Bear Trace at Tims Ford
My old friend and fellow PGA professional Jared Melson called me and asked for some guidance about potentially renewing this course—which has a fantastic, tranquil setting in a Tennessee state park. It’s a Jack Nicklaus Signature design from the 1990s, and it was time for some freshening. After three months of planning, we got to work in early March 2025. One of the fun challenges is making design adjustments that account for the level of maintenance staffing that works for the course’s budget—which means strategies like transforming some bunkers to interesting grass contouring.
