Black Bear Golf Course Makes Most of Mecca Membership
By Greg Johnson –
Black Bear Golf Course increased its rounds played from 2024 to 2025 by over 5,000. It’s an amazing jump considering just 4,000 total rounds were played on the course the year before Olivia and Rob Smith took over ownership.
“I feel like we did great,” Olivia Smith says. And they have done more than great. Black Bear is officially back with a bang! The Smith family just completed their second year, and their facility completed its first year as part of the Gaylord Golf Mecca cooperative marketing group, which includes 17 courses and 21 lodging partners.
“We did get golfers through the Mecca partners,” she said. “The Baymont booked a lot of groups through us, Otsego Resort, and Pine-Cone Vacations sent groups our way, too. Overall, we feel good about how it went. It was a busy summer.”
She’s hoping winter stays busy as well. Yes, there is golf at Black Bear via two indoor Foresight Falcons Simulators installed last year for people who just can’t bear to put the clubs away. Pair that with the Black Bear Bourbon Bar and the Black Bear Bar & Grille, and winter in Northern Michigan sounds better and better!
“We’re trying to get the word out that we are open through the winter,” Olivia said. “We want golfers to come and use the simulators, and we want the snowmobilers to know, too. We are right off the trail.”
Paul Beachnau, executive director of the Gaylord Area Convention & Tourism Bureau, said Black Bear is a wonderful new partner and addition to the community. “I’m really proud of the effort Olivia and Rob have made there,” he said. “They have been aggressive in making course changes and taking care of the course, and that is great to see. They’ve also really invested themselves in that property, improving the course, the clubhouse, the restaurant, and they made it a really accommodating place for golfers and visitors to the area.”
Olivia said some groups of as many as 16 golfers took advantage of the bourbon and steak outing the course offers, and they hope to increase those numbers next summer. “We are always looking for ways to attract more golfers for the summer and the winter,” she said.
In 2024, Black Bear Golf Course was voted the Most Improved Course in the country by the GolfPass online audience. Course conditions were dramatically improved, a new cart fleet and cart barn were added, and clubhouse and restaurant improvements helped set the stage for 2025 to be another winning year.
“Winning the Most Improved Course in the country was a big thing,” Olivia said. “We also have a very good staff on board. Restoring the ponds on holes three and four is in the works. The work doesn’t stop, and Black Bear doesn’t stop.”
Don’t put the clubs away. Head to Black Bear, play the simulators and sip some bourbon.
