Columnist Peter Benton: Bear’s Best to open in Las Vegas soon

Peter Benton

Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2001 | 8:55 a.m.

Peter Benton's golf column appears Wednesday.

Adam Owen is the epitome of a kid with a new toy these days, and his enthusiasm for this "new toy" is not only well-founded and infectious but genuinely sincere.

Owen is the director of golf at the new Jack Nicklaus-designed Bear's Best Las Vegas golf course, and his pride in this expansive and picturesque layout is certainly justified.

Nicklaus, perhaps the best golfer the world has known, has designed more than 200 courses in his illustrious career. In conjunction with ClubCorp of America, he has has made Bear's Best a true golfing experience.

The Bear's Best concept -- 18 replicas of some of the Golden Bear's most memorable holes -- is the first of its kind for him and duplicates holes from such famous courses as PGA West in Palm Springs; Castle Pines, Colorado; Desert Mountain, Arizona; Palmilla, Los Cabos, Mexico; Cabo del Sol, Mexico; and Old Works in Montana, to name just a few.

Featuring unobstructed views of the city, Bear's Best (located in the Red Rock area) is an 18-hole, 7,229-yard par-72 course which makes innovative use of natural topography.

The lush, undulating fairways (sodded with Bermuda grass and overseeded with rye) are not particularly wide, but certainly wide enough. Contrasting with some local layouts, fairways and greenside traps are not overdone. However, on many holes the Nicklaus trademark of scattered greenside bunkers create a narrow opening to the green and certainly makes one think about his or her approach shot.

The tentative opening date to the public is Dec. 1.