Trapp Family Lodge Review: A Mini-Maple Hill

With special thanks to Christian Keidel for his contributions to this article

Trapp Family Lodge is like a mini version of Maple Hill right here in Stowe, Vermont.  If you’ve been to Maple Hill, in Leichester, Massachusetts you’ll know that it’s a place that mixes elevation, water, woods, and openness in the perfect blend of disc golf amazingness.  Although very young and very new, Trapp Family Lodge offers a small sample of Maple Hill-style disc golf in the northern state of Vermont.  The full potential of this course and this property is still far from being realized.

I had the chance to play Trapp Lodge’s disc golf course with some of Vermont’s Most Accomplished Disc Golfers- Dave Carter, Christian Keidel, Justin Devico, and the soon-to-be Mr. Josh Wedel.  For most of the group it was a second or third visit, but for Mr. Carter and I, it was our first time on the property. 

I’d say it’s quite beautiful. There’s a great use of up and down changes in elevation, a perfect amount of water, especially on hole 1, some wooded holes, some long, wide open holes, and no out of bounds on the entire course.  The scenery and backdrops are amazing and today we had the entire course to ourselves.  Like Christian said, “This place is a real gem.”  If you haven’t been there, I’d suggest you make a visit before the Fall Platter. 

Pros:

*Trapp Lodge is a new course, so there’s a certain level of excitement that goes along with playing a new course for the first or second time.

*There’s a great mix of field holes, woods holes, water, and elevation, and that’s only over the current 9 hole set-up they’ve got going on.

*They’ve mowed down the areas of the course where I heard it was very overgrown before.

*The property and scenery are really quite beautiful.

*This course would be a perfect complement to Center Chains on a day of multiple disc golf courses.

*The Trapp Lodge could be the fourth course in the Four Courses in One Day Challenge of Johnson, Smuggs, Trapp, and Waterbury, which, to the best of my knowledge, has never been accomplished.

*There is a brewery on-site. That’s hard to beat. 

Cons:

*Trapp Lodge is a new course, so despite the excitement that goes with a new course, it also has the drawbacks that come with a new course like rough boxes and too many trees. 

*There are a lot of holes, such as holes 5 and 8, that could use some trimming to become legit holes.

*The tee boxes could use some work.  Many of them fall into the rustic tee boxes in Vermont theme, but some really need some work.  One of the boxes we played today was way too slippery to be fun and another was about three feet too short.

*There are only 9 holes.

Overall, Trapp has really killed it on their first go-through of disc golf.  The holes have great variety and even greater potential.  The property is very striking and quite beautiful.  But, the common drawbacks that come with new courses, like too many trees and rough tee boxes are still present at Trapp.  When 18 holes come together and some Twin Falls-style work is done to this course, it will become a premier Vermont disc golf course.  I believe it won’t be long and the efforts that have already been put into Trapp really deserve a round of applause.  Keep your eyes peeled for a premier GMDGC Event at Trapp in the next year or two.