-Good signage
-Descent teepads
-Challenging holes in the open and woods that require accuracy
-Fun downhills shots in the last few holes

-The biggest negative about this places is that it COSTS $25 TO PLAY! That is nuts when almost every course in PA is free, or $5 at most. I played this course before you had to pay to play and it is a fun course don't get me wrong, but it is no way worth paying $25 (this gets you a season pass and they give you a gift card, but this isn't worth it if you are just trying it out a few times) to play. I would rate the course higher, but you can have much more fun playing somewhere else nearby for no money at all.
-Hard to navigate several holes
-Chance of losing a disc is a very real possibility if you stray even a few feet off the fairway
-They are lying when they say you need to be in good shape to do this course, ...you need to be in great shape!

Seriously $25 to play! This is a travesty; and if they can keep collecting money from players then other courses will follow suit, so I say don't patronize until they get rid of the price.

Challenging.

The Resort owns the course and makes you pay $25.00 for a year membership even if you only want to play there 1 time.

Don't get me wrong the year membership is a great deal if your a local, because you get a $25.00 gift card good for anything at the resort. But there is a lot of people that come from out of town that don't want to pay that amount to play 1 day of DG. Even the person who works there told me lots of players just leave as soon as they hear the price. They should have a 1 day pass for $5.00. if they must charge for something every other course does for free.

The course takes advantage of the unique surroundings of being located on a mountain ski resort. You will experience a lot of distinctive layouts here simply due to the location of the course, something other courses just can't offer. The tee boxes and baskets are all in excellent shape. The tee signs are very detailed, which is extremely important here. Be sure to pay close attention as it is easy to walk off course, or shoot at the wrong basket (which I did on hole 8). The tee signs also list different par for amateurs and pros. It is nice that the course designers put this extra thought in regarding what amateurs can achieve. The scenery is fantastic, and the variety from hole to hole is good. I had the course to myself on both my visits.

I found myself slightly lost a few times while on the course. Next Tee signs/arrows would be a welcome addition at, or near, the baskets. The next tee is pointed out on the tee sign, but by the time I played the hole, it was easy to get disoriented and be lost, and wandering up and down the mountain is not my idea of fun; playing the course as designed is challenging enough on the body. A nice online map would be appreciated.

Since the primary business here is skiing, the tee pads are located in, or are bordering wooded areas, so searching for discs may occupy a part of your day. The wooded areas are full of thorns and poison ivy, so be on the lookout. (There is even a disclaimer on hole 1 that the course is not responsible for poison ivy contraction).

During my first visit, I did not play hole 11 because I couldn't make sense of the layout. After my drive, I had no idea which way to go because there were woods all around. I eventually found the basket and now understand how to play the hole, but at the time, I was very confused. Also, be sure not to go to hole 15 after hole 7, pay attention to the hole numbers on the signs to stay on course.

I am not going to list it as a con, but you better be in good shape to play here. I played the mountainside course for the first time on a 90 degree day immediately after I played the original course (like an idiot, I forgot water). I was completely drained by the end of the day, and I exercise regularly. Holes 16 & 18 make it all worth it as you launch your drive down the mountain, awesome visuals. You won't find these elevation changes on many other courses. Most holes have some good distance to them, so there are good opportunities to air out some drives. Another reviewer summed it up best: The course is a lot of fun, very challenging, yet very fair. I recommend this course, it is an experience to be had.

With fantastic views of the Lehigh Valley, the second course Bear Creek has served up is great. Distance and elevation are different at every hole. All the holes have detailed maps. It is a challenging course that demands precision on most holes. Beginners may want to practice somewhere more open and flat before trying this course. Holes 16 and 18 are amazing!

-Holes 1 -7 are physically demanding. I exercise daily and this was strenuous. Back nine is a breeze though, so be tough, it's worth it.
-Be careful not to shoot for the wrong basket on 2 of the holes. I think it was 5 and 12. Pay attention to the map

This course was a lot of fun. No 2 holes are alike. This course has a couple of holes from the orignial course too. The rest of them are in the other 18 hole course that starts closer to the entrance. See: Bear Creek Original Course

Distance - Lots of distance! This course will stretch your arm out. All holes have very fair lanes to hit with a bit of space to work.

Hanging Baskets - 2 of them!

Mix of holes - You start off with a few uphill, mostly open holes that take a lot of endurance to complete. Then, you go into the woods for a little while, then come back out and throw some downhill and across valley shots, again mostly open.

Teeboxes are in great shape, have plenty of space for a run up, when called upon.

TWO epic downhill shots (16 and 18), along with another nice downhill shot on 14. As a bonus, you get an amazing view of the valley going from 14 to 15's tee.

Course is easy to navigate. There is either a path to walk down or you can see the next tee rather easily from the basket you just rang the chains on. Oh, and the tee signs are VERY accurate and have a lot of detail to them. Make sure you take a good look, or put a pic in your phone, as there are quite a few baskets that you can not see from the tee.

If you go off the fairway, prepare to step into some nasty thorns and shule. It is very thick in many areas, doubtful that will go away with breaking in the course.

Bugs - lots of bugs. There are some wet spots on a few holes that they like to sit around, and drive you crazy. Also, I pulled off 2 or 3 ticks.

Pars - Some of the am pars in relation to distance/elevation I feel are a bit off. There is a 495 foot par 5? I made it to the circle's edge in 2. Also, #16 is listed as a par 4 for ams on the sign. It's roughly 280 feet, heavily downhill.

This course was very difficult for me to rate (for background purposes, I am currently a mid-pack intermediate). While it is very physically demanding, I do not feel that should take away from rating the course properly. I just need to be in a little better shape! The course is a lot of fun, and very challenging, yet very fair. If you hit your lines, you can put up a nice score. I highly recommend playing this course first, followed by the Original course, in the event you are playing all 36 holes. Bear Creek is morphing quickly into a Lehigh Valley gem, and caters to all levels of players. I hovered between a 3.5 and a 4.0, as this course is much better than your average course, but is much more physically demanding. As I stated above, I feel my current fitness level should not impact how I rate a course. So, I bumped it up to a 4.0. Bring lots of water and you'll have yourself a good time. They have a great bar and restaurant on site for a post game cold one or bite to eat.