View of a green at Black Bear Golf Club.
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3.7
1434 Reviews (1434)
5 Stars
520
4 Stars
605
3 Stars
183
2 Stars
63
1 Stars
63
Conditions
3.5
Value
3.7
Layout
4.4
Friendliness
4.2
Pace
4.2
Amenities
3.9
76.0%
Recommend this course
1212 out of 1434 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.5
99 Reviews (99)
5 Stars
20
4 Stars
36
3 Stars
26
2 Stars
5
1 Stars
12
Conditions
3.2
Value
3.5
Layout
4.3
Pace
4.1
Amenities
3.8
StaffFriendliness
4.1
70.7%
Recommend this course
70 out of 99 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.4
174 Reviews (174)
5 Stars
33
4 Stars
63
3 Stars
45
2 Stars
11
1 Stars
22
Conditions
3.1
Value
3.4
Layout
4.4
Pace
4.1
Amenities
3.8
StaffFriendliness
4.1
69.0%
Recommend this course
120 out of 174 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Semi-Private
Style Links
Par 72
Length 7041 yards
Slope 139
Rating 74.1
Book a Tee Time at
Black Bear Golf Club- Orlando
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Course Details

Year Built 1995
Fairways Bermuda Grass
Greens Bermuda Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect P. B. Dye (1995)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - included in green fees
Clubs Yes
GPS No
Pull-carts No

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Bunker Yes
Caddies No
Golf Simulator No
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes
Practice Hole No

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed No
Dress code Proper golf attire required

Food & Beverage

Bar, Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse

Reviews

3.7
1434 Reviews (1434)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 32
Patio Dining 17
Brunch 13
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 62
Elevation Changes 55
Undulating Greens 49
This course/club is great for:
Locals 40
Advanced Golfers 34
Seniors 18
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 49
In the 'Burbs 29
Convenient to the City 7

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Nice course

Nice course sry good shape for winter. Greens rolled well.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Fair
Pace Average
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart

get an agronomist!

I have played this course annually (with the exception of pandemic years) and it is a shame to see it deteriorate to its current condition. The greens are horrific... full of invasive grasses, lot's of bare/dead spots, even the pins themselves are bad as the cups are so worn out none of the pins fit tightly and all lean way over. This was a beautiful course and a great layout, but no longer... bunkers were a strong feature of this course but most are in very poor shape with lots of weeds/grasses growing around the upper edges... several have been let go completely. Fairways are becoming land mines with the encroaching clumps of invasive grasses. PB Dye should insist on removing his name from this facility as it in no way resembles the course he originally built. Sad to see the decline

Conditions Fair
Value Poor
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Fair
Pace Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
First Time Playing

Different Layout and bad greens

Been wanting to play here for a while. Layout is pretty good. Lots of up and downs if you don’t hit the fairway. Greens were not in very condition. We will go back but only if we get the special off of GolfNow.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Very Disappointing!

The Course - I have always enjoyed Pete Dye courses, they are truly challenging and memorable. Southern Hills Plantation in Brooksville and Black Bear are courses that have been our favorites for many years. We were therefore very excited to return to Black Bear after a 2 year absence. That said, we found the course conditions disappointing. The bunkers left a lot to be desired with untrimmed weed growth lining most bunkers and common on the bunker faces. Secondly, the greens were very disappointing with many greens having bare spots and almost all greens having weed growth that made putting them extremely difficult and unpredictable. The overall impression that I was left with was that the course was being neglected. This was surprising considering the presence of the NXXT tour while we were there. I would have thought that every effort would have been made to have the course look and play at its best for this tournament.
The Pro Shop - You have a very serious issue in your Pro Shop. The gentleman who was working the counter displayed zero interest in our being there to play your course. No "hello", no "welcome to Black Bear", nothing. To say that this man has zero personality is not an overstatement. After loading our carts and getting ready to head to the driving range we overheard a walkie talkie conversation between him and the Starter who happened to be about 15 feet away from us. He stated "the xxxxxx group has checked in early. They paid a discount rate so I'm not inclined to let them out early" ... seriously! After finishing with the driving range we checked with the Starter who said the tee was open but he was waiting for a threesome. He called the Pro Shop and was told "the threesome are not here ... do not let the xxxxxx group go, there is a foursome coming up that paid the full rate" ... again, seriously!! We were finally allowed to go after that foursome. We met up with them at the restaurant after the round to learn that their tee time was actually after ours. I have never in all my years and thousands of rounds played across North America been treated so disrespectfully by a Pro Shop.
Prior to writing this review I read all the reviews that I could find on the internet to see if my Black Bear experience was an anomaly, and it is not. Complaints about your Pro Shop staff are common and the poor greens conditions are mentioned regularly.

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Poor
Pace Average
Amenities Fair
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 18
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Bad greens

Mostly all the greens were in very bad condition as they had a lot of weeds. Two were in real bad shape

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 15
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Previously Played

Just sad

To say I was disappointed is an understatement. The attitude and morale of the pro shop was a poor first impression. Also, the fact that they made my friend pay 70 dollars for his 4 year old son to ride along. Which was the rate to play golf. I can understand a cart fee but the full rate is pretty outrageous. The course was nothing to rave about either. The inconsistencies of the greens and fairways gave you a 50/50 shot of a somewhat decent lye. Definitely not somewhere to go if you're looking to improve your game. Especially the short game with all the crabgrass clumps on the greens. However, the 19th hole practice tee box was in great condition but low and behold was closed. The ranger is not friendly. His social skills are limited to mean mugging you until you finish the hole. The saving grace of this course was the restaurant. The waitress and chef had the most personality out of the whole course. Happy to help and provide an enjoyable experience. 5 stars to the restaurant! Based on quality and staff this should realistically be a $30-50 round!

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Poor
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
1.0
Previously Played

Save your money

Worst experience I have ever had…. Terrible customer service by Roger at the pro shop, $70 greens fees for popcorn greens that should cost $10 for a beginner to play on. This place used to be a hidden gem…. More like fools gold now unfortunately…..

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Poor
Pace Fair
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 2
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser

Conditions

Course was in decent shape but the greens were terrible.

Conditions Fair
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Played On
Reviews 32
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

A Must Skip

Unfortuantely, nothing redeeming to write about.
Fairways are awful, no grass and pan hard. Greens are worse - covered in crab grass that make most putts look like you're playing pinball. Bunkers bad, tee boxes bad. There isn't a price point that makes this worth playing.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Conditions not worth $70

Great layout and amenities but the conditions are not worth $70. There seems to be a trend with central Florida courses lately. High green fees and poor quality tee boxes, fairways and horrendous greens. Charge $40 and I’ll understand.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Way too hard for amateurs!!

Elevated greens were very different to hit and hold for recreational golfers without adequate skills.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Fun Layout, But……

I have played BB many times over the last. Pulled of years and I would have to say the the Greens were in the worst shape of anytime that Inplayed here. Fairways were OK. There has definitely been a decline in conditions. Maybe Spring will been a change.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 110
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 9
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Previously Played

Course was in terrible shape. Greens were awful. Fairways bare in a lot of spots. I have played there before but tnhis experience was horrible. Paid close to 70.00
To play. Overpriced. Very disappointing. Won’t be back.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Played On
Reviews 430
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 10 Contributor
Previously Played

Black Bear

Great layout made very accessible from the theme park area by the 429 extension. Fun track. However, conditions were not up to its usual standards. Staff needs to remain vigilant or the course could go south fast. Areas around the greens need attention. Fairways needs some loving care.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
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