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Featured Golf Course
November 2007
By: Shane Jensen

Bear's Best Golf Club in Las Vegas is the first in a series of golf courses planned by Jack Nicklaus that replicates holes from his previous golf courses. Since it opened, this Las Vegas golf course has been one of the most popular Las Vegas. Bear's Best prides itself on superb golf course conditions and a very friendly staff.

Bear's Best Golf Course is very well marked; golfers will find that navigating their way around the course is quite easy. In addition, Bear's Best will be adding the Prolink GPS System, which should be online during the first part of December according the Greg Blackwell, Head Golf Professional.

Each hole at Bear's Best has been hand selected by Jack Nicklaus and it can be said that this is a golf course with "18 signature holes." A perfect example is the 8th hole which was taken from the International Golf Course at Castle Pines in Colorado. This par-5 hole measures 599 yards from the back tee but plays downhill. This hole is a slight dogleg left and from the tee, players will want to favor the right-hand side of the fairway.

This fairway has a lot of slopes and undulations that will kick the ball toward the middle of the fairway. Pine trees line this fairway and can become a problem if you happen to hit underneath on of them. Only the longest of hitters will be able to reach this green in two shots. Mere mortal golfers will need to lay up short of the green - but be sure to leave yourself a comfortable yardage.

There is a swell that runs across the fairway in the landing area for the second shot. This swell elevates the second part of the fairway. The grass is deep and thick here and reaching the green could be a problem if you find this area. There is no water but the deep grass is more than enough of a hazard.

The green is guarded by bunkers in front and behind. From the fairway this is one of the narrowest greens on the golf course. A high lofted shot will be required to hold this green. Par on this hole is a good score.

The par-3 15th hole looks as if it could have originally been designed in Las Vegas, but it is actually a hole from Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, Arizona. This is the toughest par-3 on the golf course. The hole measures 233 yards from the back tee and has bunkers both right and left. The biggest visual obstacle from the tee is the desert canyon to the left of the green.

Many golfers have stood on this tee with confidence and later walked away with their tails between their legs. The green on this hole is quite large but is hard to hit. Take enough club and aim for the right side of the green. The slopes around the green will feed the ball closer to the green from this side. Left is dead and needs to be avoided at all costs.

This is one of the largest greens on the golf course and three-putting is a real possibility. Be sure to check the pin location and take enough club to reach the middle of the green. One word of caution, this green slopes from back to front. It is better to be below the hole than above the hole.

Bear's Best Golf Club is always in great condition - typically their greens run between 9-10 on the stempmeter. They also have some of the best maintained fairways in Las Vegas. The golf course is only located about 25 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip and is a great golf course for any skill level of golfer. They have several sets of tees that can accommodate different players and make this a fair test.
 

Visit the Following Las Vegas Golf Courses for more information:

• Bear's Best Golf Club