Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, The Bear Course, Acme, Michigan - A Jack Nicklaus Design and One of the Most Difficult Golf Courses in the Midwest

Grand Traverse Resort & Spa is located near Traverse City, Michigan on the shores of Grand Traverse Bay. The resort can boast three upscale golf courses, including the best-known among them, The Bear, which opened in 1985.

The 18-hole, par-72 course is a Jack Nicklaus design, but there may be some debate as to whether the course is named after its designer, the Golden Bear, or because it's one of the most difficult courses in the entire Midwest. The Bear is a links-style course that plays to 7,078 yards from the longest tees, with a USGA rating of 76.3 and a slope rating of 148 on Bent grass.

The course features the traditional elements of Scottish, links-style golf courses, including terraced fairways, deep grassy rough, mounds, moguls, tiered greens, and deep pot bunkers. The course also features the elements of golf courses in Northern Michigan, including rolling hills, lakes, ponds, streams, hardwood forests, fruit orchards, and a variety of wildlife, from ducks and deer, to blue herons, swans, and muskrats. There are four lakes found on the course, and 10 of the 18 holes incorporate water hazards.

For golfers playing the shorter tees, distance isn't the issue on The Bear. The White tees only play to 6,129. The difficulty begins right on the tee, where golfers are often unable to see the dozens of hidden fairway bunkers. The terraced (elevated) fairways often have a severe drop into thick rough, while the greens tend to be severely contoured, and seven of them are protected by water and involve forced carries.

Some of the more noteworthy holes include No. 9, a par-3 that plays to what is essentially an island green surrounded by water. The hole is not especially long, playing to only 142 yards from the White tees, but there's little room for error as bunkers also guard both sides of the green. The hole also marks the transition to the back nine, which is said to be even more difficult than the front.

The signature hole for the course is No. 13, another short par-3 that also involves a forced carry over water. The green is also surrounded by four bunkers, making an accurate tee shot a must for any chance at par.

Hole No. 15 offers up some beautiful scenery, with a downhill fairway that hooks around a pond. With the green tucked behind the water hazard, there's little choice by to carry more water on the approach and aim for a green guarded by three bunkers.

The finishing hole is considered one of the prettiest on the course, as well as the #2-handicap hole. This par-4 plays to 427 yards from the middle tees, but only 387 from the Whites. The difficult arises from a fairway that's split in two by a trough of rough and a large trees. A large pond then demands another forced carry to the green tucked behind the hazard.

The Bear has received numerous honors and accolades over the years, including a 4-Star rating from Golf Digest, and a ranking as the #18 most difficult course in America. GOLF Magazine also gave the resort a Silver Medal award.

Practice facilities at the resort include multiple indoor and outdoor hitting bays and short-game practice areas. The resort also features the Jim McLean Golf School, which has been voted as the best golf school in the country by various magazines.

The Grand Traverse Resort & Spa features more than 600 rooms, suites and condominiums, four restaurants, four indoor and outdoor pools, seven hot tubs, as well as an Indoor Water Playground.