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Rating Index Rating
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4.7
633 Reviews (633)
5 Stars
362
4 Stars
212
3 Stars
47
2 Stars
6
1 Stars
6
Conditions
4.6
Value
4.5
Layout
4.7
Friendliness
4.8
Pace
4.4
Amenities
4.4
96.8%
Recommend this course
596 out of 633 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.8
24 Reviews (24)
5 Stars
20
4 Stars
4
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.6
Value
5.0
Layout
4.9
Pace
4.6
Amenities
4.6
StaffFriendliness
4.9
100.0%
Recommend this course
24 out of 24 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.7
59 Reviews (59)
5 Stars
45
4 Stars
13
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.6
Value
4.6
Layout
4.7
Pace
4.3
Amenities
4.5
StaffFriendliness
4.9
98.3%
Recommend this course
58 out of 59 reviews
Read Reviews
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AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
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Course Highlights
Bear Trap's 27-hole layout delivers a genuinely challenging and well-conditioned course that consistently earns high marks from recent players. Exceptionally friendly staff and strong overall value make this a compelling destination for serious golfers.

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 72
Length 6834 yards
Slope 126
Rating 72.1

Bear Trap Dunes Golf Club in Ocean View is conveniently located just three miles west of Bethany Beach along the Eastern Shore. The club offers 27 championship holes that are divided into three different nines, Grizzly, Kodiak, and Black Bear. The holes are played in three different combinations. Each nine has a unique character but every course shares winding bentgrass fairways lined with native wetland grasses and a landscape of sandy dunes and grassy hollows. The Grizzly/Kodiak Course is the shortest of the three combinations but it still has the same level of challenge. Strategically placed bunkers come into play along the oversized greens and water hazards also come into play on a few holes There is an interesting variety of holes that each require a different strategy.

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Bear Trap Dunes Golf Club
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Course Details

Year Built 1999
Fairways Bent Grass
Greens Bent Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Rick Jacobson (1999)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - included in green fees
GPS Yes
Caddies No
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf School/Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Fivesomes Allowed No
Single Allowed No
Dress code Proper Golf Attire at All Times. Please, No Jeans or T-Shirts

Food & Beverage

Bar, Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse

Accolades

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Reviews

4.7
633 Reviews (633)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 15
Patio Dining 14
Dinner 13
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 28
Water Hazards 23
Undulating Greens 15
This course/club is great for:
Playing Multiple Courses 21
Locals 20
A Weekend Splurge 19
This Course's Location is:
Near Local Attractions 19
At a Resort 15
Worth the Drive 14

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 46
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Good weather
Used cart

3 Great Nines

27 hole facillity with all 9's equal in challenge and character. We played on a Friday just after noon and early that morning it had down poured. I expected wet conditions. All I got was soft greens that remained quick. Excellant drainage and course conditions. Very scenic. A definite recommendation is in order.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Great Course

Challenging without being too frustrating for a high handicapper like me. Beautiful course, well kept fairways and greens. Staff was very friendly. Great experience.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 31
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

This course was in great shape and has great character

Extremely good practice facility and course was well worth the money I paid

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Close to Bethany Beach

This was the 2nd time I have played this course in the past month using GolfNow.com. I got a very good rate and a convenient tee time. The staff was friendly and efficient. The course was in very good condition and the greens were excellent! The Blackbear 9 was particularly interesting. This is the closest course to Bethany Beach and well worth the money with the GolfNow discount. I hope the participating GolfNow.com courses understand that golfers like me will only play their higher priced courses with the GolfNow discount. I guess they realize that a reduced green fee (along with monies paid for refreshments before, during and after a round) is better than a vacant tee time and no revenues!

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Good weather
Used cart

Great fairways and greens

Super friendly staff, terrific greens and fairways and challenging layout. 27 holes and we played kodak and black bear nines with my family. Traps are going Au natural but that did not bother us. The only issue was that range closes on Wednesday from 11-2 each week to mow the grass so we did not get a chance to warm up. Still puzzled over why they choose that time and also why they don't let you know on its website. Still, staff was understanding and gave us a month to use our allotted range balls.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great deal for resort golf.

I have had the opportunity to play all the DelMarVa courses multiple times. Bear Trap ranks among the best courses. I was pleasantly surprised when I booked a $65 rate for a mid-morning tee time in late July. This was a great value.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

A must play!

Course is in excellent shape. A must play for anyone staying near Bethany Beach.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

Best Greens in the area

Fantastic conditions, friendly staff, driving range, chipping area make for an overall great experience. Greens roll fast and true - best in the area! The Golfnow discount rate make this a steal.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Awesome golf

I played this course in 3 hours and a half and great staff!

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Average weather
Used cart

Good Resort Course

I played last week. The course is in great shape. Greens were a nice speed. A good variety of holes. If you hit the ball straight definitely can score well at this course. Easy course to walk if you choose. Definitely would recommend using Golfnow as the rate was reduced. Our foursome enjoyed the midday round. I liked the fact they gave you range balls with the price, as it should be. We did not use the restaurant or any food service.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Nice day of golf

Haven't played here in years, course was in excellent condition, greens were rolling true. Paired up with very social partners, enjoyable company. Beverage cart only came by once, at third hole, would like to have seen more of it. I got a deep discount on green fees, making it a much better value, at full price, still a nice course, but not as good a value.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 11
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Now I Know Why It Was Discounted

It was the first visit for each person in our foursome, and we now understand why we got such a discounted rate (< $60). First and foremost, 50% of the course is in deplorable condition. The bunkers and waste areas are in horrendous shape, with acres and acres of semi-permanent standing water and/or mud and/or hard-pan. When this course was designed, I imagine all the enormous sand traps and hazards and waste areas were probably the best around. Now it's easily the worst I've ever seen. I played a course near my home a few years ago that had all but closed down, and even it had better sand traps and waste areas than this course. The roughs were generally horrible throughout the course, and have obviously been neglected for years. The tee boxes were okay, and the fairways were mostly okay. In all fairness, the greens were generally excellent. The trend these days seems to be, with both cheap municipal courses and expensive resort courses, to focus almost all maintenance efforts and resources on the fairways and greens, which I happen to think is a huge mistake for the game. In fact, one player in our group suggested that this course may be intentionally going more Crenshaw/natural, but we eventually all agreed that it wasn't an intentional transformation, but just one of neglect. Another complaint about our experience would be the lack of a beverage cart. On the most beautiful day of the year, we never did see a beverage cart from 1:30 to finish. We got food at the turn, and it was very good. The sandwiches and wraps were big and very good. But no beverage cart on a beautiful summer afternoon at a beach resort course? Really? And other than the elderly gentleman who served as starter, I can't say that the staff was particularly friendy. In fact, when we reached about the 15th hole, the Marshall made a beeline toward us from the distance, right up to the other cart in our group, with a scowl on his face, and said, "Do you have something in your cart that doesn't belong to you?" We were shocked and confused by his accusatory tone, and said we didn't think so. He said someone left a pair of sunglasses in a cart from the previous day, and then he drove off. Seriously?? As for the rest of the facilities, it was a mixed bag. There doesn't seem to be nearly enough parking, but we finally found a spot on the street in the adjacent community. When we dropped off our bags, there was no one to take the bags or put them on carts, so we walked back from parking and took care of our own bags. The clubhouse is beautiful, and the pro shop is better than average, for whatever that's worth. The driving range is adequate, but there is a nice putting green and a separate chipping green. Of course, when we finished our round, there were a couple of guys right there to go through the motions of cleaning our clubs for tips, but they were nowhere to be found when we started our day at Bear Trap. All in all, it was a mixed experience here, but because of the horrendous conditions of much of the course (minus the greens), this was a very disappointing experience for us, and we probably won't be back soon.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Friendliness Fair
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 25
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Beautiful course

The course is kept in great shape, staff is wonderful , definitely recommend to anyone

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great course

Great course with lots of challenges. Staff was very friendly and had a great time at the course.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Great course, beautiful greens.

I really enjoyed playing this course and the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Plenty challenging and strategically placed bunkers lining the fairway require accuracy off the tee to score well. You'll use most clubs in your bag. The greens were in great shape and a pleasure to putt on, not ridiculously fast, but fast enough to require solid reads and speed control. We went off early in the morning and pace was very comfortable; only ran into a few holes we had to wait on after the turn.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

Excellent greens

Even though the course was extremely busy for the holiday weekend, we played in under 4.5 hours. Course is in great shape. The greens are some of the finest at the shore.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

this course is a must play

It is challenging and fun. Well groomed. Fast greens. Open fairways. A course to add to anyone's bucket list. A must play

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

a little disappointed

course was good but i was expecting a little more for the money. if you are in the area do not play Baywood Greens first because Bear Trap will be a letdown.
good course but certainly not great.

Conditions Good
Value Fair
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Average weather
Used cart

Hot day - fun time

We played as two couples (scramble). We are very average golfers but were able to stay out of trouble and enjoyed our round. You won't be disappointed playing this course.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

want to recommend to my friends

course was very enjoyable and condition of the course was fantastic

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
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