Bearpath

The Bearpath Golf & Country Club is located in a residential area near Lake Riley, a charming body in the southwest suburbs of Minneapolis. If you couldn’t guess, the title animal is a reference to the course’s designer, Jack Nicklaus (Black bears themselves don’t typically make their way this far south in the state, but the course and its paths are quite walkable for members).

In a state that bills itself as having 10,000 lakes, no doubt there will be a few ponds around the route. Several are more photographic than your average golf course pond, however, displaying a beautiful display of natural reeds. Don’t get too distracted when hitting over the pond at the par three No. 8! A common pond, displaying the same foliage, will provide a hazard on the left during the approach into No. 9, while sitting on the right during the approach to No. 18. The latter approach will also be threatened on the left by the more “open-water” Jacques Pond.

The big bears in your group can challenge the course from a maximum yardage that just exceeds 7,000 yards.