Black Bear Golf Club

Fairways and greens were in great shape. Greens were tough to read.... Great experience, and Ill be playing there again.

I enjoyed my day there. The course is okay shape wise, the greens are slow, the fairways are tight, I think because the course gets a lot of play. The rough is thin in some spots and the bunkers have some decent sand. There was a cart guy, I think the cart girl was off. The practice area was in good shape and the carts had GPS. Everyone was pleasant, although our server in the club house needed a little attitude adjustment. We stayed for the lunch, which was included in our price, I had the pulled chicken and house chips, no it wasnt good. I was told the burgers tasted like track pads, my military brethren understand that term. Overall my experience was not quite worth the 48 min drive, although I will say you may want to try the course, I just wont be back. None of the holes had any wow factor and thats what I need. I like that they have a 19th hole to settle any bets, Ive only seen this one other time and that was at Myrtle Beach. I also forgot to say, I like that some of the greens are elevated, that is a plus. The GPS factors in the slope to give you an exact yardage.

A very challenging yet fun course. The only thing outperforming this course is the staff who work there. Friendly, professional, and quality driven. As a soon to be new resident at Black Bear Reserve, I am looking forward to many more rounds and great experiences!

Beautiful course! Greens are a little slow but I expect them to be faster in coming weeks!

Tea boxes fairways and greens in excellent condition. Nice layout. Very friendly staff. Challenging holes.

Anyone not rating this 5-stars needs to be removed from the google rating system. The course is a Pete Dye design, is a links-style, meaning no trees and almost no water hazards, course and is kept in perfect shape. The course was so fun to play, great condition, and reasonably priced, that we cancelled a round elsewhere and played here again a few days later. Just a fabulous layout. Not as picturesque as World Woods, but still a beautiful course, and less than 1/2 the price of WW most days. Its my new favorite course in central Florida and Ill be back to play it again and again.Also the clubhouse has food. Its not on the menu, for some reason, but their clubhouse sandwich with homemade chips is the best clubhouse Ive had, and Ive had clubhouse sandwiches at over 100 golf courses and elsewhere. Its REALLY good.Come for the clubhouse sandwich, stay for the golf. :)The ONLY knock on this place is the Diet Coke on tap, the mix is off. Both days the mix was off. If they can get the mix ratios for the Diet Coke correct, this will be my first stop every time Im down.

Very nice greens except for one hole that was being redone. I also appreciated their Heroes

I love black bear. It is one of my favorite places to golf. I travel here from northern Idaho every winter and the experience is always fantastic. The greens are always clean and flat. The entire course is very well maintained. The hidden gem about black bear however, is the restaurant. In each of my visits, I have experienced lovely, friendly service catering to me. The food itself delivers top notch mouth watering flavor every single time. My favorite item on the menu is definitely the Philly burger, highly recommend. I actually grew to know the previous managers of the course, but I have to say the new ownership is even better then the last. Constant friendly, helpful service every time! I look forward to coming back next winter. For anyone reading this, Black bear is THE place to golf.

I called to schedule a lesson for my granddaughter with the club manager. I told the manager that she had displayed an interest in the game and I would like to give her the opportunity. During our conversation I disclosed that a couple of times I had picked her up on the 16th tee (my son lives there) and let her ride in the cart with me. I let her putt on the 17th and 18th greens. He informed me that I had been stealing from the club and basically called me a thief. I then apologized and offered to make a trip to the club house to pay him what he thought I might owe. He said, How would I know how often you have done this? You have already admitted that you are a cheat. How could I trust you? One comment lead to another and heated words were exchanged. I pride myself on honesty and would never purposely try to steal from anyone. I support the club in any way I can. This summer I played the course quite often. Its a great course. The first time I played Black Bear was the weekend after it opened in the 90s. I had plans to pursue a corporate membership. I regret the entire incident. I still plan to go to the pro shop and try to make financial restitution. I really enjoy the course, but know that I will never again feel comfortable playing there.

The staff was friendly and clubhouse was nice. The golf course condition is terrible. Burnt out spots, unplayable bunkers, and the greens seem like they haven’t been cut in and while. It’s tricky with some holes being blind.

One of the best places Ive ever played. I plan on going back asap

The course is in the best shape I have ever seen.

Course is always in excellent condition. This is a tough course due to the sloping fairways if you are not dead in the center. The greens are all elevated and undulating along with the fact that they are laid out long left to right and that means but very deep so difficult to hold if you dont hit the ball high. Elevated greens also are very firm and hard to hold even with the high shot. All of that said I still enjoy the challenge of this well maintained course.

A would rate it 4+. Some greens on the front side were a little rough. Besides that course was in great shape. Lots of mounding along the fairways and some greens. Several greens were very wide but extremely narrow. It was a windy day so club selection was tough and green complexes made for a tough up and down. Several two tiered greens. Lots of bunkers some very deep. Loved the layout want to play again in less wind.

The best maintained course I have been on in a long time. If you enjoy a challenge this is where you will find it.

Course is always in excellent condition. This is a tough course due to the sloping fairways if you are not dead in the center. The greens are all elevated and undulating along with the fact that they are laid out long left to right and that means but very deep so difficult to hold if you dont hit the ball high. Elevated greens also are very firm and hard to hold even with the high shot. All of that said I still enjoy the challenge of this well maintained course.

Fairways a plenty. But the greens are baked out mini putt putt. zero room to hold a green.They are friggin tiny. apparently they even shrunk some of them to save $$. wont be back.

This is my neighborhood course and club and I love the place!

Played this course a few days ago while in town visiting family and I wish I lived in the area so I could play here on a regular basis. The course was in great shape and definitely provided a challenge especially with some of the pin layouts. Ths staff was excellent, I will definitely be playing this course again when im back in Eustis.

Don’t hit it in any green side bunker.. Not at all maintained. Complete trash. All washed out and full of tadpoles. Not my first experience like this.

Tough course for a newbie but I managed it! Definitely a return trip in my future

Enjoyed the evening. Food was great and fireworks spectacle.

Great course terrible employees. Rude and short

Has to be one of the UNfriendliest places in the county. Every time Ive been there, I walk ALL around the proshop, walk right by proshop staff without a greeting. At the counter, no one seems particularly pleased to see me. No, what can I do for you, or hello... They just kinda stare. No please, no thank you. Course is nice, the range is beautiful, the girls at the food bar are super. Golfing staff? Meh. I spend most of my practice time at a course that is not so Hi-end and much, much friendlier.

Course is in great shape, I would have given it 5 stars if they took better care of the traps. I love the finishing hole #18

Been eating at the restaurant for over 5 years & always get sweet tea. New ownership decided to replace fresh brewed sweet tea with gross syrupy fountain tea, although they still brew unsweet tea!?! Bring back the good sweet stuff!!!*Update: it only took a week, they already brought back the brewed sweet tea. Thank you!!

Course is very fun and staff is very friendly.Pace of play was long and not having a cart person is a big down fall.Hope this changes for them!

Great golf course--hilly and just flat-out fun. Dont believe the hype about links style; it aint that. (It also wasnt designed by Pete Dye. It was his nephew P.B. Dye.) But its as fun as it gets, and everything is in great shape except for some of the bunkers. Highly recommended!

Course was in good shape, though the greens were somewhat inconsistent. Houses are very close to the course with no clear boundary as to what is the golf course and what is private property. My group was heckled by one of the home owners with obscenities. Golf Course staff did not resolve situation, instead calling us criminals. Will not play here again.

I should begin by pointing out that this and any other of my previous reviews of golf courses are made in comparison to other courses readily open to the general public. If I play a private or resort course, I will rate those accordingly as the expectations at those types of venues should always be raised. Today, Black Bear is in good shape. This is always a challenging layout and I have always found it to be in good shape. The greens today did not look very good but that played great... very true and rather quick. The staff at Black Bear has always been very friendly and today was no exception... very friendly and efficient. The dining room is always well kept and welcoming. The food is always good and the beer cold. Black Bear is a great value and although it is in a rural area, the drive out is a pretty one. I highly recommend it!

Challenging (Pete Dye) layout. Course was in excellent condition. Great fun!

If you’re looking for some of the best golf between Ocala and Daytona, there is no better choice than Black Bear in Eustis. Black Bear is a P.B. Dye design and from the looks of it, his father would be proud. What it lacks in Pete Dye trademark railroad tie bunkers and risk reward carry-the-water holes, it makes up for in fairway bunkers and difficult greenside bunkers many of them nestled into the surrounding mounds. In all, there are over 120 bunkers throughout the layout.On several holes, finding the fairway off the tee can be easier than at most courses; the mounding and dunes on the peripheries tend to funnel the ball back into the middle. Approaching the green from the short grass is a definite benefit as you’ll need all the help you can get to hit some of the smallest greens in the area. It’s not uncommon to find a green that’s over 150 feet long but only 35 feet wide. Or vice versa. The dunes also serve to isolate each hole, giving you the feeling that your group is the only one on the course. Although this Bermuda rough may not look difficult in its brown, dormant state, it’s cut short and still provides the same challenge.The greens at Black Bear are a story all to themselves. Collectively, they are probably the smallest greens I have played in Florida. That said, there are a couple that are about 150 feet long, but only 35 feet wide or deep! Like the rest of the course, there’s a lot of undulation in the greens, and they are typically quick.The two finishing holes at Black Bear Golf Club not only define the course, they are two of the three hardest holes on the course. Number 17 plays 413 yards from the Black Tees. Hitting a good drive often catches the downslope in the middle of the fairway and leaves a manageable shot into a green that sits about 30 feet above the fairway. Anything left and short is likely to find one of the 4 sand traps that adorn the area.Water comes into play on Number 18 and dominates the hole. From the Black Tees, anything hit longer than 265 yards is likely wet. The hole is 386 yards long with a bunker in the landing area on the right side. A good drive down the middle will still leave about 140 yards over water into an elevated, long, narrow green with a bunker back right. End your round with two pars or better and there’s a good chance you’re in the money!Last Word: If your golf course has the name “Dye” associated with it, odds are you’re going to garner some special attention, and rightfully so. P.B. Dye has done an excellent job with Black Bear, taking full advantage of the sandy, rolling terrain. The elevation changes are significant for this part of the state and the elevated greens have you constantly thinking about club selection. There’s plenty of room off the tee which is good, because Black Bear is all about your approach shot. You’re often playing uphill and into odd-shaped greens, many of which are very long yet extremely narrow. There’s also a lot of undulation in them. If you’re going to post a low score at Black Bear, you’ll need to have one of your best days of chipping, pitching and putting.In the event your highly competitive golf match is tied at the end of 18 holes, Black Bear offers a way to break the tie: The 19th Hole, a short shot over the water to settle the score once and for all. The course allows golfers of all abilities to have some fun and enjoy the challenge of playing a wide open but challenging tournament standard undulating links style layout.For what you get, the greens fees are more than reasonable. In season rates are ridiculously low and off season or “shoulder” rates often include something “extra” such as a hat, polo or lunch. Rounds to Black Bear can also be purchased on many of the major online tee sheets.

The service is friendly, but the staff gets overwhelmed easily and often. $4.50 for a bud light draft is a lil high for a small golf club in BFE. I usually end up over tipping because I feel so sorry for the staff getting so frazzled over orders of beers and sandwiches. Alas, its one of the only bars out in the area so I suppose beggers cant be choosers. See ya there soon lol.

Looks like a very popular golf course. Quaint community.

Fun place and beautiful day.

Great course in great shape.

Excellent Golf course. we have two tee times for next week again.

I play this course once a month and today it was is in as good a shape as I have seen it! Place is a hidden gem! It is hilly for Florida, fairly open and a good test of golf. It does have a couple quirky holes, but all fun!. Designed by the son of Pete Dye of TPC Sawgrass fame!

Great lay out, course could be kept a little bit more manicured. But a good day for golf

Great course and worth the drive!

Tough Course !!!! Lots of hills. Great Staff

Tough, tough course. Lots of sand. Most green guarded by bunkers in the front and back. If you dont possess a sand game stay away from The Bear. The pro shop and starter shack staff were friendly and provided basic information. Kind of dissapointed as there was no beverage cart on the course. We were told by the person working in the shop there would be a cart during our round. Hole #18 is kind of funky. You need to drive up towards the green to look at it. A layup from the tee is mandatory leaving a short to mid iron over water. Ball will run out by the pond so be sure to under club. Will put this course on my play list for 2020.

Not a place for younger golfers. Owners will kick you off for the word of a member who instigates. Great course, but don’t come out for a good time. Didn’t ask to leave respectfully, demanded we leavePS - Hope you like sprinklers going off on the green and the club house just telling you to mark a birdie and move to the next hole! Pretty sure I paid to play all 18

I love this golf course. It has a lot of character. The fairways are plush, the greens are elevated and there are few flat lies. A wonderful layout.

Played the course on April 4, 2018.......this is one of the best courses in all of Florida that is not a private club. It is a course that each hole will give you something to think about. Fairways are rolling, many bunkers, greens are all elevated, long but narrow surrounded with bunkers 5 to 10 feet deep. Fairways, bunkers, greens are all in great shape. Only one hole with water, needing to hit over to reach green. Personally this is a course that I think you need to have a reasonably good game to enjoy all it has to offer. Definitely will play this course again!

Great value course in good condition very friendly proshop

The course was in excellent shape.Greens were speedy down grain but soft enough to hold approach shots.No drink cart girl on a holiday weekend was a surprise but great golf conditions.

Nice golf course with good greens. Tee areas are all up on hills. Can be hard for people with bad knees or hips to get to tee area.

Very nice layout. Greens are a little funky in shape and they were in OK condition wise. You could putt the greens, except for a couple that looked like they were burnt out. Cant comment on the pace of play as there was an outing playing a scramble in from of us, so it wouldnt be fair to judge the time of the round. I found the course interesting, but the overall condition was at best good. Probably would go back if it wasnt such a long drive. All in all, just ok.

Played Aug 21st 2018. They just sanded the greens while I was playing. Course is in very good condition. Greens now need a little time to get back to 100%. This course is well maintained and very fun. Greens are small some of the smallest Ive ever seen. Love playing here. I recommend this course.

Black Bear will be having new owners and I have the utmost respect for what he does and believe that everyone will be happy with the changes. Best of luck

Very nice course that has a lot of challenges

Always good work out lol

Quiet place to golf. Small and homey course in the black bear neighborhood. Great for a round of golf on a clear day. Definitely feels peaceful.

A great layout and great service. The course needs a bit more TLC (tender loving care).

Great course. Definitely different from any other course around

Ok Shape. Needs some time to heal up from punching. Fun track, not your flat golf course.

I golfed there 3 years ago and they charged me twice because they said I didnt pay. It took two months for me to get my money back and the owner asked me if I was ever back in Florida to please give them another shot... Well I gave them another shot just a few weeks ago and had the worst experience of golf Ive ever had. They rushed myself and my uncle so fast it was ridiculous. We booked a 8:11 tee time and showed up 20 minutes early and they said we put you with a twosome and theyre waiting you need to head out now, wouldnt even allow me to purchase a drink. We were rushed so much that at the 12th hole we just quit and left. I wouldnt recommend going to this place ever, and I assure you I will never give them another chance. They are more worried about taking your money and getting the next guys money than you actually enjoying a game of golf. Pathetic

Not a bad course lot of sand traps very undulating fairways in average condition.

The food and service was great.

I had the privilege of golfing at Black Bear, what a fabulous well groomed course.....from tee box to green not a blemish of inconsistency to be found find the fairway on tee shots and you are on your way to scoring well. Being here on vacation I am trying to see a variety of play on courses I will make it a point to visit Black Bear again before heading home to Pittsburgh and have reality set in on sub par courses.......Thanks Grounds crew for job well done.....

Never golfed here as it is too pricey for us. Have eaten here however and the food was good both times.

The staff and course are incredibly!!

Course was in pretty good shape. They now have a dress code so be warned...

Lots of sand & very fast greens. Pin placements were brutal often on little knobs. Nice course but I wont go there again.

In response to the review before me by MBA. I would like to extend an apology. The person working in the Cart Barn on the date in question does not usually close and is impulsive enough to take it upon himself to tell you the carts need to be returned.All you can play is meant to be exactly what it sounds like, (actual darkness and ensuring you check in with the pro-shop before the start of each 18)If you will contact me I will be happy to try and correct our mistake.

great track love it

This is a favorite of mine! The course was in great shape. It has enough challenge for any level golfer. The food is great and the employees are awesome!

Course was looking really nice.

I have played at hundreds of golf facilities. I have never ever been treated with such incompetence like I was at Black bear golf club. The director of golf is a absolute loser. He was acting as a starter and he totally screwed up my day and showed me he was not qualified to be a starter nonetheless a Director of golf. I called golf now and they said oh Butch yeah we have had many complaints about him and they totally understood and made everything right.Please check out red tail golf course like I did after leaving after 2 hours and only 4 holes. Plus my golf cart gas broke down on the 4 th hole? I have never ever seen a electric or gas cart break down. I mean I am sure it happens but it’s really really rare black bear is broke down with butch as the director And oh yeah the white tees are under 6000 yards. Who plays golf from under 6000 yards. Maybe butch I don’t know ?

Apparently, somebody put in a bad word against us while we were playing and we were unable to convince the employees we weren’t in the wrong. Great course but i was disappointed that we couldn’t leave on good terms. When they asked us to leave, we were confused but respected their demands.

Had to ask for a waitress. Party of 6. We sat at table 15 mins with no service. Waitress was pleasant. Food average.

I love the golf course Butch was a very pleasant person and Joy she was very pleasant person as well I will definitely be back

Staff was friendly, the course was in good shape and the food excellent all in all a great day!

A+ golf course nice place to golf

Always have loved the place, been going there from when they fist opened, also kept in damn good shape, a must play if your on the area, plyer friendly, and has a couple of holes that can bite you...

I can y for St be a try and S staree you have a very merry and I can meet you

Really nice course well be back next year

Did not like their false advertisement on cost

Just finished up painting this beautiful home. Thanks pete

Absolutely terrible staff. Have been playing golf all over Florida for 15 years and never have I seen such disrespect and horrible treatment of customers. Will never go back. First time leaving a review, simply because the experience was that atrocious.

To be fair the person in the pro shop was very nice. After that it was all downhill from there. The course seems to be in better shape than in the reviews I read before going there. The fairways have grass and the greens are in pretty good shape. They are using a temporary green painted on the fairway on one of the holes on the front nine.Why I will never play there again is the fact that I paid for the all you can play special and was ripped off. I have never heard of an all you can play special that ends at 7:30 pm when dusk is at 8:30 pm. So...I did not get to play as much as I wanted and if I had known I was going to have my golf day cut off early, I would have played at another place that didnt have such a retarded idea of all you can play.Another problem with this place is their golf carts. The golf carts are gas powered, which makes them the loudest carts in Orlando. What is even worse is all the advertising you are constantly being bombarded with as you are trying to obtain your yardages. The last 1 1/2 hours I played I put my golf towel over it and used my own GPS so I wouldnt have to look at all the stupid messages.Last of all, when I turned in my cart the manager was a real jerk and complained about all the golf I played. I guess I wore out their golf course in the 4 hours that I was there.

We moved here 3 yearsIt has been an absolute joy.The course is excellent, the owners are super,food is as good as any chain.Most of all, the golf is affordable-and so are the homes.Close to Lake Mary, and Mt.Dora

Tough course, but lots of fun

Could be one of the best all around values in Central Florida.Coming from Scotland, the links style combined with Significant elevation change reminded me of the home of golf. Very different from flat Florida courses with water all over the place. Fairways are excellent and many of the greens are elevated and set at angles that demand approach shots that land on the green and stick. At a number of holes a well played lay up shot works out better than trying a long approach shot. P.B. Dye really makes you think 2 shots ahead in many cases. Then you have to read the greens very well as double or triple breakers are not uncommon. When your game is done you can relax with a cold beer and excellent pub style menu served inside or on the large outside tented patio by a pleasant and attentive serving staff.

Young lad in the club house was excellent! Course was a good time but I wasn’t pleased with management...

Great golf course!!!Plenty of challengs.Well maintained.

In pretty good shape golf with lunch was very reasonable

Best conditions I have seen the fairways and T-boxes. Greens okay but needs some work.

Ive played this course several times a year. Its a great layout and gives alot of room for wayward shots. However, I and three of my friends drove up from south Florida to play Black Bear and Red Tail. Black Bear was a mess. The greens were a total disaster. Never saw so much fungus. Almost impossible to get a decent roll on the ball. More bumps then the surface of the moon. Talked with a local guy who said the course is suffering from a lack of golfers. Well, if they dont improve the conditions of the greens nobody will pay to play the course. Drive to Red Tail. A couple of minutes away, a few dollars more, but pristine conditions all the way around.

Course in very good condition for February. No problem with golf carts plus it comes with GPS. Rates fair for this time of year. Staff friendly and helpful.

Unique for Florida, lots of elevation and tricky greens.

Played 10/27/16. Course was in very good condition. Greens were a good speed and smooth. Staff nice and came out within minutes when one of our carts stopped running. Will play again soon.

1/2 GolfNow 1/2 Black Bear... Tried to book a tee time at 10:30 am on Monday for Tuesday 8:39. It booked us for Monday 8:39... It was already pass that date in time... It was for a Round with lunch for 32ish. I modified the reservation to the following day. It did not notify me of a price change. It also took our lunch off of our reservation. The price was 31ish now. It is a beautiful course!! I booked this for 2 of my bosses, and a client. Needless to say it made me look bad. Very unhappy with it all! When I tried to ask about it in the pro shop. It just further embarrassed me in front of my client. The Director was very short with me. Acted like talking to me was a waste of his time. It was a waste of $130ish dollars in my book. Thanks!!!!

Nice layout. Tough WinterCould use some cosmetics but the golf and lunch special are a fairly good deal

The course is usually maintained well. Needs to be a little cheaper..or at least have twilight hours

The holes are in great conditionThe people are EXTREMELY niceThe food is very, very goodchallenging but very funWill definitely be back

Very friendly people. Great layout and the course is in good condition for the drought. Greens roll great. The only thing I do t like is no cart girl on the course.

Awesome course. I highly recommend a game there.

Great Course