For the seventeenth hole, we return to Gleneagles in Scotland. This dogleg right par 4 features three bunkers on the right that can punish any drives that try to cut the corner off the tee. The approach shot plays uphill to a green that’s guarded by bunkers on the left and right.

# 18 /

Par: 4

Yardage by Tee:

GOLD 467

Nicklaus 421

BLUE 413

WHITE 356

RED 305

Pro Tips

The closing hole imitates the last at Castle Pines, which hosted the PGA Tour’s International Tournament from 1986 to 2006. The tee shot on this par 4 plays slightly uphill to a landing area with a large bunker on the left. The approach will require players to carry 11 fairway bunkers before reaching the green, which is guarded by three more.