I learned two more things about Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus: they like sand, and they like water.
King and Bear, the only golf course in the world designed as a joint effort between Palmer (King) and Nicklaus (Bear) is loaded with sand traps (some deep) around the greens, sandy coquina that runs along the fairways, and water that seemingly comes into play on every hole.
Water runs along the fairway from tee to green on some holes. Coquina runs along the fairway on some holes. Sometimes there are both. The best bet is to hit the fairway.
King and Bear (par 72, 6,132 yards from the blue tees, which are second-longest to the tips) forces the player into an afternoon of trying to keep the ball on the grass. With hazards looming on either side of the fairways, it's really not that difficult a golf course if you can keep from slicing or hooking. Otherwise ...
There are a few carry shots, but the course layout gives you the option to lay up, take the safe way around water hazards, or try to carry a few water hazards and land on the green. The aquatic hazards put more of a mental strain on the golfer than anything else. The sight of water to the right, 350 yards from tee to green, can freak you out.
This course, located just a few miles west of the World Golf Village and World Golf Hall of Fame between Jacksonville and St. Augustine, Fla., opened in 2001 after Nicklaus and Palmer worked together on the project. The setting is resort atmosphere, with some isolated holes and several holes within plain sight of mammoth luxury homes. It is the World Golf Village's second course, following Slammer and Squire, named after legends Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead.
If you play here, plan to lather up the sunscreen because there is very little shade. Few holes have woods that come into play.
Three holes stick out on the front nine, two of which are reminiscent of Bay Hill's par 5 sixth hole. First, King and Bear's par 5, 519-yard fifth hole wraps around a lake from left to right. It's best to keep the ball to the left or the middle, or your second shot forces you to carry more water than you want. A shot to the left sets up a much safer approach.
The same can be said of the par 5, 529-yard seventh, except this hole wraps around a lake from right to left. The green is reachable in two with a strong tee shot and confidence your second shot will clear 150 yards of H2O.
An interesting hole was the 154-yard, par 3 third hole. The good news is, it had no water. The bad news is, the fairway was mostly sand, or coquina. For a second I thought I was at TPC Scottsdale. No cactus, only palmettos.
Water runs along the ninth and tenth fairways, to the left then right, respectively. You can get into trouble at No. 15, a 311-yard par 4, as water again follows you from tee to green to the right. What adds to the hole's difficulty is the green sticks out into the lake to the right, making a "partial-island" hole. A bad approach shot can easily get wet.
Coquina follows you to the left from tee to green on the par 5, 527-yard 18th hole. The green wraps around the apex of the coquina, turning this into a difficult target. An approach shot to the right of the green would be safe, except for the deep sand trap just before the green.
Greens at King and Bear are somewhat undulated, with only one, the par 3 10th, running seriously uphill-downhill. Greens are large and well-guarded, but are not elevated.
King and Bear can be viewed online at http://www.golfwgv.com/. The pro shop number is 904-940-6088.
Rating (1 to 10)
Fun: Golf is always fun, and knowing that you're on the only course Palmer and Nicklaus designed together adds to the appeal. If you stay out of the water, your afternoon is more fun. Score: 8.
Value: Here's the issue. Rates go from $89 to $129, depending on the time of day. That sure is a lot of money. Imagine how many balls you could buy with that. Better yet, you could get a new Oddysey putter for that price. You still must consider the prestige of the course and its developers, and the fact it's pretty darn nice. But this isn't budget golf. Score: 5.
Amenities: Beverage cart arrived four times. Chilled apples on the first and tenth tee boxes. Unlimited range balls with greens fees. Chipping range and putting green. Cart had GPS signal with immaculate course map in view to tell you exactly where you and other carts were. Attendants were friendly. Pro shop well-stocked. Clubhouse perfect. Restaurant inside clubhouse. Two bathrooms on the course with water fountains. Overall, pretty sporty. Score: 10.
Conditions: I expected them to be immaculate. Instead, they were just very good. Greens were Bermuda and in good shape. Fairways were plush. But hey, this wasn't Augusta National. Score: 8.
Difficulty: Depends. If you're a straight-shooter, it's not that bad. If not, you're toast. There are a few forced carries and your mental game is put to the test because you will find water. Can you bounce back from this? Score: 8.
Overall: This certainly should be on your golf to-do list simply because of who designed it, and for the fact the World Golf Hall of Fame is down the road and there are plenty of things to see there too. It's really on par with Robert Trent Jones Trail courses, or its Honours Golf sister course, Moore's Mill. But King and Bear offers unusual challenges with the redundancy of water and sand. Every part of your game will get tested, and that's what we want anyway. Could be the best course I've reviewed, excluding the steep price of admission. Score 7.8
King and Bear, the only golf course in the world designed as a joint effort between Palmer (King) and Nicklaus (Bear) is loaded with sand traps (some deep) around the greens, sandy coquina that runs along the fairways, and water that seemingly comes into play on every hole.
Water runs along the fairway from tee to green on some holes. Coquina runs along the fairway on some holes. Sometimes there are both. The best bet is to hit the fairway.
King and Bear (par 72, 6,132 yards from the blue tees, which are second-longest to the tips) forces the player into an afternoon of trying to keep the ball on the grass. With hazards looming on either side of the fairways, it's really not that difficult a golf course if you can keep from slicing or hooking. Otherwise ...
There are a few carry shots, but the course layout gives you the option to lay up, take the safe way around water hazards, or try to carry a few water hazards and land on the green. The aquatic hazards put more of a mental strain on the golfer than anything else. The sight of water to the right, 350 yards from tee to green, can freak you out.
This course, located just a few miles west of the World Golf Village and World Golf Hall of Fame between Jacksonville and St. Augustine, Fla., opened in 2001 after Nicklaus and Palmer worked together on the project. The setting is resort atmosphere, with some isolated holes and several holes within plain sight of mammoth luxury homes. It is the World Golf Village's second course, following Slammer and Squire, named after legends Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead.
If you play here, plan to lather up the sunscreen because there is very little shade. Few holes have woods that come into play.
Three holes stick out on the front nine, two of which are reminiscent of Bay Hill's par 5 sixth hole. First, King and Bear's par 5, 519-yard fifth hole wraps around a lake from left to right. It's best to keep the ball to the left or the middle, or your second shot forces you to carry more water than you want. A shot to the left sets up a much safer approach.
The same can be said of the par 5, 529-yard seventh, except this hole wraps around a lake from right to left. The green is reachable in two with a strong tee shot and confidence your second shot will clear 150 yards of H2O.
An interesting hole was the 154-yard, par 3 third hole. The good news is, it had no water. The bad news is, the fairway was mostly sand, or coquina. For a second I thought I was at TPC Scottsdale. No cactus, only palmettos.
Water runs along the ninth and tenth fairways, to the left then right, respectively. You can get into trouble at No. 15, a 311-yard par 4, as water again follows you from tee to green to the right. What adds to the hole's difficulty is the green sticks out into the lake to the right, making a "partial-island" hole. A bad approach shot can easily get wet.
Coquina follows you to the left from tee to green on the par 5, 527-yard 18th hole. The green wraps around the apex of the coquina, turning this into a difficult target. An approach shot to the right of the green would be safe, except for the deep sand trap just before the green.
Greens at King and Bear are somewhat undulated, with only one, the par 3 10th, running seriously uphill-downhill. Greens are large and well-guarded, but are not elevated.
King and Bear can be viewed online at http://www.golfwgv.com/. The pro shop number is 904-940-6088.
Rating (1 to 10)
Fun: Golf is always fun, and knowing that you're on the only course Palmer and Nicklaus designed together adds to the appeal. If you stay out of the water, your afternoon is more fun. Score: 8.
Value: Here's the issue. Rates go from $89 to $129, depending on the time of day. That sure is a lot of money. Imagine how many balls you could buy with that. Better yet, you could get a new Oddysey putter for that price. You still must consider the prestige of the course and its developers, and the fact it's pretty darn nice. But this isn't budget golf. Score: 5.
Amenities: Beverage cart arrived four times. Chilled apples on the first and tenth tee boxes. Unlimited range balls with greens fees. Chipping range and putting green. Cart had GPS signal with immaculate course map in view to tell you exactly where you and other carts were. Attendants were friendly. Pro shop well-stocked. Clubhouse perfect. Restaurant inside clubhouse. Two bathrooms on the course with water fountains. Overall, pretty sporty. Score: 10.
Conditions: I expected them to be immaculate. Instead, they were just very good. Greens were Bermuda and in good shape. Fairways were plush. But hey, this wasn't Augusta National. Score: 8.
Difficulty: Depends. If you're a straight-shooter, it's not that bad. If not, you're toast. There are a few forced carries and your mental game is put to the test because you will find water. Can you bounce back from this? Score: 8.
Overall: This certainly should be on your golf to-do list simply because of who designed it, and for the fact the World Golf Hall of Fame is down the road and there are plenty of things to see there too. It's really on par with Robert Trent Jones Trail courses, or its Honours Golf sister course, Moore's Mill. But King and Bear offers unusual challenges with the redundancy of water and sand. Every part of your game will get tested, and that's what we want anyway. Could be the best course I've reviewed, excluding the steep price of admission. Score 7.8
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