Red Maple Country Club LLC, Suring, WI

I stumbled upon Black Bear by accident some years ago while vacationing in N. Wisconsin. The back 9 is without a doubt one of the 5 best I've ever played and that includes Pebble Beach in the mix. The course is definitely a Jeckyle and Hyde mix. The front 9 is your average short set of 9 holes with the average golfer in mind. It appears that this half of the course was built decades ago and although anice layout, nothing really compares to the back ninee's challenge, beauty, and condition, and with a walking greens fee of $20(2010) it has to be one of the best values in all of golf. Yeah it's in the middle of nowhere and that's okay with me. I'm a bogey golfer that just loves to be challenged by really good courses and this one fills the bill and then some. If you want to skip the front nine and get right to the charm of the back, I suggest playing the back nine twice and alternating tee boxes from hole to hole. Won't do your handicap any good, but it will give you a true test of shot making and ball placement. It has 3 3's, 3 4's and 3 5's and nothing is easy folks. The finishing 18th from the black boxes is a 455 yd. Par 4 with marsh to hit over from the tee box and a huge elevated green. Condition of the course has always been excellent and they have a nice driving range and huge practice green. Staff in the clubhouse are friendly(hey, it's the Northland!!)and the food is good.