Bear Trap Dunes in Ocean View, DE was the 2nd course we played on our 2010 Golf Trip. The 27-hole facility is was located about 7 miles from our house which made it easy to get to for our 7:30am tee time. On the Friday of our golf trip, we play 36-holes. The morning 18 is the regular tournament format while the afternoon 18 is team scramble event.
I'll get the bad out of the way first because it's been bothering me. We arrive at about 7:15 for our 7:33am tee time with no intention of hitting the driving range or practicing. As we opened our doors at the bag drop we were greeted by a "starter" who's first words were "you guys better hurry up or your going to lose a tee time". I understand we were 18 minutes from our first tee time but that's not the way to welcome a group of 10 golfers to your facility to play 36-holes. The first group rushed to the tee box only to sit there and wait while the group in front of them teed off. Waiting on the tee box was a theme at this course.
(A common layout at Bear Trap requires an accurate tee shot or you could be wet.)
Bear Trap Dunes: The Course
The layout of Bear Trap Dunes is 3 sets of 9 holes: Grizzly, Kodiak, and Black Bear. Our morning round featured Grizzly and Kodiak while the afternoon round was Black Bear and Grizzly. I didn't find much difference between the 3 sets but the ranger told me Grizzly was the easiest, something my scorecard did not agree with.
The course is kept in excellent condition. The fairways and greens on all three of the courses are well manicured which is the important thing. Hit a good tee shot and in most cases, you're rewarded. In the morning I moved us back to the "back" tees which played about 6,400 yards and had a rating/slope of 69.9/122. Challenging enough to for the better golfers in the group and fair enough for the guys who don't play as much.
As the picture above showed, water comes into play frequently. Of the 27 holes at Bear Trap, 20 have them have water directly coming into play.
(A short par 3 with water along the left side, bail out to the right and chip up is a safe play)
(The 1st hole on Kodiak is one of a few holes without water but OB is on the right.)
What to Watch For
As I mentioned above, the course is not short on water. Like most good beaches, this course has plenty of water and sand including several holes with bunkers running along the side. Hit your tee shot on the 2nd hole of the "Grizzly 9" (Sounds like a disgusting pack of thieves) to the right and you'll be in a bunker that runs almost the entire length of the hole. The 9th hole on Black Bear offers a similar hazard.
The Par 3's
The par 3's are nothing out of the ordinary here. With 27 holes, Bear Trap Dunes features six chances to make an ace. They range in distance from 133 yards (#4 on Kodiak) to 190 yards (#3 on Black Bear). The two par 3's on Black Bear bring water into play as well as the 8th on Grizzly and the 8th on Kodiak. You can see a picture of one of the par 3's above.
Overall
I didn't leave here with a great taste in my mouth but I have to my personal feelings aside. It's an excellent facility with 3 top notch 9 hole courses. I didn't find too much difference between the 9's but they are all kept in excellent shape and are good courses. I would like to see them add GPS to the carts or provide yardage books (they sell them for $3 in the proshop) to make the course a little more manageable.
This was my least favorite of the 3 courses I played on my golf trip but I would recommend it and will probably play it again.
Location: Ocean View, DE
Cost: Included in golf trip but would have been $80
Rating/Slope: Grizzly/Kodiak - 69.9/122 (Back tees)
Proshop: Yes, they have everything you need and had Vokey Wedges 25% off!
Range: Yes and practice green
My Score: 85 (46-39)
Play Again: Yes, I would like to play here again
Website: Bear Trap Dunes
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