Former Jack Nicklaus Design associate Rick Jacobson is an adept golf course designer
who appears to shun the more devilish proclivities of his erstwhile boss. Bear Trap Dunes in
Ocean View,
Delaware,
is the third Jacobson course I have played, and the course is another testimony to his
ability to fashion courses that capture the imagination without putting the fear of the golf
gods in people who play them.
Opened in July 1999, Bear Trap Dunes is a delightful 18 holes filled with enough challenge
to keep an expert player's interest but fair enough for the higher handicappers to ensure a
satisfying round of golf, all in a beautiful setting only minutes from the Atlantic.
Located just off Delaware state route 26 some 30 minutes from
Ocean City
and a few miles west of the quiet seaside resort of
Bethany Beach,
Bear Trap Dunes golf course
is set on a former wheat and corn farm. A hardwood and pine forest lies adjacent the left side
of the opening holes, but otherwise the site is wide open and treeless.
On this flat piece of property, Jacobson has appropriately created a links style layout. No
less than seven lakes wind through the compact course that features modest sized mounds and a
prominence of exposed sand (waste bunkers) that nicely frame each hole while providing a
challenge and strong visual effects. On a course with virtually no wind breaks, it will be the
wind that presents the biggest challenge.
Judged by his courses, Jacobson is a disciplined designer who keeps a steady
hold on the penal reins. He seems to understand that golfers wish to enjoy themselves
and not be mauled by the bear. Consequently, the fairways are either flat or modestly
sloped and the greens, while somewhat contoured, are not overly tricky. The landing
areas for the most part are fairly generous. Some greens are built up and have drop-offs
into grassy declivities that make getting up and down challenging but certainly not impossible.
The course with four sets of tee markers stretches from 5,208 yards to a modest 6,834
yards from the championship tees from where par is 72 and the rating is 125. There
are a string of strong holes on Bear Trap, especially the four par 3s that include two relatively short
holes, a medium length hole with a green nestled close to a lake, and a
long one-shotter that plays just over 200 yards.
The par 5's are also elegantly laid out and include the best hole on the course, the
522-yard (550 from the tips) 16th. Here, Jacobson has built five tee boxes in recognition
of his appreciation for the difficulty of the hole. The landing area is guarded on the
left by a trio of fairway bunkers (there are few such bunkers on the course) and a
waste bunker slightly right of a margin of rough. At about 350 yards out the hole veers
left slightly around a lake on the right. The second shot presents the greatest challenge
because of the lake and a bank with two more bunkers on the left. The elevated green
sits just left of the lake and is guarded by a good sized bunker in front. It's a beautiful
hole requiring precision.
Another beauty is the 397-yard (423 from the back) 7th that doglegs around
another lake which extends the entire length of the hole on the left. To the right
of the fairway the hole is banked. Among the few short par 4s, the 365-yard 15th
stands out. Yet another lake extends on the left from the forward tee box out to
about 250 yards. Four fairway bunkers stand ready to capture tee shots pushed or
sliced right. If you can safely negotiate this terrain, you have a short iron into a
large green with only one bunker on the left side.
Bear Trap is entirely of bent grass, and the greens are outstanding, providing a true roll.
The greens like the rest of the course are immaculately maintained. No doubt these same
superior conditions will be apparent with the additional nine holes scheduled to be
opened in the fall of 2001. The new nine will lie south of the existing 18 and provide
plenty of opportunity for guests and members of this semi-private club to enjoy the windswept
beauty of southern Delaware.
The course is the centerpiece of The Village of Bear Trap Dunes and a project of
Freeman Golf, a division of Carl M. Freeman Communities, a Potomac-Md.-based
company which owns Sea Colony in Bethany Beach. The golf division also owns
another Ocean City area course,
The Bay Club in
Berlin, Maryland, and
Hell's Point in
Virginia Beach.
The Village of Bear Trap Dunes has been designated as an example of "the new urbanism."
Modeled after the Disney community of Celebration in Orlando, it is an integrated living
community conceived of as a town within a town (Ocean View). When completed in the fall
of 2002, the village will have a large clubhouse with restaurant, a town center with shops and
services, a tennis facility, parks and trails, a recreation center complete with indoor pool and
health and fitness services, and an outdoor amphitheater and pool.
The village will also include 700 homes. Bear Trap Dunes will remain a semi-private
golf club offering various categories of membership, with members enjoying preferred
and unlimited tee times. 
Ocean City Golf
