Bear Trap Dunes: These three bears are just right

By Kiel Christianson, Equipment Editor and Senior Writer

OCEAN VIEW, Del. - In 1990, southern Delaware was not a golf destination at all. Tourists from nearby Washington D.C., Baltimore,and Philadelphia would flock here for the superb beaches, but they lefttheir golf clubs at home. By the end of that same decade, however, golfcourses were springing up throughout northern Maryland and southernDelaware, offering golfers from New York to D.C. a golf destinationalternative that will save hundreds of driving miles along with hundreds ofdollars off the usual golf trip further south.

The best of the new southern Delaware courses is Bear Trap Dunes inOcean View. This 27-hole facility has it all: Playable yet challengingholes, first-rate clubhouse, the best golf instructor in the state, andocean breezes that can turn the sub-7,000-yard layout into a bear of a testfor even the best players.

Publications including Golf for Women and The Washington Timeshave raved about this Rick Jacobson design, which opened as an 18-holecourse in 1999 and expanded to 27 holes in 2001. TV commentator andChampions Tour standout Gary McCord was similarly impressed after playinghere. "The set-up off the tee was just great. Rick Jacobson really shows youwhere to hit the ball," said McCord.

Bret Marshall, head pro and the top instructor in Delaware according toGolf Digest, is also quick to point out the appeal of the design."[This is a] very fair course," assures Marshall. "Rick [Jacobson] built itwith no ego. He didn't want to make any hole unplayable. He was verycreative, but there are no long forced carries. There's lots of trouble, butit's off to the sides, not in front of you."

Jacobson, one of Jack Nicklaus's course architect protégés, did indeedincorporate lots of danger, but only if you don't keep your ball in thefairways. On the original 18 holes (Grizzly and Kodiak nines), 13 holes arestudded tee to green with bunkers, and 11 holes bordered water. The new nine(Black Bear) is similarly bedecked with sand and sea.

Despite the potential peril, fairways are wide and clearly framed. From eachtee, players can begin immediately to plan their routes to the hole. Thegreens are majestic, swooping swaths of perfectly manicured bent grass,which allow for myriad pin placements and countless methods of approach.With run-up ramps to all greens, they are exceedingly playable for higherhandicapped golfers. And with closely-mown chipping areas funneling off thegreens on several sides, they also present a high degree of difficulty forscratch players trying to stick it close.

Although Bear Trap Dunes is an award-winning golf development, its 700homesites do remain in view enough to lend it a bit too much of a"residential" course for those whose tastes run to stand-alone courses. Onthe positive side, before being transformed into an excellent course, theland was so flat and featureless that the houses are not in any way blockingout the scenery. And to be fair, the homes and yards generally do not comeinto play.

Black Bear

Though some fairways are obviously sloped, even those that appear level may be canted enough to produce unfortunate bounces. Fortunately, mounding along the track often acts as an equalizer, channeling balls back into play.

Bear Trap Dunes' newest nine is also the longest and arguably the best ofthe 27. No. 2 is a stern 441-yard par 4, the green complex of which bringsto mind some of the inland holes at Kingsbarns. The 424-yard 9th is a memorable closer, whetherit is the closer of your first nine or your second nine. A gaping trench ofa waste area demands one of the few forced carries off all but the forwardtees. The sand extends over half-way down the right side of the fairway,where water begins. There is also a pot bunker in the center of the fairwaybeyond the waste area. In a word, this hole requires precision - off the teeand into the green.

Grizzly

The Grizzly was the front nine of the original 18-hole layout. The openingholes are tough doglegs that require accuracy and some amount of localknowledge. No. 1 (434 yards, par 4) features a tree guarding the left sideof the narrow fairway. Tee shots ending up on that left side could wind upstymied.

The Grizzly's 9th (534 yards) is a par-5 mirror image of the 9th on theBlack Bear: This time, the tee shot is over a waste area that stretchesalong the left side of the fairway. Again, the waste bunker is followed bywater running the rest of the way to the green. Another fantastic closer.

One cannot say enough about the eye-catching bunkering and artisticallyexecuted greens. Sand traps are in turn functional and decorative. Somebeyond the range of play simply provide aiming points or picturesquebackdrops. Others promise to add penalty strokes to the cards of thecareless.

Nowhere is the bunkering more pleasing than around the green of the easypar-3 4th on the grizzly. At only 163 yards from the tips, this hole won'tgive you nightmares. But if the bucolic, wild bunkers - reminiscent of The Irish Course at Whistling Straits - distractyou from your mission, it might yield an undeserved bogey.

Kodiak

Nos. 7 ( 550 yards, par 5) and 9 (427 yards, par 4) are the two best holeson this original back nine. The 7th usually plays into the wind, and onceagain sand and water guard the right side of the fairway from tee to green.If the wind is howling, any - repeat, ANY - sidespin can be accentuatedten-fold, so slicers beware.

The long 9th requires muscle off the tee, and then more muscle over averitable desert of a fairway bunker jutting out into the line of play.Lay-ups to the right of the sand must find a narrow ribbon of short grassbetween rough to the left and water to the right.

The Skinny

The "three bears" at Bear Trap Dunes stand as worthy quarries for anygolfer, from weekend warriors to big guns. Jacobson's homage to his mentorThe Golden Bear succeeds in providing playability along with formidablechallenges, not an easy combination to achieve.

Located toward the tip of the Delmarva Peninsula, and thus warmed by oceanwaters, this is often the closest locale to Philadelphia, Baltimore, andD.C. without snow, so it is open all year most seasons. While winter ratesare a steal at $40 weekdays and $45 weekends, even the peak summer rate of$90 (including cart) is very fair.

Aside from the surrounding land development, the only down side of Bear TrapDunes is its popularity. According to Marshall, the 270 members and guestswho are renting villas on site usually snap up all the weekend tee timesduring the peak summer season. "The best chance for non-members during thesummer is on weekdays," advises Marshall.

Nevertheless, the top-notch clubhouse and restaurant, along with theprofessional-grade practice facilities and instructional program directed byMarshall, make Bear Trap Dunes one of the three true "destination" coursesin southern Delaware, along with Baywood Greens, which is just 18 holes, and The Rookery, which is considerably easier.

If you do decide to bolt from the golf-trip pack and plan a jaunt to Southern Delaware, a reasonable and golfer-friendly lodgingoption would be the Holiday Inn Express in Bethany Beach ((302)541-9200), which has golf packages arranged with 27 Delaware and Marylandcourses. For a special evening of fine dining, Nantucket in FenwickIsland ((302) 539-2607) serves up the best filet mignon in the area. And ifyou've ever dreamt of finding buried treasure, do not miss theDiscoverSea Museum on Fenwick Island ((302) 539-9366,www.discoversea.com). Proprietor, owner, and curator Dale W. Clifton, Jr. isperhaps the most successful treasure-hunter in America. His collection isguaranteed to astound.

Just don't trade your clubs in for a metal detector, because you'lldefinitely want to play Bear Trap Dunes again.

Course Information

Bear Trap Dunes
Ocean View, DE (Three miles west of Bethany Beach)
Tel: (877) BEAR-TRAP
Web: www.beartrapdunes.com
Head Pro: Bret Marshall
Yardage/Rating/Slope (Black Bear/Grizzly, par 72):
Champ 6901/72.7/130, Back 6429/70.4/126, Club 5817/67.2/121, Forward5094/NA
Rates: $90 peak season (incl. cart), junior, twilight, and off-seasondiscounts
Misc.: Walking allowed for same rate; banquet facilities; call for packagedeals.

Scorecard

Conditions: 4.5
Service: 4.5
Value: 3.5
Design: 4.0

April 10, 2003