Northern Bear Golf Club

It's hard to over-praise Jack Nicklaus signature courses, or their popularity. Since retiring from active professional golfing and one of the most successful golfing careers ever, Jack Nicklaus has gone on to a celebrity career as an architect. Keen golfers will travel North America to do the rounds of Nicklaus-designed "bear" courses.

One of four Nicklaus signature courses in Canada, the 7,310 yard par 72 Northern Bear was designed for professional tournament play with personal input from one of the sport's all-time greats. The layout reflects Jack Nicklaus's trademark philosophy of letting the environmental surroundings shape the holes, and the tandem of Mother Nature and the "Golden Bear" proved to be an unbeatable combination. "It began with a nice piece of ground and has since become a beautiful golf course," says Nicklaus. "When I first looked at designing the course I considered what nature had already created, then molded the layout to fit the environment. The result is a very picturesque, world-class course which consistently challenges the potential of everyone who plays it."

Nominated for Golf Digest's prestigious Best New Canadian Course of 2003 award, Northern Bear hosted the 2002 Wayne Gretzky & Friends charity tournament, featuring current Masters champion Mike Wier. While the layout is not overly long, it demands courage and accuracy - particularly on the back nine. The No. 10 hole, for example, is a short par 5 dogleg left with the fairway winding around water. You must decide how much to take off your drive in order to avoid the drink, yet still leave room to approach the tiny, narrow green nestled between water on the left and two deep bunkers on the right. At No. 18 the home hole is no less forgiving, with a long approach over water on the 458 yard par 4, leading to a slope green that sits directly in front of the stately clubhouse. Truly a challenge worthy of bearing the name of one of golf's immortals!

Visit www.northernbeargolf.com.