![]() ![]() I truly enjoyed the course’s routing and layout, as well as the abundance of early season green grass. I felt like Golden Bear had presented a thorough, fair, and fun test of golf. Despite cranking out my longest, straightest drive of the day, the best I could manage was a two putt bogey.Ī look back down the 9th fairway from the green.ĭespite limping across the finish line with four consecutive bogeys, I didn’t leave the course feeling defeated. It’s a long Par 4 with a diabolically narrow fairway guarded by out-of-bounds left and a bunker and lake hugging the length of the fairway on the right. Number 6 handicaps as the hardest hole on the course. If the 18th hole wasn’t so pretty, I would advocate reversing the nines to enhance the golfer’s end to the round. ![]() While number 18 was a tremendous, signature would-be closing hole, the collection of holes numbers six through nine were the premiere stretch of holes in my mind. ![]() The preferred tee shots alternated between draws, fades, and straight forward drives, which helped keep the mind alert with each successive challenge. The front nine of Golden Bear likewise contained a great collection of holes that required a mix of shot shaping and shot making capabilities. The par 3 8th hole demanded a lengthy forced carry into a green that wasn’t very deep, producing a real challenge on a day when the greens weren’t holding shots very well. I was able to build on the little bit of momentum and confidence I’d gleaned from the day before, and felt more in control of my driver and 3-wood off the tee box. However, once I accepted that any shot into the green was going to release twenty feet or more, shot making became predictable, and therefore, playable.Īs I made my way around the course, I was delighted to find Golden Bear’s layout contained a nice mix of holes requiring both fades and draws off the tee. ![]() Getting the ball to check up on the putting surface was a lost cause. I would only produce ball marks on one or two greens all day, and those were shallow marks that resisted repair and manipulation. But I could physically feel a significant difference as I stepped from the collar onto my first green of the day. Granted, it was frigidly cold by Hilton Head standards and the greens were largely elevated above the surrounding mounds and bunker complexes. One of the most striking features of the course was how incredibly firm the greens were compared to the rest of the golf course. The clubhouse and putting green provide a serene backdrop for a nervy approach shot. Visually, it was a warm and inviting golf course.Ī view of the green from the end of the fairway of the signature 18th hole at Golden Bear Golf Club. There were also fewer and smaller mounds framing the fairways, approaches, and green complexes. I also noticed a lot more birds and woodland critters abound in and around the trees, ponds, and pine straw beds. So, with yardage book in hand, having learned the lesson from of the previous day, I jumped at the chance to play another sub-three hour round and promptly made my way to the number 10 tee box.įrom the beginning I noticed that Golden Bear was very green, from an apparently very heavy over-seeding of rye grass in the fall. Since I would be going out alone, I could follow the handful of foursomes going off number one or head off the back alone with only one twosome a few holes in front of me. The course wasn’t empty, but it truly was a few brave and hearty souls that got their golfing Jones that morning.Īfter getting loose on the plush practice range, the starter gave me a choice, which I certainly appreciated. It was 38 degrees and overcast as my tee time approached, and my would-be group was nowhere to be found. I knew I wanted to play CCHH anyway, so I was happy to take advantage of the deal.Īs a single, I was supposed to be paired with a group of three other golfers. For one reduced price, patrons receive greens fees, cart fees, range balls, a discount on merchandise in the pro shop, and all the free, hot coffee I could drink. The other reason I chose Golden Bear is that the course was offering a double play special in combination with Country Club of Hilton Head (CCHH). A look back from the 13th green reveals the 3rd of 3 consecutive holes that dog legged to the left in varying degrees. ![]()
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