The Bear’s Club
The Bear’s Club is an ultra-exclusive private club in Jupiter, FL designed by Jack Nicklaus and where he and other golf notables and sports celebrities (think Michael Jordan) reside. We just played here in November 2021. As you see in the water above, it was raining pretty good when we played The Bear’s Club. We woke up and it was pouring. Two of the guys playing pushed up their flights assuming we wouldn’t be able to get the round in. We pushed back our tee time until noonish (but wouldn’t have had to do this as we ended up the only ones on the course). Got there, grabbed breakfast and decided to try and play but only got nine holes in.
So why did we persevere and play at all? Why am I boring you with our rain delay activities? Well, my buddy Jimmy had arranged for us to play this round with Gary Player. The Black Knight Gary Player. So that was a gonna be a treat and we wanted to at least get some golf in.
We start out having breakfast together at the club. Mr. Player is as sharp and as fit as most 50 year olds let alone him being 86. He works out constantly and eats healthy. In fact our entire table was going on and on about their healthy diets et al so they looked at me and I was like, “Yeah I’ve been on this kick of having cold grain soup every day.” No one had heard of that and wanted to know more about the grains. I said, “Yeah it’s a mix of barley and hops in a carbonated broth. OK, it’s beer, OK I drink Miller Lites every night.”
So Mr. Player talked about booze and the golfers who were most affected by it saying, “Yeah the big drinkers can’t putt; gives them the shakes.” He didn’t finish his sentence when the waitress plunked down a bloody mary in front of me so I said, “OK I’ll just drink this and suck then.”
Went to the range and Mr. Player (and his son Wayne) worked with us on swing tips and thoughts. He told stories and was just such a genuine person. We got to the first hole. Mind you it is pretty nerve wracking to be a sucky golfer and playing with Gary Player. Then it ended up being just three of us golfing but had the two guys who pushed up their flights, my buddy Jimmy (who had a bad back) and Wayne Player spectating. Fuck it, I had my morning nerve buster, hit the ball well on the range so teed it up and drilled a nice draw out about 260 or so. It would be that way for nine holes with only one or two exceptions. Mr. Player kept asking about my 15 handicap and saying I should come down and be his partner in the next guest tournament.
How great is that though? I had really been struggling lately with my game (and would play two days later in Charleston, SC and went back to sucking) and the day I get to play with one of golf’s immortals I actually play as well as I’ve played all season.
To the course. So it was raining and had been raining for about 24 or so hours. However, the course drained and was in great shape. The greens were still sneaky fast. We played the 6,400 yard tees which played super long because of the rain. The first hole is the #5 handicap so it is no push over. Harder still most of the holes on the front feature water hazards or other schmeggies you had to carry or otherwise avoid. The first didn’t but is a slight dogleg with a fairway bunker that protects the slight dogleg. It is a pretty easy carry, though. Two is a mid-length par three. Three is a very intimidating drive and equally intimidating approach with water all along the left. Five was another favorite hole – a shortish par four with a great approach over some schmeggies. And the number one handicap sixth is just a lengthy beast with sand all along the left and surrounding the green.
We wrap up nine and I’m a little disappointed we weren’t going to play all eighteen. It was a beautiful club and I really wanted to play it all and for a hot second thought about asking Matt, who was playing with us, if he wanted to do the back nine as a twosome. But I thought that would be pushing the invite and Mr. Player agreed to have an apres-golf drink with us so went in. Here’s where shit just works out though. I ask Mr. Player who he thinks is golf’s GOAT – Jack or Tiger. Matt jumped in and said, “Hey Gary’s no slouch either.” Well anyway, Mr. Player says, “Well there are so many great, great golfers like Sam Snead and Jack and Tiger, it’s kind of hard for me to say one is the greatest, but why don’t we ask Jack who he thinks is.”
Yup we go to the grill and Gary leads me to a table where Jack Nicklaus is with a group outside on the portico. He says to Jack, “Hey my buddy Jack wants to know whether you think you or Tiger is the GOAT.” I rarely stand in awe of anyone or any situation. I’m not a big celebrity hound or anything either. However, I was pretty awestruck being introduced to Jack Nicklaus by Gary Player as his buddy. Jack just laughed and before he really answered, Mr. Player said, “You know that there were probably 20 golfers who struck the ball better than Jack back in the day but Jack had ‘it’. If he needed to hole a putt or get a chip close, he did it.” He continued, “Tiger is great too and was probably on his way to being the GOAT but just let everything else affect him.”
So Jack joined us at the table and for about an hour we shot the shit about pretty much everything. Golf course design? I told Jack my favorite of his courses was Manele (which I had been pronouncing MAN-a-lay but Jack said it was Man-EE-lee) and he said his courses are like his children and he doesn’t have a favorite. My favorite Player course is Jasna Polana in Princeton and Gary said his favorite is probably the Lost City Course in South Africa. They both are not huge fans of Shinnecock and both thought that Gil Hanse’s work on Baltusrol diminished not improved the course. Mr. Player couldn’t believe that they didn’t bring Jack in. Gary’s least favorite was another Gil Hanse design (I think) in Georgia which he called the Chik-Fil-A course.
Jack is struggling a little and when you look at him in comparison to Player, it is quite amazing in that Jack is two years younger. They were touring a family around the club that had just joined and the guy was in awe and the GM introduced him and his family to us and he could barely speak. Imagine your initial orientation tour at your new club and you’re welcomed by Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. So all-in-all I rank The Bear Club way up on my list of golf experiences. Would love to play all 18 some day but I’d much prefer to have the memories than finish the course.
So I could tell you more about Jupiter but did I tell you I got to play golf with Gary Player and grab drinks in the clubhouse with him and Jack Nicklaus?!? We stayed at the Wyndham Grand which was nice and grabbed late night eats and beers at 1000 North (which is one of Jordan’s places down in Jupiter). After hanging at the club we had some appies and drinks at Woods which is at the Wyndham compound. I discuss in other West Palm reviews that public golf around these parts is pretty limited but if you have the chops there are some great private courses and who knows who you can run into.
Golf Scrapbook 