Leelanau Sports Guy’s World at sportspig.com

The Jack Nicklaus designed golf course The Bear will celebrate it’s 25th year of challenging golfers this summer on June 17, 2010. The Grand Traverse Resort has invited the public to participate by sharing photos and stories and offering special prizes and savings during the upcoming golf season.

The Bear was the first Nicklaus designed course in Michigan and helped pave the way for modern designed golf courses in northern Michigan.

The Golf Association of Michigan’s most recent review of The Bear measured it at 7,078 yards, and gave it a rating of 76.3 and slope of 148. In spite of its difficulty, it is fair. Landing areas are generous and it rewards good shots. And good golfers can score on it, as the Resort’s Head Golf Professional, Scott Hebert, who won six Michigan Open championships on The Bear, will attest.

“The Bear is the best golf course I’ve ever played and after 25 years it has not lost any of its bite! Every hole is different, which makes it unique, and to play it well, your game should be sharp,” stated Hebert.

Perhaps the best-known golfer to play The Bear was the winner of the 1990 Ameritech Senior Open, Chi Chi Rodriguez, who said, “(The Bear) is one of the great golf courses we play. The thing that makes this course so great is that it can be set up as tough as you want. This course challenges you on every shot. This is the way golf courses should be designed.”

For more information and details visit www.grandtraverseresort.com.

Photo of The Bear courtesy of Grand Traverse Resort & Spa