Best of the Delaware State Parks? Discuss.
16 Helpful / 0 Not
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!
16 of 16 people found this review helpful.
Heavily Wooded and Difficult
13 Helpful / 0 Not
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.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.
A Pleasant Throw through the Woods
10 Helpful / 0 Not
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.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.
It's a trap!
8 Helpful / 0 Not
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.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.
Great Wooded Course
3 Helpful / 1 Not
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.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.
Trees everywhere
3 Helpful / 2 Not
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.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.
Trap Pond, tough and tricky
7 Helpful / 0 Not
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.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.
Updates and changes to course
7 Helpful / 0 Not
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.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.
Trap Pond!
8 Helpful / 0 Not
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 ;)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.
Decent Course, Great Park
5 Helpful / 0 Not
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.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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3 / 223ft. 
1 
4/8/2022 
4/12/2022
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