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Trapp Family Lodge reviews
15
1
The Hills are Alive with the Sounds of Discing
Reviewed:
Played on:Feb 20, 2023
Played the course:once
Pros:
Trapp Family Lodge is located near beautiful Stowe, Vermont in the Green Mountains. It is owned by the von Trapp family, as made famous by the Sound of Music. Trapp Family Lodge DGC is now an 18-holer that plays around an on-site brewery (bierhall), located just down the hill from the main lodge.
This course design walks the line between being approachable for novice players visiting the brewery, yet still being interesting enough to challenge many disc golfers. The course does a great job of navigating between the mostly open rolling fields immediately around the brewery, and the wooded areas further afield. I don't remember any hole being completely open, but there are a couple with only a tree or two to work around. On the flip side of that are several holes requiring precise shot shaping through the trees, and one that was definitely a "thread the needle" type line - I think it was #11?
There is a fair amount of elevation change in play too, and the use of elevation actually increases as you progress through the course. Hole 8 is a sweeping downhill left turn that plays about 300'. Those with a nice RHBH or LHFH hyzer could easily card a birdie here - but be careful! The fairway tightens on the approach to the basket, and there is a low-lying area (a creek when I visited on a 40-degree day in February) that runs along the left side of the fairway and just behind the basket. I threw a poor approach shot and ended up three putting. Several other baskets are also located right at the edge of little drop offs, adding some rollaway and risk/reward potential.
Later in the course, #13 is a fairly open but fun hole that plays down and back up two separate little valleys next to the back side of the brewery. My favorite hole though was #17, which plays 560' down a gentle slope. Another creek runs diagonally across the fairway from right to left, and there are some wooded areas to navigate around on the right side. On the approach to the basket, the fairway curls to the left around a couple of small ponds. The overall fairway shape is kind of like a question mark. This is the only par 4 on the course.
Taken as a whole, the course is a good challenge for recreational to intermediate level players. The elevation changes and water hazards are nothing extreme, but together make things more interesting on many holes. The accessibility for different skill levels is also aided by the presence of a second layout. The Blue tees (what I played) are more challenging and have hole distances averaging about 320' (according to the Hole Info here, which I think is slightly inaccurate but gives a good general idea). The White tees reduce that average distance to about 230' and generally appeared to have a clearer look at the basket, creating a layout more accessible for new/casual players visiting the brewery.
The baskets are Mach V's in fine shape. One per hole.
The navigational signage is good. It consists of red painted arrows mounted near the basket and pointing towards the next tee. There were a couple of longer walks where I would have liked to see additional arrows, but I never pulled out my map and never went the wrong way.
There are a practice basket and kiosk near the first tee. The kiosk is a nice wooden construction and it includes a high quality course map. Restrooms are available inside the brewery, and benches are scattered around the course. There are nice little foot bridges over the creek areas wherever needed.
It is easy to play only the front nine or back nine, which I always view as a plus but especially at a course located somewhere like this.
This course design walks the line between being approachable for novice players visiting the brewery, yet still being interesting enough to challenge many disc golfers. The course does a great job of navigating between the mostly open rolling fields immediately around the brewery, and the wooded areas further afield. I don't remember any hole being completely open, but there are a couple with only a tree or two to work around. On the flip side of that are several holes requiring precise shot shaping through the trees, and one that was definitely a "thread the needle" type line - I think it was #11?
There is a fair amount of elevation change in play too, and the use of elevation actually increases as you progress through the course. Hole 8 is a sweeping downhill left turn that plays about 300'. Those with a nice RHBH or LHFH hyzer could easily card a birdie here - but be careful! The fairway tightens on the approach to the basket, and there is a low-lying area (a creek when I visited on a 40-degree day in February) that runs along the left side of the fairway and just behind the basket. I threw a poor approach shot and ended up three putting. Several other baskets are also located right at the edge of little drop offs, adding some rollaway and risk/reward potential.
Later in the course, #13 is a fairly open but fun hole that plays down and back up two separate little valleys next to the back side of the brewery. My favorite hole though was #17, which plays 560' down a gentle slope. Another creek runs diagonally across the fairway from right to left, and there are some wooded areas to navigate around on the right side. On the approach to the basket, the fairway curls to the left around a couple of small ponds. The overall fairway shape is kind of like a question mark. This is the only par 4 on the course.
Taken as a whole, the course is a good challenge for recreational to intermediate level players. The elevation changes and water hazards are nothing extreme, but together make things more interesting on many holes. The accessibility for different skill levels is also aided by the presence of a second layout. The Blue tees (what I played) are more challenging and have hole distances averaging about 320' (according to the Hole Info here, which I think is slightly inaccurate but gives a good general idea). The White tees reduce that average distance to about 230' and generally appeared to have a clearer look at the basket, creating a layout more accessible for new/casual players visiting the brewery.
The baskets are Mach V's in fine shape. One per hole.
The navigational signage is good. It consists of red painted arrows mounted near the basket and pointing towards the next tee. There were a couple of longer walks where I would have liked to see additional arrows, but I never pulled out my map and never went the wrong way.
There are a practice basket and kiosk near the first tee. The kiosk is a nice wooden construction and it includes a high quality course map. Restrooms are available inside the brewery, and benches are scattered around the course. There are nice little foot bridges over the creek areas wherever needed.
It is easy to play only the front nine or back nine, which I always view as a plus but especially at a course located somewhere like this.
Cons:
The tee signs are decent, but only appear at the longer Blue tees. They have all the required information, but they are just laminated pieces of paper mounted to wooden frames. A couple of them were missing or mutilated.
I visited in February when several inches of snow were on the ground in most places, so I only could see a couple of the tee pads. That said, the long tee pads appeared to be rubber mats in wooden frames. They looked large enough, but I imagine they could be slippery even when not covered in snow and ice. I couldn't tell if there was anything at all at the short pads or if they were just natural. The only sign of the short White tees I saw were two short wooden posts which I believe mark the front of each tee box. Tee signs at these White tees would also be nice.
There were a couple of downed trees on fairways, which will hopefully be removed once the weather gets warmer.
There were no trash cans on the course, but then again I did visit in the winter.
I think the parking lot of the brewery (large area that surrounds the brewery on three sides) could potentially come into play on poor throws from bigger arms on a few holes. A couple of fairways also seemed a little bit close together. Honestly very minor concerns.
The course does not offer championship level challenge.
I visited in February when several inches of snow were on the ground in most places, so I only could see a couple of the tee pads. That said, the long tee pads appeared to be rubber mats in wooden frames. They looked large enough, but I imagine they could be slippery even when not covered in snow and ice. I couldn't tell if there was anything at all at the short pads or if they were just natural. The only sign of the short White tees I saw were two short wooden posts which I believe mark the front of each tee box. Tee signs at these White tees would also be nice.
There were a couple of downed trees on fairways, which will hopefully be removed once the weather gets warmer.
There were no trash cans on the course, but then again I did visit in the winter.
I think the parking lot of the brewery (large area that surrounds the brewery on three sides) could potentially come into play on poor throws from bigger arms on a few holes. A couple of fairways also seemed a little bit close together. Honestly very minor concerns.
The course does not offer championship level challenge.
Other Thoughts:
There is a cost of $6/day to play, payable either online or in person inside the brewery/bierhall. There is even a QR code near the first tee which you can scan to reach the online payment page. No excuses for skipping out on that!
Discs are available to purchase (but not rent) inside the Bierhall.
This was my first course played in the state of Vermont. I did not expect much, especially visiting in the winter. I just wanted to get a round in while staying in Stowe for a short vacation. Through that lens, this course exceeded my expectations. It's not a must-play, but definitely worth a stop if you are in the Stowe area. My girlfriend and I sampled the food and beer at the brewery and I would recommend that too!
I was between a 3.0 and 3.5 rating here, but decided to round up. It would definitely be a solid 3.5 or maybe even a 4.0 with two concrete tee pads per hole and refreshed tee signs at each pad. I plan on returning to this area in the future, since Smugglers Notch is nearby (just a short drive away, but closed in the winter) along with what appears to be no shortage of other good disc golf options. Not to mention the beautiful scenery New England is famous for.
I just noticed this is my 150th review written. As they would say at the Trapp Family Lodge: Prost!
Discs are available to purchase (but not rent) inside the Bierhall.
This was my first course played in the state of Vermont. I did not expect much, especially visiting in the winter. I just wanted to get a round in while staying in Stowe for a short vacation. Through that lens, this course exceeded my expectations. It's not a must-play, but definitely worth a stop if you are in the Stowe area. My girlfriend and I sampled the food and beer at the brewery and I would recommend that too!
I was between a 3.0 and 3.5 rating here, but decided to round up. It would definitely be a solid 3.5 or maybe even a 4.0 with two concrete tee pads per hole and refreshed tee signs at each pad. I plan on returning to this area in the future, since Smugglers Notch is nearby (just a short drive away, but closed in the winter) along with what appears to be no shortage of other good disc golf options. Not to mention the beautiful scenery New England is famous for.
I just noticed this is my 150th review written. As they would say at the Trapp Family Lodge: Prost!
5
3
Worth The Trip 2+ years drive by
Reviewed:
Played on:Sep 12, 2019
Played the course:once
Pros:
They have fashioned a nice 18 hole course that was an enjoyable play. Plenty of interesting basket placements and challenge despite the limited length of the overall course. Mix of open shots and wooded holes.
Cons:
Some of the holes are still rough around the edges.
Other Thoughts:
The course is a solid 3.5 but the experience is bumped up to 4 by the presence of the brewery/restaurant. Great beer and surprisingly good food for a brewery!.
