Inland Empire Golf Course Reviews
Bear Creek Golf Course ReviewMurrieta, CA
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Bear Creek Golf Course Overview: As usual, with private golf clubs, I decline to review Bear Creek as membership undoubtedly has its benefits that I, as a guest, would not be able to discover and, thus, any review, even if of just the golf course, could be misconstrued as my thoughts on the club. The golf course itself finds itself skirting the foothills of Murrieta, with many holes of holes dealing with large oak trees, dry canyons or other natural hazards. The front nine also proves more difficult. The back nine introduces more classic resort golf holes with lakes and houses a larger part of the story. Definitely difficult, the holes that are deemed to be the most memorable are reviewed below:
Bear Creek Hole 1: A fairly docile opener, the golfer needs to get used to avoiding getting too near any oak trees, like those that line the left of this hole, as they will prove troublesome for the wayward shots. Otherwise, this is a fairly standard mid-length par four with some bunkers to avoid along the way.
Bear Creek Hole 1: A fairly docile opener, the golfer needs to get used to avoiding getting too near any oak trees, like those that line the left of this hole, as they will prove troublesome for the wayward shots. Otherwise, this is a fairly standard mid-length par four with some bunkers to avoid along the way.
Bear Creek Hole 2: About the same length as the first hole, this par four proves much tighter. Although there is a bit more room than it appears from the tee, there is indeed penalty strokes awaiting on either side and the large oak trees that frame the fairway make even shots hitting the edge of the fairway problematic as they might be in the way. The green is fairly accessible but a large putting surface as well.
Bear Creek Hole 4: About the same length as the first and second holes, this one feels much longer and more difficult. The fairway is split and where it would be very wide, it actually is not as the middle section is hilly and features bunkers and rough. The player can go left, which leaves more visibility to the green but likely a longer shot. Right flirts more with the OB but can leave a more room for an aggressive approach. That approach is tough, over a creek to an angled green with bunkers and a lot of hillside surrounding. The only real miss is pin high left.
Bear Creek Hole 5: After the 4th, Bear creek gives you the opposite of a breather, instead presenting this long and difficult par four. The tee is elevated so it doesn't play as long as the yardage but it is very tight and the ball has a long time to go astray with its extended hang time. The second shot is also extremely tough as it is to a small green on the other side of a creek, with a bunker also making any other miss not a great option.
Bear Creek Hole 6: The next offering at Bear Creek is definitely shorter, but not particularly easy. It could be argued that in situations where this hole is down wind, that it is actually not a playable hole, but that is, from what I understand, not the prevailing wind. The VERY shallow green is fronted by a hazard and going long will put a ball on a hill and/or amongst the boulders, so distance control has to be ultra-precise. The right side of the green is separated from the left by a tier and the right side is almost comically small, so, pins left of center are preferred.
Bear Creek Hole 7: This par four is fairly long, but the player can be happy about returning to fairly level ground and a wider fairway with less obvious trouble. The green, however, is undulating and swings around a deep bunker.
Bear Creek Hole 9: The final hole on the front is a relatively short par five, but one where there are penalty strokes awaiting on either side of the fairly tight fairway on the first two shots. The green site is a bit more "open" but also features bunker and the green is huge, which can leave long putts for whatever score is coming.
Bear Creek Hole 10: The seventh hole might get the nod as slightly harder than this one, but this par four has two very demanding shots with penalty strokes to be found for the unwise. The second shot is a little more forgiving with a decent bailout area to the short-right, but par is a very good score here, especially with a back pin.
Bear Creek Hole 11: This par five brings mixed feelings, and I'm not even talking about any golfer's general fear of multiple water hazards on one hole. On a standalone basis, this par five is a solid hole with risk/reward elements to it and nice views and water features. On this golf course, however, it feels a bit out of place and not like the rest of the course. The closing hole also has a water hazard but this feels more like a transplant from another golf course.
Bear Creek Hole 13: This short par four is one of the few breather holes on the course and a good chance at birdie, but still is pleasantly designed and fraught with trouble for those that get too aggressive or lose focus.
Bear Creek Hole 14: This par five has a nicely framed tee shot. For those that can bang a drive and avoid the creek to the right and the bunker to the left, there is a chance to go aggressive and reach in two. Played more conservatively, avoiding the bunkers right and depression left are all that's needed to set up a short iron to the green.
Bear Creek Hole 16: The last par three of the day is no slouch, playing long and with an angled green, bunkers, and a tiered putting surface. There is not a lot of room to miss in any direction either, but short/right is preferred.
Bear Creek Hole 18: A relatively large percentage of golf architects like to wrap up a round with at least one shot facing a watery grave and Bear Creek is no exception. The final hole is a demanding and fairly long par four with a second shot that will definitely flirt with the large lake between the fairway and the green.
