The Bear's Club

The Bear’s Club was inaugurated in 1999 by Jack and Barbara Nicklaus and is the result of Jack’s dream to create a world-class golf course in his own South Florida backyard.

Naturally, the Bear’s Club is a private facility for members and their guests to enjoy, so you’ll need to befriend a member, or perhaps get an invite from the Golden Bear himself to play here. The Bear’s club is home for the Nicklaus family and was voted one of the world’s elite private club experiences by a leading glossy magazine.

The course at the Bear’s Club opened in 2000 and is routed across a natural pine-clad sand ridge but Jack added a few other ridges to create a more interesting landform for his design. Incorporated into the design are special high-banked bunkers with special sand (imported from Ohio) that won’t wash out during Florida’s heavy thunderstorms.

“Living well is the best revenge” is a quote used by Sotheby’s International Realty, promoters of the Bear’s Club (the quote was originally by English poet George Herbert). Naturally Sotheby’s want to sell the exclusive estate properties so we decided to quote their Bear’s Club golf course description to appropriately whet the appetite: “Amid the splendor of an extraordinary natural environment, a championship golf course has been carved, incorporating a sweeping interlace of fairways, preserve areas, wetlands, cypress heads, tall pine and lakes. Jack Nicklaus has masterfully created a design that takes into consideration the character of the land and the sensitivity of its ecosystem.”

According to the Nicklaus Design website; “unlike Muirfield Village, The Bear's Club is not intended to be a tournament golf course, but is instead a premier private club. And perhaps Jack's legacy.”

If you’re “living well” at the The Bear’s Club or perhaps you’re a lucky member’s guest, we’d love to know what you think about Jack’s legacy. Perhaps you’d write a review?