From 8/16

Finally made it to Bear's Best!


Enjoyed a great day of golf at Bear's Best on a Hot and Sunny Friday. Bear's Best is a fun / challenging Desert Player’s Course that is a Jack compo... Continue »

From 8/16

Finally made it to Bear's Best!


Enjoyed a great day of golf at Bear's Best on a Hot and Sunny Friday. Bear's Best is a fun / challenging Desert Player’s Course that is a Jack composite course that features 18 holes from around the world designed by Jack and now set in in the LV Desert. I can tell you that many of featured holes, I have played the originals, and they truly are excellent replicas.

BB is a very well-designed course that places premium on accuracy off the tee and into greens. The course features clear definition between its mid-sized undulating fairways and rough areas, well placed bunkering on fairways and proximate to greens, along with strategic water hazards on a few holes, and with fast greens. The course is another great Jack design. I absolutey loved it!


The course is primarily flat but features lots of undulations, along with some attractive views of localized mountains. The course plays like a Championship Style Desert layout. The course seemed to play it's yardage. The course was in excellent condition overall. The course layout is rated a 5 out of 5, conditions are rated a 4.7 out of 5. I note the following:


Tee Boxes: Level and lush, no damage. Condition was very nice.


Fairways: Green at times tight. Condition was very nice.


Greens: Fast in speed and medium to firm. No damage observed. Speed about a 11. Condition was very nice.


Sand: Well maintained and firm. Condition was very nice.


Rough: rough was well defined from the fairway and green collars but not too overgrown, about 2 – 5 inches. Grabby at times. Condition was very nice.


Waste Areas: - Waste areas on various holes did not offer the opportunity of recovery due to their overgrown nature. Condition was very nice.


Driving Range: The range is excellent. You are hitting off grass into a beautiful mountain backdrop with markers at 100, 150, 200, 225, and 250 yards. Range ran out at about 300ish. Range balls were your typical white Callaway rangers and in good condition. Also noted very nice chipping areas. Great driving range! Condition was very nice.


Practice Putting Greens: Practice putting greens are ample and very well maintained. Seemed consistent with the speed of the course greens on this day. Condition was very nice.


POP: 3.5 hours – no wait was encountered.

BB features a beautiful restaurant with very good food, along with a very well stocked high-end pro shop. The customer service received at this facility was perfect. I can't voice how great they were here.


Bear's Best is now my favorite course in LV and I can't wait to go back. Sadly, I have been advised that it will go private next year, which will ruin everything for golfing here in the future.

This is a top-level golf experience! A+ all the way.

Had a chance to play Bear's Best in Vegas last week. It's been on my bucket list and was not disappointed, everything from check in to the post round drink was awesome!!!

The layout speaks for its... Continue »

Had a chance to play Bear's Best in Vegas last week. It's been on my bucket list and was not disappointed, everything from check in to the post round drink was awesome!!!

The layout speaks for itself as it takes 18 holes of Jack Nicklaus' best work. The black sand was really cool. Great mix of holes that are short and some that are going to take two good shots.

The greens were much slower than i imagined and there wasn't much break to them. We kept overplaying them to start until we made our adjustment.

I do plan on coming back to play this excellent course again. Hopefully sooner than later!!!

As a higher handicapped player (21), I loved this course. From the middle tees, each hole offers playable shots without having to overthink anything. Course was in great shape, carts have gps and spea... Continue »

As a higher handicapped player (21), I loved this course. From the middle tees, each hole offers playable shots without having to overthink anything. Course was in great shape, carts have gps and speakers, practice facility is huge and on grass with callaway balls, and staff was great. The par long 3 16th (200 yards) is probably the signature hole, overlooking the strip as you have to hit a solid shot to over the desert terrain to avoid losing your ball.

Saturday June 20, was a nice clear day here with a soft breeze for our play day- 12:12 tee time fits our schedule. It was supposed to have reached 103 degrees but seemingly that was not felt. Cooler... Continue »

Saturday June 20, was a nice clear day here with a soft breeze for our play day- 12:12 tee time fits our schedule. It was supposed to have reached 103 degrees but seemingly that was not felt. Cooler, I would say, more like low 90s or even high 80s all day so that was good for us.

It’s a pleasure to be back here again. The prior review was encouraging and did not disappoint- it’s probably in a better condition now than then. It is just fabulous and I don’t have much different things to say other than the greens have healed from its recent aeration. It rolled nicely and true, but not fast at all, maybe 9 on a Stimp meter if I had to guess. If you play here today, I’m sure you will enjoy the course very much.
The staff and the beverage cart were all helpful, friendly and informative. The practice balls at the driving range were all brand new shiny and bright white. This place have exuded top quality and service in a public access golf course.

Hoping to be back again sooner than later. I like this course even more this time than the last time I was here. Notably holes #1, 10, and 18 comes to mind right away for its looks and the way it plays, but then there are many holes that is so cool to play... and yes, fair like how the previous review mentioned.

Ventured out on 3/28 with a 10:12 tee time. Weather was nice 62° light winds and just a beautiful day for golf. BB is practicing safe COVID-19 standards and had contact less service all around. Every ... Continue »

Ventured out on 3/28 with a 10:12 tee time. Weather was nice 62° light winds and just a beautiful day for golf. BB is practicing safe COVID-19 standards and had contact less service all around. Every player had their own cart and I think this helped with pace of play today. We got off right on time and finished in under 3 1/2 hours. The were groups a head but it was moving swiftly.

I really enjoy this course and its fair if you keep your tee shots in the short stuff. A few long holes and a few short one made for a fun day. Conditions are top notch right now given the peak season. Tee's were lush but needed a mow but nothing that would interfere with your shots. Fairways were like carpet and looked spectacular. Rough is still mostly dormant but the Bermuda is coming in. Next week its going to be warm so maybe 2 weeks and the Bermuda will be green. The greens had just been punched last Monday but they were a small needle punch and the sanded greens rolled smooth but slow. Given a week I think they will be fully healed up.

I recommend playing here if you can get a deal but....... the rack rate is way over the top and IMO not worth it for $280. If you have ClubCorp its $40.

Played here on Monday, 2/10, the second day of my Vegas golf trip. I had an 11:30 time and apparently no one else was booked at that time. The starter sent out a couple who asked to play alone right i... Continue »

Played here on Monday, 2/10, the second day of my Vegas golf trip. I had an 11:30 time and apparently no one else was booked at that time. The starter sent out a couple who asked to play alone right in front of me, and then started telling me he was searching for people to pair me with. He kept asking me to wait because he knew some people had told him they were willing to go early, but he couldn't find them and/or they'd decided to eat first. Meanwhile, my tee time eventually passed when he asked me again if I wanted to wait. I said no and he reluctantly let me go to the tee by myself. It really irks me when courses act like it's my problem that I don't have a playing partner. Hey buddy that's your problem; I'm just here to play golf. Then after all that, right after I hit my first tee ball, another single rolled up to join me. So we played together and then invited the twosome behind us to join us for the last 5 holes or so. POP seemed slow but we finished in about 4:15.

That was only a minor issue and otherwise the starter was really nice, and probably just felt bad for me having to play alone. I just don't like when they act like it's my problem.

Conditions are excellent, definitely the best of the four courses I played over the last 3 days. Greens were great, smooth and medium fast and medium firmness. Full shots would take a bounce or two before stopping. Also, the 17th green seemed like it hadn't been mowed or something; definitely longer grass and slower pace than all the others. Fairways were excellent. The dormant rough was also in excellent shape and sometimes nasty where your ball sinks down and becomes hard to see and extra grabby when playing through it. Tee boxes were good. Sand in the bunkers was fantastic. Some of the best I've encountered recently.

This was my second time here. I really enjoy the course. Some of the Strip views from 5+ years ago have disappeared due to more homes being built, but there are still a few holes with stunning views of the entire valley. Plus many of the homes that line this course are breathtaking; they almost look like small hotels, not houses. Anyway, highly recommended although I didn't pay rack rate. I used my ClubCorp Play Away to get it for ~$42 with tax.

Played using my Club Corp Play-away membership for a cart fee of $36. That price is much better than the rack rate of $210. I had played here many years ago and remember not being able to finish due t... Continue »

Played using my Club Corp Play-away membership for a cart fee of $36. That price is much better than the rack rate of $210. I had played here many years ago and remember not being able to finish due to darkness. This time I got to play all 18 holes (barely) POP was 4:35 but felt slower. One thing to note is most of the course is now surrounded by multi million dollar houses but they do not come into play unless you are wild off the tee. Conditions were great not immaculate but knowing that this course is never in full immaculate condition I was surprised on how good it was.

The staff here is very friendly and the starter gave us many tip including that the greens were firm and faster than normal due to the weather the week before. Tee's were in good shape even with the tournament play the last few days and have many options to choose from. Fairways were cut short and provided great roll all day. only a few areas had some issues with browning but those were few and far between. I found the rough to be longer than a usual course but had no issues powering through it. Greens were firm and were lightning fast a two inch putt would go far if you were not below the hole it was fun. The sand was hit or miss on the day, two holes have black sand from Montana and although wet were very powdery. I cant wait to try it when the course has been dry.

Over all if you can snag a deal this course is a lot of fun but with rack rate its tough to justify with so many other options in the Las Vegas area for less.

Thursday, the 29th, 7:10-ish shotgun start, 87 players.

The layout was okay, the holes- each of them were different and far from being monotonous from each other. Many interesting holes that mad... Continue »

Thursday, the 29th, 7:10-ish shotgun start, 87 players.

The layout was okay, the holes- each of them were different and far from being monotonous from each other. Many interesting holes that made me think of what to do, what club to tee off with. It was almost difficult to get a rhythm and flow going because I never knew what Jack has in mind for the next shot or the next hole. It made for a long day as a tournament, but it turned out to be a very fun and memorable day even though the greens were so slow (maybe 8 on a stimp?) it rolled okay for the most part- bumpy at times. I'm not happy with that at all. I wasn't in any bunker, but the guys I was with who played in it said it was okay. The fairways were just fine although more than a few divots were unfiled (it looks like it's at least two days old- so disappointing. The teeing grounds were okay and level.

I hate to give low reviews on a course most especially on a premium course as this, but I can't help to give a few dings against it. For the course itself I think it's fair that they get an 8.2. For its playing conditions, I'm sorry but a high 6.5 should be all I could give it. Remember this course is not cheap to get onto.

Anyway, the wait to get on this course was still worth it beca of its individual hole design, but that's all. I can't sa I'd be in a hurry to be back... on a special much discounted deal, maybe.

This is a course I have had in the back of my mind to play for quite a while traveling to Vegas. I found a pretty good rate from an online tee time site. All in all, this course was pretty challengi... Continue »

This is a course I have had in the back of my mind to play for quite a while traveling to Vegas. I found a pretty good rate from an online tee time site. All in all, this course was pretty challenging. Many of the greens on the front nine are elevated and play about a half club longer when hitting into them. The fairways are pretty generous and offer a wide target to hit into. For the most part, you can hit driver off of almost every tee with only a couple of exceptions. The greens were in really good shape and rolled quick and true. Pay attention to where the Stratosphere Casino is as your putt will slightly break in that direction, just enough to move outside the hole. I played in the afternoon after a tournament had finished and didn't have anyone in front of me the whole day so the pace of play was not an issue. Each cart is stocked with bottled water which makes up for the few coolers that are around the course. Although I haven't played any of the courses the holes are modeled after, this is a great course on it's own. It will definitely challenge you especially when the wind kicks up. The back nine seemed to play a lot easier than the front nine. There is a drivable par four, both par 5s are reachable with a good drive and the first par 3 is really short. The approach shot into 18 will give you all you can handle with and huge 2 tier green. The front nine like I said played a bit longer into the green and I had a tough time judging the yardages. The only knocks are that the driving range uses a long strip of turf that is lumpy. It looks like chewed bubblegum and finding a flat spot to hit from was near impossible. The greenside bunkers were also really hard and baked out. They were so hard the bounce of my wedge would skid across the top regardless of how much or little the club face was open. I want to play this course again as it presents one of the better challenges I have seen in Vegas. Lastly, the houses that surround the course are amazing almost to the point of being distracting. Some of the most incredible architecture I have ever seen.