(The 583/523 yard par five thirteenth has multiple options to the green. A central bunker complex forces your hand in taking a risk to obtain a good angle. The route to the water’s edge is unprotected but the third shot is over the hazard.For those who keep it on the upper plateau, a clear view is afforded into the green.)
Bear Slide has two distinctly different nines. The front is built on farmland and is heavily mounded while the back is more traditional and plays between trees and Bear Slide Creek. Several tough par fours do the heavy lifting on the front but the two holes that I enjoyed the most were six and eight. Both have really cool greens. Six is a par three and the eight is a par five. Six teeters against a slope with a bunker cut into a ridge that hides the putting surface. It’s an interesting visual that will make one second guess the shape to hit off the tee. The eighth has a green that is long and narrow. The grass bunker guarding it looks like a hazard that can cause havoc. Only on a course that was supposed to be private would one find a putting surface like this.
(The 494/453 yard par four fifth plays uphill to crowned green that is elusive to hit in regulation. Players will often be chipping or pitching to it. Note the fall offs near the edges. This is more like a par five green than a par four.)
(The 469/409 yard par four seventh has a green that sits above a shallow valley. It’s a long iron to this somewhat elevated green. There’s just enough room on the right to land it next to the sand and have it bounce on.)
(The 533/514 yard par five eighth has one of my favorite greens. The back left corner is very small. I can see differing strategies between a front and rear pin. The picture fails to show the dynamic grass bunker fronting it.)
The back nine stands out, in my opinion, because of the three short par fours. Instead of looking to stretch out the yardage, Refram looked to change up the challenge. I love holes like these. They give the most pleasure to the most amount of people. Good players have to decide how aggressive they want to be, and momentum can begin or end on them.
(The 344/331 yard par four eleventh doglegs right to an elevated green up the hill. A creek and bunker guard the direct approach line. One best be in the proper position in the fairway otherwise it’s a very tight window. Note how narrow the front portion of the green is. Today’s pin is not easily accessible.)
(The 337/325 yard par four fifteenth is possibly my favorite hole on the course. Long hitters can take a rip at the green, but for short hitters like myself, it’s a blast carrying over both creeks! The reward is a wedge while laying back is a mid iron. Eagle birdie bogey or double, it’s all possible!! What a fun hole!)
(The uphill 376/368 yard seventeenth might not actually be a short par four, but one can cut off yardage by challenging the inside corner. I think the original green was just over the bunker, but a new green is fifty yards deeper. The original must’ve been a bear to hit. It’s small...
...the new one is beautifully situated atop a knoll. The approach can be anywhere from 125-175 yards depending on the line from the tee. Such a disparity can change the complexity of the shot. Birdie is well earned.)
The back nine also has superb terrain. There’s a good deal of elevation change and Bear Slide Creek (which gives the course its name) twists and turns throughout. Several wooden bridges help traverse the property and add texture to the landscape. The best part of the property is just behind the clubhouse, and it’s no coincidence that ten tee, sixteen green, seventeen tee, and eighteen green all are in viewing distance of the pro shop. It’s an old school routing.
(The view of the sixteenth hole from the clubhouse. It’ll definitely whet your appetite before the round.)
(The 449/422 yard par four eighteenth hole is a brutal finisher. The elevated tee plays down into the valley before stretching uphill to the amphitheater green. The creek dominates the view and adds a few degrees of difficulty to an intimidating shot. A poor drive lays back 100 yards from the green. Note how the line approaching on the left must carry all the way to the putting surface. A four is a great score.)
Bear Slide has received plenty of national and regional recognition, and is routinely listed as one of the top ten public courses in Indiana. I feel if the entire course was like the back nine then it would have a chance to be a top 100 public course nationally. The front nine however doesn’t differentiate itself from the other great courses that surround Indianapolis. I give Bear Slide a 6 (very good)(worth driving two hours to play).
(The 186/166 par three sixth green is partially hidden by this bunker and the ridge its located in. The green slopes from front left to back right.)
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