Hapana Disc Golf course is located on private property off Route 3 between Ellsworth, ME and Mount Desert Island. The course is open to the public. 18 holes wind around the property through tight woods and unique topography. Natural tees are marked with log frames and filled with mulch. There's a good amount of signage giving hole number, distance, and par as well as signs to help navigate the course in the proper order. Some benches are provided at tees as well as trash cans. The fairways are generally well defined and most foliage is kept under control. Most holes are short, technical shots through the woods, though holes 15 and 18 will test your long game. Thick woods, tight windows, sharp turns, and judiciously utilized elevation make this fairly short course quite challenging for its length. A hanging basket on hole 6 and a hallway shot through the woods on 9 are a couple memorable holes in addition to the long shots on 15 and 18. The course plays in a loop which is great. There's also plenty of parking.

The course was difficult to find (more on that in the Other Thoughts box below). The baskets are home practice baskets. They're not secured in the ground and they could use some color on the top as many of them are difficult to spot off the tee. A course map is not available to the player which is a shame, because many of the holes are blind shots. A hole map on tee signs would help players know what direction they're throwing at. Several tee signs are heavily weathered and illegible. The predominance of short holes may be boring to some players. Several holes were straight, short shots with little in the way of obstacles. Some tees were cluttered with exposed tree roots. Losing a disc is probable. A few holes (12 and 15 especially) could reduce disc loss with a spotter on the fairway. Thick grass on hole 6 may also create extra space in your bag. Hole 9, while memorable, may be unfairly wooded in the opinion of many players. Also, this course will cost you $3-$5. I've played free courses that are much better designed and maintained than Hapana, but do bear in mind that Pay-to-Play courses are the norm in Maine (likely due to its vacation/destination nature).

The course owners have taken down the sign for the course on Route 3. They explained to me that this was because they didn't want inexperienced players on the course. To find the course, you'll want to turn right off Route 3 on Hapana Way and follow the dirt road past the first house. You'll then see the sign for Hapana Disc Golf.

If this were my home course, I would be disappointed to have to pay to play every time. But it's a great destination course if you're on vacation visiting Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. Definitely worth a quick round if you're in the area.