The Beaver and Bear nines formed the original Jack Nicklaus course at Breckenridge Golf Club when it opened in 1985 and they were joined by the slightly less demanding 9-hole Elk circuit sixteen years later.
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The Beaver and Bear nines formed the original Jack Nicklaus course at Breckenridge Golf Club when it opened in 1985 and they were joined by the slightly less demanding 9-hole Elk circuit sixteen years later.
Breckenridge (Beaver & Bear)
If you assumed that the “Bear” nine at Breckenridge Golf Club was a reference to architect Jack Nicklaus, you’re at least partially correct. If you thought “Beaver” was a reference to a different, more obscure designer, you are far from correct. All three nines at Breckenridge were designed by Nicklaus, and the Bear and Beaver make up the championship route.
The Golden Bear doesn’t deserve all the credit for the name, however, as the title also draws from the black bears that frequent the area during the Summer months. That nine was also the first laid out at the club, opening during 1985 and featuring wide fairways to allow multiple routes to the green.
Perhaps a reflection of the direction of golf course area, Nicklaus laid out the Beaver two years later and the course featured much thinner fairways than Bear. The title also alludes to water hazards dotted throughout, where the title rodents are known to build their log homes (what they do with all the golf balls found at the bottom of the ponds is anyone’s guess).