The Bear - Grand Traverse Resort and Spa

Getting To Know: The Bear - Grand Traverse Resort and Spa

An Insightful Interview With Scott Hebert, Head Golf Professional & Director of Instruction

By Brian Weis

Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property
Welcome to The Bear, every bit the bruin it was when Jack Nicklaus first unleashed the course on June 17, 1985. Celebrated as not only the toughest 18 holes in Michigan, The Bear was ranked as the 18th toughest course in America, according to Golf Digest. Nicklaus' signature design features Scottish terraced fairways, tiered greens, deep grassy roughs, moguls and mounds and deep pot bunkers. With rolling land, trees, lakes and streams, fruit orchards and a variety of wildlife, you have a mixture of different features that people will see in different places - but rarely on one course.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
Thanks to three different designers, Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, boasts a colorful palette of courses, each offering varying levels of challenge. Those courses include The Bear, The Wolverine , and Spruce Run. For 28 years the Resort was the host site for the Michigan Open, one of the most prestigious state golf championships in the nation.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
Through the years, the Resort has been honored with numerous golf awards recognizing it as one of the Midwest's finest golf experiences, in such publications as Golf Digest, Conde Nast Traveler, Golf Magazine, Travel & Leisure Golf and Links Magazine.

MICHIGAN GOLF COURSE OWNERS ASSOCIATION
The Bear - 2012 Course of the Year

GOLF DIGEST
Top 75 Golf Resorts in North America
(Ranked #48)
America's 50 Toughest Golf Courses
(The Bear Ranked #18)
Top 40 Casino Courses
(The Bear & The Wolverine)

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
The Bear has truly 18 signature holes; however if I was to pick one, #18! A great golf course concludes with a memorable finish. The Bear finishes very strong with a difficult split fairway par 4 demanding a great tee shot. From the fairway you are forced to hit a mid iron over water to a multi-terraced green in front a patio full of guests.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
The fifth hole par four requires control of your ball both off the tee and into the green. With water hazards protecting to the left and short of the green, a four feels like a birdie.

Challenge the tee shot for success on this hole. It will leave an easier second over the water and better chance of not washing your golf ball in the lake.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
After your round have a drink on the patio overlooking the 18th green. A great spot to add up your score and watch groups finish a true golf master piece.

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
Brent Venstra - 62

Brent shot this terrific score during the Michigan State Open. It will never again be matched!

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: 7048
Slope: 148
Rating: 76.3

More Information
The Bear - Grand Traverse Resort and Spa
100 Grand Traverse Village BLVD
Acme, MI, 49610
231-534-6470
www.grandtraverseresort.com

Revised: 02/06/2013 - Article Viewed 32,379 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.