Laurel, DE

Trap Pond State Park

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3.765(based on 25 reviews)
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16 0
HyooMac
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 6.7 years 415 played 380 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Best of the Delaware State Parks? Discuss.

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 8, 2022 Played the course:once

Pros:

Mostly wooded, with a few open holes throwing across a field on the front nine. There's no elevation here, but the woods are beautiful: long, well-defined fairways under canopies of towering old trees on either side, the ground covered with pine needles. The run of holes #12 - #16 have the same forest beauty and stillness of the back nine at Iron Hill



+ Short baskets (old DGA's) are very clearly marked with large fluorescent signs indicating hole number; the back baskets are DisCatchers - so you're never going to make the mistake of throwing at the wrong basket. Arrows attached to the bottoms of the cages pointing direction to next hole - though the flow is pretty intuitive and the paths to the next tees are well-worn


+ The first three holes provide a nice variety, taking you in and out of the woods. Hole #2 has a raised basket, and hole #3 is an open field teeshot from atop a raised concrete platform (this platform also has the tee for #9, which is the only open hole you're gonna see after #3)


+ Although this is a deep woods course, the fairways are well-established and the throwing lines are clear. I missed my share of fairways, but generally didn't feel like the rough put me in jail. I had more problem with obstructed putts on the par 3's than being off the fairways on the par 4's


+ Good mix of BH and FH lines, the doglegs aren't sharp, as much as they require finishing right or left



Cons:

- Tees are the one area that needs improvement. Long tees are rubber mats. On a dry day they'll be in decent shape (although a bit uneven). Since they're at ground level, they're gonna be wet following any rain. Short tees are just pairs of yellow painted pavers out in the fairways


- A minor quibble, but the signage is so thorough that it can get a little confusing. Each sign has a table listing the six possible combinations of lengths and pars that are created by the two tee positions and three basket locations, beside a map of the layout. Some of the signs also show the baskets and tees of nearby holes, and it takes a while to figure out what you're looking at


- I went with the intention of playing the back tees to the middle (B location) baskets. uDisc calls this the "Gold" layout. There was no indication that any baskets were in the back (C) position, so I'm pretty sure that's what I played - but I didn't see any signage indicating basket position

Other Thoughts:

~ There's a pond in the name, but no water on the course. The layout is off by itself in this huge park, well away from other activities


~ I have now played the seven Delaware State Park courses, and Trap Pond is among the best. Iron Hill still reigns supreme for Delaware courses, but the State Parks have some gems. While Trap Pond lacks the elevation and vistas of Brandywine or the distinctive seashore environment of Cape Henlopen, I think it's a better course



RECOMMENDED COMBINATIONS:
If you don't have an annual pass, you can use your day pass to hit multiple courses on the same day. I played Killens and Henlopen on my way to Trap Pond - all for eight bucks!



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14 0
lee76007
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 4.5 years 113 played 110 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Heavily Wooded and Difficult 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 1, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

-A level course thru heavy woods with taller pine trees than what I'm used to playing at other courses, and there's some canopy. There are gaps to hit, and tight fairways. Also a few open tee shots across open field with at least one basket in the woods. The pond does not come into play.

-The course has two tee pads, long tee is rubber, the short natural. There are three pin positions with all holes having pin A with an older basket, and when I played there's either a newer Discatcher at Pin B or C on just about all the holes. Pin B is marked with a small blue flag, and pin C a gold flag.

-Hole 3 and 9 long tee pads share a unique concrete tee platform, with a separate tee location on the platform. The tees are elevated.

-The gold layout long tee to long basket is very challenging, but not all gold pins will be in use. For other players the short tee to short basket is very reasonable. It appears the course has been recently realigned with three new holes after winter storms. Specifically, the old #8 and 9 are now #13. Holes #14 and 15 are now Par 4's. There's also a variety of distances and pars on the course.

-Tee signs are outstanding and recently new. Providing hole number, next tee, and a very colorful map. Distance and par for the 6 tee and basket combinations.

-Navigation is clockwise with next tee signs when needed. Easy to follow, didn't need UDisc to locate any tees. The course is also an easy and enjoyable walk, the variety of trees scenic.

-From the bag on the long tee fairways and drivers.

-Beginners and Recreational you'll find short to short very manageable and extremely tested from long tees. Intermediate and Advanced the woods golf on the gold layout will keep your attention to hit gaps, and stay on fairways.

Cons:

-On the heavily wooded layout which most of the holes are, they tend to run together. Several holes not very memorable, but the holes are very challenging, it could take a handful of visits to remember the course. Other than a few partially open holes, not much variety.

-The B and C pin positions are not consistent with a basket. There was a mixture of both pins through out the course. I saw nothing on the tee signs that indicated which pin was being used. I didn't notice the blue and gold flags by the basket until about the beginning of the B9, but that wouldn't help on the tee. Up until that point I had no clue what pin position I was playing, and a few flags were missing the rest of the way in. It would seem to be best to stick with one pin position for the entire course, and just change it out on an occasion.

-On hole 1 as I was walking down the fairway, it looked like all three pin positions had baskets. What I saw behind the short basket was #18 pin C, which I mistakenly played thinking it was Pin C for hole 1. I didn't realize the mistake until I played #18. On hole 10 I only saw the pin A basket only, no second basket at B or C. Playing 10 it was very confusing as I looked for a second basket, decided to play an empty pin C after deciding there was no second basket.

-Lots of good information on the new tee signs, but unless you have picture memory, you may forget where the pin locations are located as you search for the second basket, most of them can't be seen from the tee. UDisc will help locate tees, but not baskets. If I was to play the course again, I would use my camera phone to snap a picture.

-As I passed by a few of the short older baskets, I threw a putter at them, there very shaky. I wouldn't play them.

-Lost disc potential can be high. Some rough off fairways had high grass, and brush, but most did not. For the most part I could walk up and spot my disc. Hole 7 had a high grass waste land in the fairway that was purposely there. Hole 8 in the middle of the fairway had two large and deep depressions that could gather water after a heavy rain, or a pile of deep leaves when I played, and looks like maybe in the summer months bushes could grow out of there? Other than that, not so bad, in early December a disc can be partially covered by leaves.

Other Thoughts:

I very much enjoyed the challenge of Trap Pond and its heavily wooded fairways providing some excellent wooded golf, sprinkled with a few open holes, and towering trees. What's interesting the course reminded of Northwest River a course I frequent to keep my woods game in check. Except Trap Pond is a thousand feet longer, and Northwest is narrower. #14 at Trap Pond from the tee looked like #8 at Northwest River and a few other look alike holes. Trap Pond offers more scenic flights of the disc cutting thru the towering trees such as #4. If I lived in the area I would make frequent visits to Trap Pond, I believe it would elevate my game. Trap Pond is now one of a handful of courses I've rated at 4.0 without favoriting the course. My biggest personnel con is "What Pin Position" was I playing on the long baskets? It was very confusing and would take several visits to the course to know which was B or C pin position, and the mixing of pin positions for a first-time visit made it even worst. The good news, I'm likely to play the course again, I have in-laws just to the North.

My overall rating is anchored on a 5.0 with Trap Pond providing a very difficult wooded course, outstanding tee signs, two unique tee pad locations, and an easy peaceful walk on a scenic course. My time to play taking pictures was 75 minutes.

Notable Tee Platform:

-Hole 3 and 9 tees sit elevated about 5 feet on top of a concrete structure. I saw no access on the sides of the structure. What is on top of the structure is an access hatch reminding me of the hatches on the Submarines I served on, except on older boats. Its possible maybe a Cold War bomb shelter? It did look like it had been there for several decades. I called the park office to inquire, but nobody knew anything about it. A unique tee platform no matter what it used to be. From both tees your throwing into the open with both long baskets tucked into the woods. Both tees are separate and throwing in different directions on concrete. The rest of the course is rubber pads for long tees.

Notable Holes:

No. 1 Par 3 at 354 feet is a straight away heavy tree line with a fairway narrowing at 8 feet and not getting much bigger than that. At 230 feet meanders left a little to the B pin, and to reach C pin a 45-degree angle right. A very tough tee throw all the way down to the basket and doesn't open up much, one of the more difficult 1st tee gaps I've played. After an almost three-hour car drive with stiff legs my jaw dropped looking down fairway and hit a tree about 150 feet down the left. I mistakenly thought there were three baskets for the hole and played the 18th gold directly behind the line of the short basket. The correct basket had guardian trees.

No. 4 Par 4 at 522 feet and I'm positive basket was at Pin C. Is a heavy tree line with towering trees with the fairway about 30 feet wide, and a dogleg left at about the 300-foot mark straight into the long basket with a few guardian trees. There are trees poking into the fairway here and there. Scenic enough from the tee, but more scenic at the dogleg with those trees poking into the fairway. I threw a lefty turnover on my approach just short of the dogleg and watched a beautiful flight thru the trees. I thought #4 was the most scenic hole on the course.

No. 14 Par 4 at 465 feet a narrow fairway heavy woods with gaps as little as 20-feet. The fairway at about 200 feet breaks hard dogleg right, but a protruding tree from the right at 170 feet pushes you to the left. RHBH you really need a FH. If you make the dogleg fairway stays narrow, basket had guardian trees. I didn't cut the disc in time and deflected off a tree on the left of dogleg and came across fairway and right into tree jail on the right. Took two more tree hits to get out and bagged a double bogey.

No. 17 Par 3 at 253 feet is the only hole on long tees less than 300 feet. A straight away to the basket and was playing C pin. Also, very narrow all the way down at 20 feet and as little as 10 feet with protruding trees here and there. There are overhanging canopy branches as well. The basket sits behind a lone guardian tree. It kinda looks like #1 at first glance, but it looks more clutter down fairway with the overhanging branches which #1 does not. The fairway looks claustrophobic, and your only realistic ace run is difficult. I hit an overhanging branch about 2/3rds of the way down.

Signature Hole:

No. 2 Par 3 at 355 feet B pin, and Par 4 at 442 feet C pin. The basket was mounted on two blocks with an elevation of about 3 feet, I'm pretty sure that was B pin, with C pin further out in the woods to the right. From the tee you're coming out of the woods to the open, from the tee 10 feet in front of you is a gap of 4 feet, and a tree line down the left for about 60 feet, then all open. From the tee straight ahead, you'll see the concrete platform for tee's 3 and 9 about 300 feet out, not where you want to go. The fairway doglegs left at about the 250-foot mark into the woods directly towards B pin. Miss the dogleg you're running into the woods. B pin is open enough for a putt at it, for C pin from the dogleg you're meandering right thru gaps of about 20 feet. I liked the hole, it represents the course very well a tee gap, open fairway, and right back into the woods. As you walk the fairway you can't help but notice the concrete platform and eventually you see the tee signs, huh?

Trouble Hole:

No. 8 Par 3 at 350 feet is a straight away dogleg left at about the 250-foot mark. On the tee sign you'll notice OB marked right in the middle of the fairway. You can see that something is there, a depression. What you don't see its two depressions toward a creek to the right, the creek shouldn't come into play except a real bad tree deflection in the creek's direction. The depression on the left is higher in elevation than the right which empties into the creek, and there about 6 feet deep. A heavy rain the depressions could be filled with water, in the fall leaves, and maybe in the summer looked like bushes? The depressions are about 170 feet away, to safely reach over about 230 feet. The trees on this hole I consider moderate, but strategically placed. A line of trees on the right all the way down to the depression, and block center right fairway to get over the depression. On the left a tree line block the fairway to the left of depressions. You're looking for a narrow line center to left over the depressions or take it safe on dry land finding a small gap to the left of depression. I went left and got tangled up in branches. Looking down the depressions those leaves looked very deep.







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10 0
Stryker
Experience: 7 played 7 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A Pleasant Throw through the Woods 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 20, 2020 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Tee pads are generally very firm and nice.
Great signage, with arrows pointing from basket to next tee.
Alleys through the trees are well-kept and open.
Gold baskets are brightly-marked in yellow and easy to see, generally.
Multiple tees and baskets let you mix up for different levels, including a very beginner-friendly "red to red" course.

Cons:

Occasionally, some tee pads can get slick when wet, especially hole 8 which tends to be wet often.
Some fairways on the back 9 are difficult to see from the tee, which can make first plays from the tee difficult to know where you want to go. Looking especially at 14 and 15.
Red tees are only marked with small orange flags. You throw from the raw ground, which feels like a disservice when the gold tees are padded.

Other Thoughts:

This course is VERY heavily wooded. This isn't a pro or con, just a state of the course. Some will like this, some may hate it. But the course has a very nice mix of holes that are wider passages through the trees (which I lovingly call the 'cathedral shots') and some that are more tightly packed to require accuracy. Three holes include a nice open field for the "grip it and rip it" throwers to show off.
Bring bug spray, as ticks are often an issue and pockets of standing water can bring on mosquitoes during the hotter months.
There are 2 OB zones on the front 9. Hole 7's is clearly marked with a drop zone. Hole 8 does not have a drop zone. I wish they would clearly mark a drop zone. Also, the red tee on 8 throws directly over the OB, which can be tricky for true beginners.
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8 0
Hector Chain
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 15.8 years 222 played 189 reviews
3.50 star(s)

It's a trap! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 26, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

I'm a fan of disc golf in state parks, and this didn't disappoint.

There are two baskets on every hole, another feature I love to see. The silver baskets were shorter but fairly well marked and spray painted orange on the top.

The design was good. The silver locations looked like some fun par 3s with deuces available on a lot of holes. I played the gold baskets and enjoyed the multi-throw holes.

Tee signs were pretty good. There are distances listed to three basket locations. Only two baskets were in place and the other location represented an alternate location. There are two tees listed on every hole, but the shorter tees are basically just stakes in the ground.

Cons:

There was virtually no elevation changes on the course.

The gold configuration felt like it was a little in love with dramatic doglegs. I'd like to see better landing areas if that was the case, but either way there was a little too much of this.

The gold baskets often weren't visible from the tee, and I couldn't always tell what the line to the basket was without walking half the fairway.

Other Thoughts:

On a moderate, dry Saturday in August, I only saw three other people here. It was well worth the $10 entry fee to the state park, which looked like a pretty nice place. If I lived nearby, I'd be here a lot to enjoy the good disc golf and relative solitude.
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3 1
zkemmer
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great Wooded Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 27, 2017 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

I was visiting Bethany beach looking for a place to play during my vacation. The dg course rating was fairly high so I decided to go for it and I was pleasantly surprised by some great woods golf and very challenging but mostly fair lines from long to longs. I enjoyed it so much that I had to go back a second time and get some revenge on a few holes. The hole distances seemed accurate and the course was easy to navigate with signs near every basket.

Cons:

The only con was that there wasn't a marker indicating whether or not the long baskets were in the B or C pin location, so I had to walk up the fairway on quite a few holes to see where the basket was positioned.
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3 2
argo_yamato
Experience: 10.6 years 8 played 8 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Trees everywhere 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 4, 2016 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Most holes had two baskets, generally the long basket was newer
- Good tee signs on every hole (except one, maybe 14 or 15?)
- Decent flow from one hole to another for the most part
- Need to throw a good line on almost every hole, very few where you can just launch it (see title)

Cons:

- Weird roped off trash pit on one of the later holes, not sure what that was about.

Other Thoughts:

A lot of bugs/spiders, seemed more than other similar courses. Bring bug spray and watch for spider webs if you leave the fairway.

If you have played Lums Pond before this course is similar but a bit harder in my opinion.
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7 0
Upshawt1979
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 20.8 years 548 played 429 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Trap Pond, tough and tricky 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 16, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

I visited Trap Pond State Park for disc golf, and did not leave disappointed. There is 18 holes here and they really beat me up. I carded a 68 from the long tees on the short baskets. Only birdie came on hole 17. There are two baskets on most of the holes, and usually multiple tees as well. There isn't really significant elevation change anywhere, and the course was quite dry, never really getting near the water. You will be encountering many, many trees if you choose to play here. Any layout will present challenges, mostly due to the woods. There are open parts, on a couple of holes, but the baskets are at least protected in the fringes of the woods. There are good variety of lefts and rights, and versatility of distance as well. The tees are mostly rubber, and most have a sign. Bugs were not an issue at the time I played there.

Cons:

This course could use a little TLC. Some signs are degraded to the point of falling down, or missing entirely, and a few of the baskets are in kind of rough condition. Concrete tee pads and improved signage would have boosted my rating to 4 out of 5. I paid the $6 fee as an out of state visitor. Ranger made me leash up my dog, con for him (my dog, not the ranger).

Other Thoughts:

This is a course that is pretty cool, with some room for improvement. I rated it based on the versatility and challenge presented. Not the best course, but with upgrades to some aspects, I would even call it tournament caliber. Out of the way, unless you live on the Del Marva, but I enjoyed the journey. There were small frogs everywhere when it visited mid-August. Seasonal emergence I guess. Reminiscent of Kilborne ( longer, "Skillborne" layout) in Charlotte, NC.
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7 0
Duncanator
Experience: 13.9 years 207 played 13 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Updates and changes to course 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 1, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Tight lines in the woods.
Quiet, just you and nature.
A second basket is in play on most holes for variety
Large rubber tees except 3 and 9.
Mostly nice baskets, a little rust on a few.
Maps at most holes show general paths are arrows with baskets help a lot.

Cons:

$6 out of state car fee ($3 in state) for state park
Map isn't up to date. Signs are missing for holes 3, 9, 10, and 14.
3 and 9 play off of a large sansewer junction box cover which can be smelly and has things you can trip on. There are areas where you can be fine, but look before you run.
Some of the lines are really tight. Like really tight. They are still "lines" for sure, but new players will have a rough day on many holes and experienced players will have to play well to keep off the trees.

Other Thoughts:

Changes have been made to this course, and I was able to talk to a local who pointed me in the right direction, but I figured I'd share the updates as they are now:
1-8 plays basically how the map shows, though some lengths are a little different. 3 plays straight down the side of the woods and hooks into the trees to the left 400+
9 now plays from where the map shows 3&10. It goes into the woods to the left of the baseball fence. 10 plays along the side of the woods to the right and almost comes back into the woods.
14 is a 350-400 dogleg right.
14 and 15 are recently added holes and aren't as well defined. Especially the end of 15 where the fairway gets really tight off to the right heading to the gold basket.
Not a drop-in-on-the-way course to play a round, but certainly worth a visit to challenge yourself.
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8 0
PWaggoner
Experience: 11.3 years 29 played 7 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Trap Pond! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 1, 2013 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Stay on the fairway or watch your score explode.
Nice baskets and (most)teepads.
Extremely difficult
If it rains thick coverage will keep you dry.

Cons:

Bugs!!! Bring some spray if its not winter
Concrete thing used for teepads smells like sewage sometimes.
Some of the Teepads are uneven (roots etc)
Not well maintained- sticks, big fallen trees, (one is actually used for a obstacle which was pretty cool but some you can tell aren't supposed to be on the fairway), and a OB trash pile.

Other Thoughts:

Bring some friends and split the $6 out of state car fee (its nearly free).
Bring drinks and snacks Trap is a long course
Grab a map and scorecard from the nice lady when you pay the car fee.

I always have fun at trap and when I return to my local wooded course the lines now seem ridiculously large and easy in comparison for a day or two ;)
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5 0
Longjonsilverz
Experience: 18 years 54 played 21 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Decent Course, Great Park 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 4, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

Good accuracy course, and very challenging. Inside a great park. Multiple tee pads and baskets. Lots of shade in the summer. Rewards both long distance throws and accuracy. Little undergrowth so finding discs is not hard.

Cons:

Extremely difficult and frustrating when a nice throw is ruined by hitting one of the many trees. The fairways are VERY narrow and almost the entire course is excessively forested. It is very hard to figure out where the baskets are located, and the maps for each hole are in bad shape or have completely been removed. The arrows on the baskets pointing to the next tee are sometimes pointed in the wrong direction. Park requires a fee to enter. No scorecards. Layout is confusing. Two holes use the same tee pad, which is actually a large concrete object in the middle of a field. It has things sticking out of it and is very awkward and confusing.

Other Thoughts:

This is a good course, but it could be better. The design is good, but the fairways could be opened up a bit more, and the maintenance is poor. This is one of the more difficult courses in the Delmarva area, and sometimes seems not rewarding enough to be enjoyable. Too many times I have been robbed of a great throw because of a random tree. However, If you like a good challenge, this is still a fine course, and Trap Pond state park is a really nice park, so the location is great.
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3 3
Buchajs1
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 11.6 years 168 played 44 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Trap pond state park 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Nov 23, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

Variety, good variety of open and wooded as well as long and short, you wont get very bored here. I enjoyed the elevated pin on 2. Good signage on most holes. Good tee pads as well as pretty new long baskets. There was a Practice basket located near the first tee and parking lot. Next tee signs on baskets, there were little arrows hanging from the basket that pointed in the direction of the next hole. Flypads on most holes. The concrete tees on the mound in the middle of the field were a nice change of pace.

Cons:

Signage is a must, I found myself whaling around in circles often. Although there were some arrows, the first few holes dis not clearly indicate where the basket and next tee was. In my opinion there were too many 350 feet straight holes

Other Thoughts:

When I think trap pond I think water, there was none. Haha. Overall this was a good stop on the way home from va
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6 0
sidewinder22
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.6 years 297 played 197 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Trapped!!! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 2, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

18 excellent holes mostly through the woods with 13 rubber tees, 3 flypads, and 2 concrete tees. The rubber tees are great when wet. Dual baskets on each hole provide short and long or easy and hard depending on the hole. The baskets don't seem to interfere with playing one or the other and can provide two fairy different looks off the tee. Navigation was good with next tee arrows and tee signs. Disc golf area of the park is secluded from other parts of the park.

Trap is of championship caliber providing an excellent test of player skill. The better player should prevail here, and the course also plays well for beginners so it's very versatile. The fairways are well defined and fair through some pretty thick woods. Great mix of straight, left and right holes. Mostly par 3 with some par 4s, or some tweeners. I loved being able to bomb some shots through the fairways of woods here.

Cons:

Not many cons here. The 3 holes with flypads were very slick in the rain. I tee'd off the first one and almost hit the deck. The other two flypads I tee'd off from the side or in front for my own safety. This shouldn't be much an issue when dry. It's a little hard to tell which are the flypads until you do a practice swing.

A couple of the tee signs were faded bad and impossible to tell much, although with the course map it's not much of deal to figure out where the hole plays. The two concrete tees are on the same sewer top which is a little odd and maybe cumbersome during a tourney, but really not much of big con.

Other Thoughts:

I was really impressed with this course considering there is about zero elevation change and I am a big fan of playing big elevation. A recent trip to Dallas left me underwhelmed even with their supposed 4.5 and 5 disc rated courses that have more elevation than Trap. I think the course designers there should take a trip to the Trap and see how it's done.

It started raining about 1/3 of the way through the course, but it didn't bother me one bit. The canopy of the trees help cover from some of the rain and the ground doesn't get all muddy at all which surprised me. The pine needles on the ground seem to do a very good job with that.

I was the only disc golfer in the park, and I suppose the course is often fairly secluded. I always find it neat to be the only person on a course and it seems to be a rarity now, especially on a course of this caliber. The course seems to be aptly named Trap because in a way it's like being trapped in the woods, and my mind seems to be trapped thinking about the course.

The $6 out-of-state fee to play is a little high, but this really shouldn't keep anyone from playing this course because it is worth it. Anytime I am in the area I will be back to play again sunshine or rain!
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8 0
H3LlIoN
Experience: 12.9 years 16 played 13 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A "Must Play." 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 30, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

This course has GIANT rubber tee boxes, for the most part. Also, two DISCatchers on almost every hole mean you can play this one twice and each time she'll be different. There are some great long lanes, and awesome lines. The holes were all well maintained, every basket had a "Next Tee" sign hanging on the bottom to keep you headed in the right direction. Also, the short baskets are great for beginners...We went with a group of 6...3 guys and 3 girls. Normally the girls lag behind, but with them playing the short baskets and us playing the longs, it worked out perfectly. All in all, this is a really great course, and I will definitely be back the next time I'm in Delaware. Practice basket before hole 1. Great, nice long course. Very enjoyable.

Cons:

The "short tees" are nothing more than two 1'x1' brick pads laid somewhere down the course. It was exceedingly difficult to find these on every hole given that it is fall, and everything is orange. There were no maps/scorecards at the beginning, so you have to check out each hole sign, and then make a guess as to where to start digging for the short tees. Two of the holes (5/9?) you tee off from a septic cistern, and it stinks. Some of the hole signs at the beginning of the holes are faded or worn, making it impossible to read. Also, the sign at the tee for hole 10 is labeled as hole 11 for some reason, although the basket is labeled 10. The "11" is stuck on with mailbox sticky numbers. Actual hole 11 is normal, like the rest.

Other Thoughts:

This was a very enjoyable course to play...the lanes for the most part are well defined and easy to see...having the "next t" signs is always amazing. It is a little difficult to find the course, as you don't go to the main entrance of the park, but rather drive around to the camping entrance. You can play after the park closes...simply lock the gate on the way out. The camping guard house was closed when we went, so I am unsure as to whether or not they normally charge an entrance fee or not. Although we caught this course in the afternoon on a Sunday, we had the whole course to ourselves, and never saw any one else shooting.
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1 1
glenncurtiss
Experience: 4 played 4 reviews
3.00 star(s)

After work 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 10, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Nice mix of a variety of shots required. Nice open / clean layout.

Cons:

Could use a few more signs from basket to next tee.
Map from nice lady at booth helpful, but not current?
Arrived after 4 but still had to pay day use fee?
Was worth it.

Other Thoughts:

Only person on course till 18. Man with son throwing pine cones at basket! Walked a few holes with them letting them throw my discs. Left the kid with his first disc. Innova Aero.
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1 3
aDedhed
Experience: 23.8 years 31 played 21 reviews
4.00 star(s)

ouch 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 7, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

this was a great, beautifully laid out course. the setting in the state park is absolutly gorgeous

Cons:

the course is a VERY tough course. it is laid out in the woods and there are obviously trees everywhere. i cam across a couple black widows on the course and my buddy almost stepped on a copperhead.
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3 4
MANN-JITSU
Experience: 10 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 22, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

The course is put together very nicely. I didnt have to much trouble following the course, everything is marked out pretty visibly. There are many tight narrow shots that involve alot of skill and luck. Some holes are nearly impossible to get a long shot down the fairway. The course shows alot of variation by having some open holes too.

For Northern DE disc golfers the course is similar to a longer lums pond.

Cons:

The only thing I did not like about this course was the massive amount of Horse Flies in the open holes.

Other Thoughts:

The road to the course sucked. I had just washed my car the day before, and by the time I left the course she was filthy.
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9 0
solidhummer
Experience: 42.9 years 50 played 2 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Jewel of Delaware! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 5, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The course is well maintained and has a flow to it that makes sense. It has 18 regulation innova discatchers. The tee pads are a nice rubber or concrete. All of the fairways are fair and the length reflects more modern distances of today's disc golf. The course is very secluded and it is very unlikely that you will encounter other distractions like playgrounds or gatherings within ear shot. Finesse upshots are essential however there are some holes that you can bomb off the tee. There are multiple pin positions and long and a short tee for each hole. Also the original old dga baskets are in place for beginners to use within the course

Cons:

The course is flat with the exception of two tees off a five foot high mound and a couple elevated baskets. This course is about 5 miles from a main road so if you're not headed to Trap Pond, it is unlikely that you will be just passing by. With the land that was given the course lacks some disc golf shots that could provide some variety. The pars for a lot of the holes are tweeners.

Other Thoughts:

To be up front about this review I have to confess that I am the course pro here. Although you will see in my review that I will be very objective. I know the history of the course and what future plans are for Trap. This is probably the least populated area of Delaware. This is probably why there will never be the size local base to this course as in other areas of the state. So for most people it is at least a 20 minute drive to the course. This is great for me because of the seclusion. Also the few volunteers here have the bulk of the maintenance on a course that is heavily wooded. Progress is slow at best although it is very noticeably moving in the right direction. Parts of the course were redesigned to alleviate some "minor" design flaws. Hole 8 and 9 are now combined and the tee for the new hole will be moved up to keep drives from hole 7 landing near hole 8's tee. To make up the lost hole, two new holes were put in near the hole 15 area. The old hole 15 was probably the most hated of the course because of the lack of a landing area or no reward for a good shot off the tee. The new 15 may have a smaller gap to shoot through but makes more sense. When off the tee a good drive will give you a decent upshot to the basket where the old one did not necessarily. The new hole 14 is to provide variety to a course that has several shots that are alike. Disc golf has many different shots that can be executed but course doesn't utilize that. Hole 2,3,4 are almost the same shot. This may be ok for an 18 hole layout but not back to back to back. However, this only applies to the long to long on those holes. The additional tees and pin positions help with this. The course is flat and doesn't have any major bodies of water that would be a factor. A creek may come in to play on hole 7 after a heavy rain. There are OB pits and the famous "dump" on hole 7 that can add strokes. Obviously the tee signs are going to have to be updated as well as the score cards and course length due to the updated layout. So if anyone goes out anytime soon the signage will be wrong on some holes. One of the things I think we have done right is the versatility of the course. You can play this course every day of the week and have a different layout each time. This course can play very, very hard for the even the top pros. But also, it can play very recreational for beginners AT THE SAME TIME! I have found this to be an inviting factor that Trap has that most courses don't. I can play disc golf with the wife and she can play the short course while I play the long and we can do this together. The short baskets have been strategically placed as to not interfere with the long course. And if the short basket is in the way then well.....I guess you had a bad shot. I have gotten some negative feedback on this but I'm pretty adamant about the fact that new players don't start off as pros and that a long tough course may be discouraging to start off on. This feature makes it nice for different skill levels to play together. So all in all the course has a lot of work still left to be done. But I would still rate this course high because it has all the variety of lengths and pins anyone would ever need. It has complete tee pads and uniform baskets throughout. The course challenges every skill level and is well maintained. Now one lasting question for this course and really one of its downfalls is the assignment of par. Because there are tweeners on this course it makes it hard to apply. The thing about Trap is that the par 3's are hard par 3's. One round can be very different from the next. I will go through the layout and give my "opinion" and I feel somewhat qualified being how I've played several hundred rounds there.
Hole 1. is a hard par 3. It can be deuced but it is a fairly narrow gap and can really punish you on the OB road.
Hole 2. (tweener) The length is deucable but 2's are rare. Die hards will say this is a par 3. This is a great hole but to be honest a good shot leaves you 40-50 from the pin. The hole needs to be longer or shorter. But I'll give it a par 3 I guess.
Hole 3. par 4
Hole 4. par 4
Hole 5. par 3
Hole 6. (tweener) very hard par 3. I'm 90% sure the pdga would consider it par 4. Gotta have an awesome shot to have a "legitimate" putt for a 2. So par 4 it is.
Hole 7. par 4
Hole 8. This hole will probably end up being a hard par 3 but I'm not sure yet.
Hole 9. (tweener) This can be a deuce if you can throw almost 400'. Simple enough hole if you can but because of the distance of it, it is not deucable for most. I give this a par 3 but your second shot is most likely a wasted shot.
Hole 10. par 5
Hole 11. hard par 3
Hole 12. par 4
Hole 13. par 4
Hole 14. par 4
Hole 15. par 4
Hole 16. hard par 4. (tweener) This can be considered a par 5 in the long position due to the fact of the no wider than 20' fairway and the 550' - 600' distance.
Hole 17. shortest hole on the course. 5's can be taken here. definitely par 3 though
Hole 18. (tweener) hard par 3

So that 3,3,4,4,3,4,4,3,3,5,3,4,4,4,4,4,3,3 Par 65
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3 0
JediEthan1
Experience: 4 played 4 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Fun Course! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 11, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Excellent teepads
Putting Area before tee #1
Challenge for any skill level with multiple tee, pin locations.

New long baskets, the older but still good
short baskets make it a good course for multiple locations. The variety of shots that you have an opportunity to make is excelllent, much like Killens Pond in Felton. The type of holes varied nicely. with some long field holes included in the course.

Cons:

Somewhat out of the way if you're passing by on Rt. 13, so allow plenty of time to get there. Course is definitely worth it, though!

Other Thoughts:

Great course, I would definitely recommend it to anyone. The short tees can sometimes become covered in pine needles, but local players generally keep the course well maintained. I will definitely go back ASAP!
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9 0
zapplayer12
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 25.9 years 149 played 40 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Remote, Flat, Tight Woods Golf 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 27, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

• Rubber Tee pads in good condition (a couple concrete tees as well)
• Tee signs at all tees
• Multiple baskets (pros are newer with large baskets while amateur baskets are older/smaller but still in decent shape)
• Mainly tight, technical wooded fairways demanding accuracy (some holes drive through open field but baskets are all in woods)
• Length coupled with placement of pro baskets will challenge even the experienced player
• Lack of thick brush off fairways diminish disc loss possibility
• Downed trees on fairways provided unique challenge (was this done on purpose or not cleared yet?)
• Mainly disc golf only area (it borders a nature trail on some holes but does not appear to use the trail)
• Amenities on site (bathrooms w/running water)
• Located in State Park - upkeep was excellent
• Isolated location appears to minimize number of players on course (basically had it all to myself)
• Abundance of nature adds to remote feel

Cons:

• Not a very balanced course - lacks variety, diversity, elevation, risk/reward, water (not that this is necessary)
• Due to the above, the holes start to feel very repetitive and similar
• Pay to play
• Sometimes difficult to determine where basket placement was as it didn't always match map/tee signs (additionally, there was nothing at tees to let player know what alternate pin position a basket may be in when there were multiple/alternate possibilities)
• Was surprised to later find that red brick on course was actually 'am' tees - they were extremely difficult to see under the pine needles and not marked
• Carry-in/Carry-out trash - i.e. no trash containers (not sure if this is a con but it certainly isn't a pro!)

Other Thoughts:

I usually revel in these longer, tighter, technical wooded courses which demand accuracy, thought and placement consideration. However a little over halfway through this one, it began to feel very similar and repetitive. I'm thinking the lack of elevation had a large part in this. While the course design does require an assortment of left/right/straight shots (off the tee and as the hole unfolds), it doesn't demand a ton of variety or a plethora of disc types. Basically its flat, tight woods for the most part which I'm used to playing . So I was using the same handful of discs for woods and throwing my usual shots. Therefore I didn't feel I was mentally challenged to the point where I was reconsidering the type of throw, the alternate line or what type of disc I should use. Additionally, there wasn't much risk/reward, no epic holes, water - essentially not a lot of dynamics to this one.

That being said, don't confuse this for me scoring/playing well or the course not being tough. It's a serious challenge for the serious disc golfer especially when playing long tees to long baskets (I can't imagine playing it any other way actually). The secluded location near the Maryland Peninsula border will keep many from playing here and it's certainly not a classic destination course. However if you're passing through or nearby (as I was) and like a high-quality woods disc golf challenge, this is the 'must play' place for you.
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10 0
optidiscic
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.8 years 156 played 147 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Welcome to Endor! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 15, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

This forrest course consisting of pines and old growth trees with ample clear fairways carved throughout will challenge experts from the long tees to the long pins while it entertains the novice from the shorts to short baskets. It's not technical unless you stray off the intended route...from the woods it's very very technical to get back on the fairway or to try to save par and weave towards the green. Yes there are 72 options here with the long tees all having huge well constructed rubber tees(16 holes) or 2 elevated concrete tees off a concrete structure to the brand new long baskets. There are short tees and baskets that follow the same fairways but are tucked in such a way to not interrupt the flow of the expert holes. The park is off the beaten path and the course is secluded from other park activities so your truly in a pure disc golf course with plenty of nature around to enjoy. The theme here is very long yet serviceable fairways that can be negotiated with skill rather than luck. Often with doglegs or turns that will tempt you to anhyzer/hyzer/flick or should you try to park on the corner. Plenty of thought provoking holes here. If your off the fairways, your in the woods but don't despair theres thick trees but very few if any thorns or cruel shule to ruin your day. Every hole is solid and well designed but a few things did stand out here. There is an elevated basket for hole 2 that was fun. The concrete tee of hole 3 over a big field and then hyzering back into the woods....I loved the transitions on this hole, just a great blend of big arm precision landing and then playing a long technical approach! 2 of the holes play straight and incredibly long with low ceilings....it's so hard to keep a disc straight for such a long distance.(one of these is called the highway #14) 4 of the holes incorporate a nicely manicured grassy lawn into the hole....either shooting woods to field to woods, or woods to grass, or grass to woods. Gives just enough open air to break up the woods at 2 separate intervals play. Course appears to drain well despite the flatness and there wasn't any maintenance/vandalism issues that I noticed. One other unique hole was one where you threw over an old dump....this may seem like a con but its well marked with gold rope and actually makes the particular hole interesting and is not really an eyesore.(My brother digs for old collectible bottles in dumps so I've seen my fair share of these old dumps in old woods so maybe I'm not easily offended) Basically this is a solid championship caliber course that is amongst the toughest yet fairest courses I have played to date...I place this beast in a unique class of long fair wooded courses that will separate the Pros from the Joes. 15 of the 18 play over 300 feet through woods!

Cons:

It's flat and outside of the elevated tees there is no elevation here whatsoever. No water or streams either. The only OOB is the access road on hole 2 and the dump hole. Otherwise your just trying to keep it on the fairways and out of the woods. If you don't like trees don't come here. It's a long way from anything so be prepared to treat this as a day trip (Schumaker Pond is a decent course not to far away) The beginner tees were an afterthought and are just markers in the ground.(better than long tees being the afterthought IMO) $6 per car might irk some...I've payed far more to play far worse courses.

Other Thoughts:

I named this review after the moon in Return of the Jedi that was home to the Ewoks.(Endor) It just had that high speed flying through a forrest feel to it! It's really fun to throw a disc at high speeds in a forrest and watch it dance right or left as it negotiates those tree lined alleys. May the force be with you....your gonna need it to get par here!
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