Bear Trace at Harrison Bay State Park

Played here for the first time today and loved it. Great layout, friendly staff and beautiful scenery everywhere. The course is in great condition.

Had played two days prior as well and got caught behind some slow play - it was a little frustrating but nothing that we all haven't experienced at some point. However on this day the pace was really bad. Enough to ruin the round - I quit after nine. Course was jammed up and there were 10+ minute waits on some tees. As I left the course I could see three groups on number 10 which assured me I made the right decision to abandon the round. Doubt I'll try to play here again.

My wife and I are avid golfers and like playing different courses throughout the country. Bear Trace was an excellent course. We shared a most enjoyable 18 holes of golf. Staff, course and quality time with my best friend made our day.

This course was in excellent condition. I was fortunate enough to play with a couple of regulars which really helped to know where to hit tee shots. Greens were great! Nice fairways. Can’t wait to go back!

Typical state park layout, with fairways wider than they appear from tee. Jack employed more right-to-left doglegs than he usually does in his designs. Greens were excellent. Wish there had been more memorable holes, particularly playing around the bay.

First time playing here, took a couple of holes to get the green speed down. This is a tight course, nice views of the water and eagles nest on 10. Will be playing here again.

This is a Jack Nicklaus course, and it shows. Was incredibly challenging and beautifully constructed. Overall in great shape, though a number of the greens had recently been accidentally killed and were under significant repair. The other issue was the pace of play was particularly slow - took us about 5 hours to get around.

This course has some incredible views, especially on the front nine. Being a Nicholas course you would expect a great layout and design and it doesn’t disappoint. They only downside was the conditions of the greens. They are experiencing issues and I hope they get this turned around soon. Will definitely play again!

The greens need work and I believe were not well prepared during the winter months. Over the past 13 years I have seen staff changes. Not a big fan of some of the newer folks, especially for the new pricing.

The golf course design however is pleasant. It offers an enjoyable experience for all skill levels.

Loved this course: extremely scenic, course has numerous signature holes and is routed over bold hilly land. Course conditions could have been better, but greens were in great shape.

Course is in good shape.. Wonderful greens and very fair fairways..

Excellent course layout with great views of Harrison Bay Park. Due to COVID few amenities which is to be expected.

Greens and Fairways great shape.. Greens very fast, but true..

Overall great experience at this course. Signed up as a single and was paired with 3 other local players and they were very friendly and I enjoyed playing with them. Fairways were wide but if you are not careful you could get in trouble off the tee. All shots from the fairway had a nice lie and the greens were medium speed which really helped my game. I would gladly recommend you play this course .

Got the chance to play here with my son on a Saturday afternoon.
Pros:
-Great greens and overall excellent conditions
-Several good views of Lake Chickamauga
-Friendly staff/starter
-nice/convenient range and putting green
-well worth the $60 for riding 18 on a Saturday

Cons:
-parking lot too small and adjacent to 18th fairway. Nearly got hit by an errant shot in parking lot after the round.
-was hoping for just a little more in the design. played the blue tees (about 6600 yards) and there were some interesting holes (2, 6, 9, 10, 17, 18), but overall all they seemed to run together. I think the par 5s were definitely the most interesting. the par 4s felt like the same hole over and over to me. Good mix of doglegs, but it seemed like I hit the same clubs all day long.

Overall, great conditions on a pretty day with good company at a good price. Can't complain about that. Would certainly play again when in the area.

Beautiful course... call and make sure what they have going on... had juniors tourney right behind our 3 groups tee times. Rangers pushed and “starter” cart man was not nice and made comment the “we are not a private club and you have to play fast”. .We teed off 10:40 and finished at car 3:18 with a weather delay of 25 to 30 minutes. Also the parents of junior event were allowed carts and drive up to our group while we were on the green putting.... $60 and just not cool how this is being managed presently... BUT otherwise and wonderful COURSE to experience.

Let me start out by saying this is the best public course in Chattanooga by a pretty wide margin (not including Sweetens Cove). Course design is challenging and the fairways are pretty wide but trees line virtually every hole so it’s possible to hit OB here. I’ve played several times but most recently played a couple of months ago and the fairways and greens were in great shape. Rough needs work as there are still bare spots but overall it’s hard to ask for much better conditions for a 100% public golf course in TN. Very nice and big club house and the driving range is better than some private courses. Overall, I think this is a $40-$50 course and not a $60-$70 course. Take advantage of the off-season rates as those are much better priced and the course stays in good shape in the Fall.

Unbelievable view!! Do your self a favor and book here.