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Rating Index Rating
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4.5
393 Reviews (393)
5 Stars
255
4 Stars
94
3 Stars
29
2 Stars
13
1 Stars
2
Conditions
4.5
Value
3.9
Layout
4.8
Friendliness
4.7
Pace
4.1
Amenities
4.4
84.1%
Recommend this course
366 out of 393 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.7
3 Reviews (3)
5 Stars
2
4 Stars
1
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.7
Value
3.3
Layout
5.0
Pace
4.0
Amenities
4.5
StaffFriendliness
4.7
66.7%
Recommend this course
2 out of 3 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.8
4 Reviews (4)
5 Stars
3
4 Stars
1
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.8
Value
3.8
Layout
5.0
Pace
4.3
Amenities
4.7
StaffFriendliness
4.8
75.0%
Recommend this course
3 out of 4 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Resort
Par 72
Length 7279 yards
Slope 141
Rating 74.6

The King & Bear Course at World Golf Village is named for its designers, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. It is the first and only collaboration between the two legendary golfers. Combining the contrasting styles of the two designers created a challenging course that incorporates features from both traditional Scottish-links courses and new traditions in American golf. The course is known for the numerous lakes bordered by large coquina rock that come into play throughout. The front nine is dotted with loblolly pines while decades-old oak trees provide shade for the back nine. In addition to King & Bear, World Golf Village also offers another excellent 18-hole course, Slammer & Squire.

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World Golf Village - King & Bear Golf Course
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Course Details

Year Built 2000
Fairways 419 Bermuda Grass
Greens 419 Bermuda Grass
Golf Season Year round. Peak Season: Mid-February - May
Architect Arnold Palmer (2000) Jack Nicklaus (2000) Ed Seay (2000) MacCurrach Golf (2017) Nicklaus (2017) Bruce Borland Jim Lipe

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - included in green fee
Clubs Yes
GPS Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Bunker Yes
Caddies Yes
Golf School Academy Yes
Golf Simulator Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Indoor Practice Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Metal Spikes Allowed No

Food & Beverage

Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Jacuzzi

Available Activities

Swimming, Billiards

Available Sports

Tennis

Accolades

Reviews

4.5
393 Reviews (393)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 37
Brunch 19
Dinner 15
Course Challenges Include:
Water Hazards 74
Bunkers 71
Undulating Greens 47
This course/club is great for:
Advanced Golfers 54
A Weekend Splurge 44
A Bucket list/Top 100 Pick 43
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 42
At a Resort 35
Near Local Attractions 35

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 33
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

better value elsewhere

played both slammer and squire and king and bear. much perfer s and s for value, course condition and staff assistance. we had to wait for range balls therefor almost eliminating our warm up time.

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Friendliness Fair
Pace Fair
Amenities Fair
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Average weather
Walked

Great course, not so great experience

Course had no record of our Tee Time. Booked us 30 minutes later behind a FIVEsome and finished the last two holes in the dark.

I would play this again but will confirm tee times via phone and that we don't follow a handful of guys playing for a quarter a skin.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Good weather
Used cart

Nice but not Great

Nice course in good condition, especially greens. Most fairways lined with houses which was not very appealing. I showed up as a single about 30 minutes before my tee time and the starter insisted I go out immediately with a two-some who were already on the tee. Otherwise I would have to wait until 45 minutes past my tee time. So I didn't get to warm up. I thought the course was overpriced compared with similar courses in the area.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Average weather
Used cart

Great experience

We had several days of rain. It stopped when we got to the course. Had the course almost totally to ourselves.
The course is immaculate and would love to play it in dry conditions.
In wet conditions it played extremely long.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 22
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Great Day

Arrived an hour early. The range facilities are excellent and there is no additional charges for
the balls. The 3 of us played as part of the Golf
Now rewards program and could not have made
a better choice. Course is impeccable!!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Long course, great layout, greens top dressed and slow.

Good time. Was disappointed that the greens condition was not divulged, but other than that, this is the WGV course you want to play. Challenging, nice layout, good elevation changes.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 324
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Texas Advisor
Top 10 Contributor
First Time Playing
Fair weather
Used cart

Fantastic alternative to TPC Sawgrass

If you're in the Jacksonville area but can't get on TPC, King & Bear is a fabulous (and far more affordable) alternative. While a championship-caliber design by Nicklaus & Palmer, it's certainly far more forgiving than the Stadium. The course makes nice use of waste areas and water hazards and is beautified with loads of fountain grass and rock walls along the water. I suppose if I had to nitpick on design, I found that if you missed a green you almost always ended up in a bunker, but maybe I just had bad luck that day. I'd prefer to see a few more run-off areas around greens, which seems to be the trend recently. Having said that, fairways are very forgiving and while the course is part of a residential community, homes are well off the playing corridors.

Conditions and facilities are about as good as it gets in the area, with a gorgeous clubhouse with a full dining room and bar.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 43
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Good weather
Used cart

Great Design

Very good layout, nice use of the natural setting.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Condition

Awesome golf course. We enjoyed the hospitality, conditions and speed of greens. Did not appreciate the amount of visits from the " player assistants" keeping up with our pace of play.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 39
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
3.0
First Time Playing
Good weather
Used cart

Average Service At Best But Beautiful Course

Gorgeous course! It's too bad when I showed up I was told that I was not getting a GPS unit even though my reservation said I did, also was given a scorecard that was already used (of course I didn't notice that until I finished the first hole), and a random twosome was allowed to jump in front of us at the turn. These issues were just a few. Outside of that, the course was great and challenging. Not easy at all! I probably will not ever play here again though. Not worth the $150+ fee. Slammer & Squire is a FAR better experience. There are a ton of nice courses out there so unless you're dead set on playing here, you will get equal condition, better value and better service for half the cost or less somewhere else!

Conditions Excellent
Value Poor
Friendliness Average
Pace Fair
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

King and bear

Really fantastic course, gorgeous hole after gorgeous hole. Everything was in perfect condition and the staff was great too. On the pricey side but definitley a must play in the area

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

A masterpiece!

We got a good deal, otherwise the 169 USD regular rate would have been our limit for playing the course.
Arnold palmer and Jack Nicklaus did a great job when creating this fantastic course. We played at excellent weather, were very welcome by the helpful and friendly staff.
The course is winding thru various neighbourhoods but still creates a feeling of being in the nature. We liked all 18 holes but the last 9 were even nicer than the first ones. Water on almost every hole makes it challening but the fairways allow slices and hooks, at least most of them. Lot's of bunkers which make it require to have a strategy before you hit the ball, fine quartz sand in bunkers though. The course was in excellent condition, the greens could have been a little more undulated but they are challenging anyway.
If you're in the area, play it you won't regret it!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Course playing conditions were excellent as was the staff

Was allowed to play alone which is important to senior at the age of 83!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 30
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

One of the best in North Florida

Whenever I get the urge to treat myself to a great round of golf -- perfect greens, challenging layout, well marshaled pace of play and excellent customer service -- this is the course I think of Northeast Florida. If you're a fan of golf architecture and seeing how the designers used the topography of the land to create natural settings, King & Bear is also a must visit. No it's not your typical muni or semi-private and you will have to pay a bit more, but it's worth it. Just remember to check your ego at the door, play the forward tees and remind yourself why you enjoy playing this game.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 20-24
Skill Beginner
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

We felt like we were treated like pros!

The best course we've ever played and will definitely come back again! Apple barrels full of iced down fresh apples was a great feature too!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 15-19
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Beautiful course

Played here on Black Friday so pace was a but slow but we didn't mind because this is a beautiful golf course. The fairways and greens were immaculate and the many water and waste areas made you think about your shot. The staff was awesome and we got a great deal thru Golfnow. Definitely a course to be played.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 11
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

great course to play at.

the course was wet from the rain day that it was and we had to walk from cart paths but it was in great condition.the course has all the shots and greens are great. the course is not long from white tees and is very forgiving.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Beautiful, challenging course

Course was in great condition, has many picture worthy, challenging holes. Excellent practice facility included in green fee. Pace of play was on the slow side and "player assistant" was missing in action. Otherwise, it was definitely worth the trip. The reduced price green fee offered by Golf Now made the overall value better than the normal rack rate.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

As written up

Course was fantastic. Greens immaculate, fairways a little spongy due to the rain but still excellent play. Played in the morning and we were not pushed at all. Played less than 4 hours. Will definately play again..

Conditions Average
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Course is in great shape.

We are both 15 handicap. We enjoyed playing this course, very challenging. Greens in great condition. They were overseeding the course but conditions were very good. It was windy so not easy to reach greens in regulation on pars 4.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Fair
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
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Golf Packages

World Golf Village Stay & Play Package

FROM $227 (USD)
ST. AUGUSTINE, FL | Enjoy 2 nights' accommodations at World Golf Village Renaissance St. Augustine Resort and 2 rounds of golf at Slammer & Squire, and King & Bear at World Golf Village.

Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort Stay & Play Package

FROM $357 (USD)
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa and up to 4 rounds of golf at your choice of TPC Sawgrass - PLAYERS Stadium Course, TPC Sawgrass – Dye's Valley Course, South Hampton Golf Course, and St. John’s Golf Course.

Hammock Beach Stay & Play Golf Package

FROM $227 (USD)
PALM COAST, FL | Enjoy 2 nights' accommodations at Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa and 2 rounds of golf at The Club at Hammock Beach (Troon Privé).

Omni Amelia Island Resort Stay & Play Package

FROM $427 (USD)
FERNANDINA BEACH, FL | Enjoy up to 5 nights’ accommodations at the Omni Amelia Island Resort and up to 4 rounds of golf at OMNI Amelia Island - Oak Marsh Course.

Sea Palms Golf Experience Package

FROM $237 (USD)
ST SIMONS ISLAND, GA | Enjoy 3 nights’ accommodations at Sea Palms Resort and 2 rounds of golf at Sea Palms Golf Club.
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