Bear Trap Dunes Golf Club

Bear Trap Dunes Golf Club's Kodiak course is one of three layouts at this Ocean View facility, designed by Rick Jacobson and opened in the early 2000s as part of Delaware's coastal golf development. The course sits a few miles inland from the Atlantic beaches, positioned in the flat to gently rolling terrain characteristic of the Delmarva Peninsula. Jacobson, who worked extensively in the Mid-Atlantic region, routed the course through natural scrub vegetation and created substantial earth movement to add topographical interest to the relatively level landscape. The design emphasizes strategic bunkering and forced carries over sandy waste areas, reflecting the architect's intent to evoke a links-influenced aesthetic despite the inland setting. Water features come into play on several holes, and the layout incorporates native grasses and open sandy expanses that require thoughtful course management. The Kodiak name suggests a more challenging character among the property's three courses, though all three share similar design vocabulary and conditioning standards. Bear Trap Dunes operates as a public facility serving both resort visitors to the Delaware beaches and regional golfers. The complex includes practice facilities and a clubhouse that accommodates the daily-fee traffic typical of coastal Delaware golf destinations. The courses benefit from proximity to Bethany Beach and Ocean City, Maryland, drawing players throughout the warmer months who combine beach vacations with golf. The property represents the type of multi-course development that became common along the Eastern Shore during the region's golf expansion in the late 1990s and early 2000s.