History
The World Golf Village opened in 1998 with a singular ambition: to build a shrine to the game itself, complete with the World Golf Hall of Fame as its centerpiece. Two years later, in 2000, the resort added a second eighteen to accompany its existing Slammer & Squire course, and for this project the developers turned to a name that needed no introduction in the game’s history books. Arnold Palmer, already in his seventh decade of life and deep into his design career, was given the assignment of shaping a second signature layout for the property.
Palmer’s contribution to St. Augustine came at a point in his career when he had designed dozens of courses across the country, and King & Bear reflects the confidence of an architect working at the height of his design practice. The name itself nods to Palmer’s nickname, “The King,” paired with Jack Nicklaus’s “The Golden Bear” — though the Nicklaus connection lives across the way at the Slammer & Squire, itself a nod to Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen. Palmer took on the full routing here alone, stretching the championship tees to 7,279 yards with a slope of 141, numbers that placed the course among the more demanding tests in the Golf Village portfolio from its opening day.
Since 2000, King & Bear has operated as part of the World Golf Village resort complex, hosting resort guests and visiting golfers drawn to the Hall of Fame grounds. The course has remained under continuous resort operation through the decades since, maintaining its 419 Bermuda turf on both fairways and greens as part of the ongoing upkeep expected of a course built to accompany one of golf’s most concentrated tributes to the sport’s history.
Playing notes
At 7,279 yards from the tips with a 141 slope, King & Bear plays every bit as tough as those numbers suggest, so club selection off the tee matters more than swinging for max distance. The 419 Bermuda greens run true but firm up in the Florida heat, meaning approach shots that land short and release will roll further than expected — plan for that extra bounce and check pin positions before committing to a number. Water comes into play across the routing, and the bunkering is deep enough to make recovery shots a real test, so leave your driver in the bag on a few holes where staying in position beats chasing yardage. This is a cart-required course given its length and the stretches between holes, and the wind off the surrounding lowcountry terrain can shift a mid-iron shot more than you'd expect, so bring extra balls, sunscreen, and a game plan that accounts for gusty afternoons. Walking players will find few courses this demanding at this scale, and even good ball-strikers should expect a few holes where the smart play is a layup rather than a hero shot toward the pin.
Tee boxes
| Tees | Yardage | Par | Slope | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | 7,279 | 72 | 141 | 74.6 |