Bear at Breckenridge Municipal Golf Club

The Bear at Breckenridge Municipal Golf Club is a Jack Nicklaus design that opened in 1985 in the high country of Summit County, Colorado. Situated at an elevation above 9,300 feet, it ranks among the highest regulation eighteen-hole courses in North America. The layout occupies rolling terrain on the north side of Breckenridge, with views of the Tenmile Range and the ski slopes that define the town's winter identity. Nicklaus routed the course through stands of lodgepole pine and across natural elevation changes, creating a mountain golf experience that emphasizes strategic shot-making in thin air where the ball travels considerably farther than at sea level.

The design features characteristic Nicklaus elements including large, contoured greens, strategic bunkering, and risk-reward options on several holes. Water comes into play on multiple occasions, and the combination of altitude, mountain weather, and tree-lined fairways demands both distance control and accuracy. The course operates as a municipal facility, making high-altitude Nicklaus design accessible to daily-fee players and visitors to the Breckenridge area.

The Bear serves as a summer complement to Breckenridge's ski-focused tourism economy. Its season runs from late spring through early fall, weather permitting, and the course attracts golfers interested in the novelty of high-elevation play as well as those seeking mountain scenery alongside their round. The clubhouse provides standard amenities appropriate to a municipal operation in a resort town.