Black Bear Golf Club at Crystal Springs Resort

Black Bear Golf Club is the most popular course at Crystal Springs Resort, a parkland layout that tumbles across rolling, tree-covered hills in New Jersey's Kittatinny Mountains with wide, undulating fairways and firm bentgrass greens. Designed by Jack Kurlander and David Glenz, home to the David Leadbetter Golf Academy Northeast headquarters, the course opened in July 1996 and has been Crystal Springs's flagship layout ever since.

Crystal Springs Resort occupies a spectacular site in the Kittatinny Mountains of northwestern New Jersey, a landscape shaped by glacial activity that left behind rugged ridgelines, pristine lakes, and rolling terrain perfectly suited to golf course architecture. The resort developed its golf portfolio over several decades, growing into a seven-course campus that draws players from New York City, northern New Jersey, and the broader tri-state area. Black Bear Golf Club was designed by Jack Kurlander and David Glenz, with construction completed and the course opening in July 1996. Glenz, a PGA Master Professional and longtime director of instruction at Crystal Springs, brought a player's perspective to the design process, ensuring that Black Bear would deliver genuine challenge while remaining accessible and enjoyable for the wide range of resort guests the facility attracts.

The course is laid out across terrain that tumbles and rolls across hills covered with mature deciduous and coniferous trees, which come into play along undulating fairways as natural hazards that define landing zones and add visual depth to the layout. At 6,673 yards from the Black tees, the course carries a course rating of 72.2 and slope of 130, placing it in the mid-to-challenging range for resort golf. Black Bear's opening in 1996 coincided with the establishment of the David Leadbetter Golf Academy Northeast headquarters at the facility — a partnership that elevated Crystal Springs's profile considerably among serious golfers seeking both quality instruction and quality course conditions. The academy's presence has made Black Bear a frequent destination for golfers looking to improve their game while enjoying one of New Jersey's most scenic golf settings.

Of Crystal Springs's seven courses — which include Ballyowen, Wild Turkey, Minerals, Crystal Golf Resort, Cascades, and Woodlands — Black Bear consistently draws the highest volume of play, a testament to its reputation as the best balanced of the resort's offerings. The course received a double driving range and extensive practice facility to support the Leadbetter academy programs, making it a complete golf destination rather than simply a place to play 18 holes. Black Bear Golf Club at Crystal Springs Resort plays approximately 6,674 yards from the championship tees on a Jack Nicklaus II design in Franklin, New Jersey whose Sussex County setting in the High Point Highlands of northwestern New Jersey provides the mountain terrain and forested character that distinguish the Crystal Springs resort complex from the suburban courses of the New Jersey flatlands. Jack Nicklaus II — the son of Jack Nicklaus and a course architect in his own right — designed Black Bear as one of several championship layouts within the Crystal Springs portfolio, whose multi-course format positions the resort as one of New Jersey's most comprehensive destination golf properties.

The Crystal Springs Resort complex in the Hamburg and Vernon area has developed into one of the largest mountain resort golf destinations in the northeastern United States, with multiple courses from different architects offering variety within a single resort property. The New Jersey State Golf Association includes Black Bear among its member facilities, and the course has hosted competitive events consistent with the Nicklaus II design quality and the championship standards of the Crystal Springs portfolio. The black bear imagery connects the course to the wildlife of the Sussex County highlands, where black bears roam the forested ridges and valleys of the Kittatinny Mountains in one of New Jersey's most ecologically significant natural landscapes. For serious golfers visiting the Crystal Springs complex, Black Bear provides a Nicklaus II design experience in a mountain setting that represents New Jersey's most alpine golf environment.