Beauty, bears are the norm at Telemark

CABLE, Wis. -- Last year, on No. 7 at Telemark Golf Course, I looked up to line up an approach shot and saw a big black bear just sort of hanging out in the brush.

There was about 35 yards between the bear and me. My brothers-in-law had the cart on the other side of the fairway. My only weapon was a 5 wood.

I froze, so did the bear. It eventually ambled off. I think I still parred, but not after shooting a full can of Miller Lite.

Three holes later, we met again. This time, at No. 10, my former bro-in-law hit an approach that went over the flag and off the back of the green. We could see the flag, but not the bushes on the back.

Seconds after his shot, the big black bear rose up on his haunches, sniffed and ran off.

Welcome to golf in the Chequamegon National Forest.

I've vacationed in northern Wisconsin since eighth grade. My family has a regular date at a cabin on Lake Namakagon, about 50 or so miles south of Lake Superior.

The cell phone reception up here is spotty. You get three TV stations and all you care about is the weather. Rondeau's is the only grocery store between Lake Namakagon and Hayward, home of the National Fishing Museum, the giant muskie building and the lumberjack show.

The place is paradise. Fishing, golfing and I'm sure there's something else.

We started a guys' trip in May three years ago and plan to keep that going as long as our wives let us.

Some years, it's about the fishing. This year it was really about the fishing. Other years, it's about the golf, which is better than the fishing depending on the cold front.

We have two home courses here, Telemark and Forest Ridges Golf Course.

The main landmark in both is the Chequamegon National Forest. Don't bring your favorite golf ball. You will donate a few to the ticks and, gulp, the bears. Fairways are tree-lined like no others. Seriously, a slight miss and you're on a nature hike that requires GPS, which comes with every cart at Forest Ridges.

Forest Ridges belongs to Lakewoods Resort. It was designed by Joel Goldstrand and takes advantage of every beautiful inch of the Chequamegon and glacial terrain.

It's an amazing, and difficult, design. Forty-foot elevation drops are the norm on the front, with No. 4, a 173-yarder from the white tees, coming with a saddle green, potentially leaving 60- to 70-foot putts.

The star of the show is No. 13, a 168-yard par 3. The elevated tee box drops 30 feet to a woodland lake and then climbs 30 feet back up to an elevated green that is guarded by sand if you're short. I've lived through a short shot once in 20 times, so short is dead. It's all water carry. Last year, I chipped in from 30 yards for a par. This year, I hit three tee shots before settling with a pull that barely made the climb.

No. 16 is nicknamed "Pine Island." It's a 333-yard par 4 that requires a 220-yard tee shot. From there, you're looking at a kidney-shaped green that wraps around a giant white pine emerging from the "thumb" of the palette. Basically, there's a giant pine in the middle of everything.

Telemark, which used to house a ski resort, is a little more tame, but only a little.

No. 5 is nicknamed "Lateral Attraction." This 349-yard par 4 is a dogleg left that requires a well-placed tee shot down the left side of at least 190 yards to even see the green. The fairway slants sharply left to right and any tee shots center or right of center will most likely roll toward or into the lateral creek hazard.

The approach goes into an elevated postage stamp-sized green. Don't go right or you'll bounce into the woods.

There are bears in the woods. I've seen them.

The lowdown

Toughest hole -- No. 8 at Forest Ridges used to be the toughest, a 460-yard par 5, but that was before the pond that guarded the front of the green dried up. So, I'm going with No. 13 at Forest Ridges, the 168-yard par 3 that is 100 percent water carry. I've parred it less than a handful of times in some 20 years. Club selection is key because the wind whips over the open lake.

Easiest hole -- No. 2 at Telemark is nicknamed "Easy Dog" and it is. The 340-yard par 4 is a slight dogleg left, which has always fit my fade to a tee. The green is guarded by a bunker and slopes slightly from back to front, but I've birdied this baby three years straight, so you know it's easy.

Overall impression -- These courses are shrouded in the Chequamegon National Forest. That certainly brings difficulty into play, but also beauty and a uniqueness that you won't find too many other places in the world. It also brings bears, just so you know. I shot a 96 at Forest Ridges this year. Last year at Telemark, I shot an 86 that would've been maybe a little better without the bear sighting.