Bear Trap Dunes (Grizzly & Black Bear)

Those familiar with bears know that Kodiaks are the biggest and the baddest, dwarfing even the mighty Polar Bear. It’s a little surprising then that the Kodiak takes a backseat at Bear Trap Dunes to the Black and Grizzly nines as part of this 27-hole complex a few miles off the beach.

As is so often the case with bear-themed golf operations, the plans come from the offices of Nicklaus Design, however the Golden Bear himself did not handle this design. That honor instead goes to his longtime associate Rick Jacobsen.

Opening the front nine with the Black holes, players may draw a line to the actual behavior of Black Bears, which come into contact with humans more than any other species. Likewise, as players travel around the large bunkers and water hazards of the Black nine, they’ll also come in contact with the bulk of the area’s residential development.

Things open up during the Grizzly nine, where the housing disappears and the “dunes” from the title come into play. The managers have maintained native scrub and other plants around the edges and waste areas on this nine, to provide a more isolated golfing experience.