Black Bear at Shawnee State Park

BlackBear is the definition of a challenging yet rewarding course. It is definitely a marathon and not a sprint as the terrain is rocky and it is a hike and a half. Good mix of shorter and longer hole ... show more ›

BlackBear is the definition of a challenging yet rewarding course. It is definitely a marathon and not a sprint as the terrain is rocky and it is a hike and a half. Good mix of shorter and longer holes, and mostly in the woods. Not very many open shots, and the greenage on the woods holes makes it pretty easy to lose a disc in the Summer. The course is decently maintained and not too hard to navigate. Very peaceful and quiet so if nature is your thing, this course is for you. Bring your bug spray and water, and plan to go without cell service, but I would recommend this course.

Black Bear is a challenging and physically demanding course that offers a wide variety of holes and a high level of challenge, but it is completely fair. It gets better every single year and at its cu ... show more ›

Black Bear is a challenging and physically demanding course that offers a wide variety of holes and a high level of challenge, but it is completely fair. It gets better every single year and at its current rate is getting better every month. Once the tee pads are completed and some holes continue to get trimmed and worked on (as well as current ice storm damage on 9 cleaned up) this will easily be my vision of one A+ perfect course within the next 5 years or so I'd say. I cannot recommend this course enough.

*Major note- I am the co-designer, founder, and one of the work-mules for this course* Since I was a kid, I have been coming to Shawnee State Park. It was always great playing in the lake, fishing, ... show more ›

Major note- I am the co-designer, founder, and one of the work-mules for this course

Since I was a kid, I have been coming to Shawnee State Park. It was always great playing in the lake, fishing, hiking, and what not... but after discovering disc golf in my mid 20s, I knew what it was missing. I am very thankful to a great parks department for allowing/helping me get this course in the ground.

Due to the small (but growing) population of Black Bears in the local area, I lovingly bestowed a majestic name upon this course. I think it is quite fitting. Without detailing each hole, I will say that the course starts wide open with some OB right,long, and left. The course then winds itself up the hill through dense forest. There are long holes, there are short holes. There are uphills, downhills, sidehills. The putting greens often find themselves near roll away or death putt areas. Definitely holes that can kill your momentum with large numbers over par, and holes thrown in between to help boost your confidence and give a chance at ace. One of the great moments is a very elevated shot, teeing off of the peak of the hill that you just ascended (actually from water reservoir) for an ace run. Finally, the last few holes are in the open and re-introduce you to the sky (that you probably haven't seen much of in the last few hours.

The course has changed significantly over the past few years. What were rock piles that you could easily twist your ankle on are now growing rockwalls and steps. What were dicey fairways are more fair. We still have 6 teepads to raise money for. We have permanent signs going in. We have next tee signs in some important locations.

We continue to improve yearly. We couldn't do it without Parks support and some hustle and effort of our small group. We hope you enjoy it!

Very Improved in the past couple years. Better marked and new pin placements. The improvements and how the fairways have developed make it a completely different course than it was 3 years ago. If you ... show more ›

Very Improved in the past couple years. Better marked and new pin placements. The improvements and how the fairways have developed make it a completely different course than it was 3 years ago. If you haven't played Black Bear within the past couple of years you need to give it another try. You won't be disappointed.

I have played this course many of times and have noticed recently much improvement to the course. The course is challenging and does have rugged terrain, but extremely fun to play. Blackbear DGC is on ... show more ›

I have played this course many of times and have noticed recently much improvement to the course. The course is challenging and does have rugged terrain, but extremely fun to play. Blackbear DGC is one of my favorites. New concrete tee pads, excellent scenery, and new and improved steps and cleared fairways to help players navigate through the course. If you're near the Shawnee State Forest this is a must play!

The Black Bear course is in fact a bear. I don't guess it's finished yet, but hats - off to anyone who makes it around all 18 holes. First, the terrain is tough. Try not to sprain an ankle or tare you ... show more ›

The Black Bear course is in fact a bear. I don't guess it's finished yet, but hats - off to anyone who makes it around all 18 holes. First, the terrain is tough. Try not to sprain an ankle or tare your arms and legs off in the greenbriars. But the biggest problem is finding all the tees or getting lost! I wonder if anyone has made it around this course!

If you are a young person and very adventurous I'd say go for it! You might like the challenge. Hopefully the course will get better signage and a lot of clearing of downed trees, etc. The tee pads on the hillside are either gravel or nonexistent. The tee pads near the roads are concrete though.

No sour grapes. It would be nice to see this course improved and completed. Even if and when it is, it will still be a tough course!

This course isn't for the faint of heart. It's a significant hike. But it's rewarding when you hit your line. The guys that maintain this course are working really hard to get the tee boxes and ... show more ›

This course isn't for the faint of heart. It's a significant hike. But it's rewarding when you hit your line.

The guys that maintain this course are working really hard to get the tee boxes and paths between the holes fixed up.

It has such a mixed bag of shots It's impossible to get bored. I wish I lived closer so I could both improve my game and my physical fitness at the same time!