Grand Bear Golf Course is a Jack Nicklaus-designed layout widely considered to be among the one of the most spectacular golf in Mississippi.
Beautiful and challenging, this Biloxi golf course navigates through natural cypress wetlands and towering pines, with packed pine needle rough, championship greens and deep bunkers set over 650 acres of rolling land in the piney woods of the DeSoto National Forest.
Grand Bear is located off Hwy. 49 North. From I-10, take Exit 34B onto Hwy. 49 North and drive 8 miles toward Hattiesburg. Turn right on Grand Bear Way and drive six miles to the golf course.Seven Stars members receive 2 complimentary rounds of golf each month at Grand Bear Golf Course.
The course is filled with nuances which make every hole different and fun to play. That, combined with the sights and smells of the natural pine trees, created a course which gets ranked as one of the best in Mississippi. For the most part the course is open so a wayward shot can still be played and allows for an outside chance at a par.
The course doesn’t have any shortage of entertaining holes. The 1st is 392 yard par 4 where someone can play right of the fairway bunker or carry it for a short iron into the green.
The 4th is a short par 4 where position is key off the tee and the 6th is one of the more interesting holes on the course. The tee short is straightforward but the approach shot gets all of the attention. The green complex is not heavily bunkered but there is a deep collection area left of the green (maybe 15 feet below the green level) where the ball will feed if someone misses the green left. Missing right leaves a tricky downhill chip which could run off into the chipping area if the shot has any pace to it. The 7th has a deep bunker short of the green so it would help to be able to hit a cut on that hole. The 8th has bunkers up the right side of the fairway so it opens up any number of lines off the tee.
The 10th and 11th are great back to back holes and offer a chance for a couple birdies. The 10th is a 368 yard par 4 that plays shorter than that as it doglegs hard right. The fairway slopes with the hole from left to right and my 3 iron ended up with 30 or 40 yards of roll as it hit the perfect spot in the fairway. The approach played to a flag in the back section of the green which is on a lower tier. The 11th is a 489 yard par 5 with a fairway easy tee shot for a short par 5. The green is very narrow and has bunkers left and right so the 2nd shot has to be perfect if it is going to get close. The course gets a little more narrow from the 13th to the 18th and. The 14th, 185 yard par 3 with trouble left, is one of the signature holes. Any shot left will kick into the natural hazard.
The 17th is a 414 yard par 4 with a tee shot that plays at an angle across a creek bed. The 18th is a 425 yard par 4 that plays back up a hill but it still allows someone to make a par and go home feeling good.
