Oxford, MA

Hodges Village Dam DGC

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2.545(based on 12 reviews)
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1 0
deadstar
Experience: 2 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 12, 2020 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

Beautiful course, never too popular. Decent mix of wooded and open holes, with a few well-placed mandos to make things interesting. Brand new tee pads and signs are always a plus. Paths were cleared out.

Cons:

Somewhat difficult to navigate without a map or experience. Could use some more benches spaced out between holes.
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3 0
Startedw165
Experience: 40.2 years 343 played 11 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Better than before 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 16, 2016 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

There has been recent activity at Hodges Village Dam and the course is both expanded and improved. Nice work people !
There are now 4 wooded holes between old #6 and old #8 (now #11). The long tee for 6, (still on the bridge) is the only tee without a black mat. The 'fairway' of 2 & 3 are cleaned out some. Most importantly, a better map is provided on DGCR link tab, which includes the new holes.
Nice place. Usually quiet. Elevation used well, nearly every hole has some. Dual tees on 1-6 & 13. Some challenge. Rec players unlikely to score well.

Cons:

Numbers on the baskets are all wrong.
OB rules not clear. Several of the ancient white tee signs survive to this day, but are the only tee signs here.

Other Thoughts:

Pack in pack out. Few benches of low quality. 8 of the holes are the same as I recall from previous rounds.
Despite having been here 3 times before and holding the new map, still had navigation issues. But now after looking around one finds a newer tee pad and ya know you have the right spot, at least.
I could never love this course, likely a carryover from rounds played in the past. But it has NOW has a lot going for it. Will go back to try and shoot par from easier B tees someday.
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5 0
reposado
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.3 years 278 played 276 reviews
1.50 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 29, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Some nice wooded holes here. Nicely sized fairways. Good shapes. Nice challenge. There is also 8. A really cool shot across the spillway from the dam. That one is actually an awesome shot. From just inside the trees, over an open space and then a large canal. Finally, the basket is tucked under some trees on the opposite bank. Not necessarily worth the trip but very rewarding.

Cons:

But man, is it hard to find some of these tees. You need to use the map and given that it is hand-drawn, is not an exact science. The sign that points to the first tee ends up pointing towards 2. Good luck finding 5, even with the map. It complicates things that some holes are numbered incorrectly. (Somewhere along the line, I found a sign for 12.)
Also, there are a few holes that throw along a dirt road. And one that is purely open. There is good stuff here, but there's some filler and the navigation issues make it not worth the stop unless you are also playing Buffumville.
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4 0
Hector Chain
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.4 years 222 played 191 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Land of Confusion 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Nov 2, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

You approach the course on a winding road along a lake, but the course and the real beauty is on the other side of the dam.

Holes 2 and 3 are decent wooded holes that play next to a beautiful lake backdrop. There was a marsh in the foreground, ducks paddling around the lake, and changing leaves in the background on the other side of the lake. Your parents probably had a painting like this in their living room.

The hole across the spillway (apparently hole 8, even though the basket says hole 10) is a great hole. The tee pad is tucked in some trees atop a hill, and you throw down across a spillway to a tree-protected green on the other side. It doesn't require a huge arm to get across, but the water will get in your head. Scenic, fun hole.

Many of the holes had alternate tee pads. I like this idea, but there are a lot of issues here to be addressed before multiple tee pads are considered.

Cons:

Navigation was bad. Really bad. The map on this site is hand-drawn, and not very carefully drawn. I spent 20 minutes looking for the 5th hole's tee pad and finally discovered it on the bridge. I threw the 6th hole, lost my disc briefly in the tall, thorny brush (most of which was dying; I can't imagine how awful this hole is in the summer), only to discover the basket isn't even there. I saw a pole where I assume either the 6th or 7th basket should be, but I never found either.

Making everything more confusing, the numbers on the baskets don't match the tees (all of the numbers I'm using in this review correspond to the tee sign; but they don't match the map or what you'll see in other reviews). Most of the tee signs you see in the pictures on the site were not there when I played.

I also never found the first hole. There is a sign pointing toward the first tee...but the sign was laying on the ground. I didn't see any map in the parking lot or even the mention of a disc golf course. You could easily come here and have no idea there is a course.

Other Thoughts:

I'll happily update my review if/when some improvements are made. If you are a local, please PM me if you have a better map or understand what is going on here. Given some of the prior reviews (from reviewers I respect), I assume that upkeep has fallen off over the past couple years.

This is a great piece of land, similar to the nearby Buffumville Lake. There is a really fun course waiting to be completed here. Or maybe it's already there. But we need more than a Goonies-level map to find it.
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2 4
Osmo
Experience: 9 played 4 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Hidden "Gem" 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Mar 18, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Hidden gem of sorts. When Buffum is stacked at the tee boxes hodges is always open. Very easy course with mostly wooded holes but a few open shots. Hole 2 and 8 are the best it has to offer. Would make a great 18 hole course if they ever add them back.

Cons:

Baskets are in bad shape. Tee boxes are a little rough at times. Holes are not marked out very well first timers will have a hard time finding all the holes.

Other Thoughts:

ADD 9 MORE HOLES!
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1 0
bradharris
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.5 years 90 played 46 reviews
2.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 16, 2011 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

As with the other Army COE dam courses in the area, the grounds here are well maintained. Grass is mowed and fairways kept relatively clear.

The tee shot on hole 8 is one of the most fun shots I've ever had. The tee is tucked just inside the tree line, high on a hill. The hole plays out over the channel to a protected green. If you want a shot at a two, clearing the channel is not enough, placement is key.

The nine holes are well designed and fair. I'm not a huge fan of hole nine. It's tricky and tends to be more of a frustration than a test. But the rest are fun and creative.

For a nine hole course, there is quite a bit of variety here between wooded and open holes.

Cons:

Baskets aren't in great shape. There's definitely potential for spit outs or bounce outs.

Natural tees can be hard to find at times (look for #6 on the bridge and #1 at the very end of the dam).

Other Thoughts:

This would make a really solid 18 hole course. However, as a nine-holer, it is lacking the "wow factor" that would make it a viable option over some of the other local courses. However, there are some fun holes here and it makes a nice quiet supplement to nearby Buffumville.
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2 2
kthibodeau1
Experience: 3 played 3 reviews
0.50 star(s)

September 2011 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 17, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

Potential. Nice scenery and nice variety of holes/shot selection. Not crowded.

Cons:

This course was impossible to navigate without any proper signs. The course is in disrepair and needs some upkeep.

One hole is missing the basket and it is difficult to know where it starts. Little orange flags are the only indication of a tee box at multiple holes. There is quite a bit of flood damage.

Other Thoughts:

It sounds like last year this was a great course to play. This year it is more frustration than it is worth.
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3 0
jkdisc
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.1 years 117 played 110 reviews
2.50 star(s)

2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 20, 2011 Played the course:once

Pros:

This is a typical 9 hole course with so much potential. There are dual tees for many holes and awesome scenery to take in. The navigation is fairly straight forward. I played this course before heading to Buffumville, I saw one other player here and Buffumville was packed.

Other Pros:
- nice hand made tee signs
- natural tee pads in great shape
- good variety for 9 holes
- elevation usage
- risk/reward (water in play)
- very close to a 27 hole course
- plenty of room to expand

Cons:

The course needs some TLC in the wooded fairway areas. I noticed one basket marked with a high teen number and I was confused for a moment.

Other Cons:
- soggy, muddy areas
- water on #8 can be swift which can make retrieval impossible
- some holes are tricky to find the exact tee you want (hole #6 has a tee on the bridge)

Other Thoughts:

My favorite hole was #8, a 390 foot throw from a hill over the run off from the nearby dam.

The first tee was tricky to find for a first timer, keep driving up until you cannot drive any further and park in that lot. Walk to the road you cannot drive on and turn right, follow that until you see tee #1.

Nice course, hope they expand!
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3 2
eatyourchildren
Experience: 14.6 years 17 played 2 reviews
3.50 star(s)

very varied 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 4, 2010 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Absolutely balanced 9 hole course. The course sets up a shot for everywhich way you lean. Hole 8 is daunting from the tee but richly rewarding.

Cons:

Needs a garbage can at hole 5, 6, or 7, otherwise it seems trash begins to pile up. Actually wrote this review to help encourage that garbage can come into play.

Other Thoughts:

This course pairs very well with the front 9 at buffumville dam. The 2 courses are just minutes away from each other.
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6 0
dyland34
Experience: 15.6 years 12 played 6 reviews
4.00 star(s)

great 9 hole 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 31, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Amazing 9 hole course and with a lot of work i may enjoy it more than some 18 holes, great mix of wooded sections and open holes, fairly easy to navigate hole 1 is down the road to your right once you find hole 1 your fine and its easy to play great atmoshpere also close to a lot of other course making this a must stop when playing other courses

Cons:

some holes are way to woody and some what tough to find hole one dont bother looking at the bulletin board there nothing on it. some holes have disc killers and hole 8 has rocks made of razors(killed my eagle) fairways pretty cramped

Other Thoughts:

really cool 9 hole and would be nice to see some improvements and see others playing the course with a little work and some TLC this could be an awesome course
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11 2
Dave242
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 30.4 years 394 played 276 reviews
3.50 star(s)

B+ = Be Bery Bery nice 9 holer! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 27, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

What I personally like and how this course stacks up in my list of 9 hole courses:

1) Holes with good risk/reward. Fair, but harsh punishment for bad decisions or execution. == B
(The course has several long wooded holes that are classic DG holes (4 & 7) and some shorter technical holes (2 & 3). These add some good teeth to the course.)

2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I'm a Blue level player (950ish skill) who throws 300' accurately, 360' max. == C+
(Overall this course is a little long for me - 1, 4, 5 & 9 are "downside holes" - I have no hope to reach them with my drives, but are short enough where the upshot is a gimme.....so my only scoring variation is by me screwing up. 2 is very short (albeit very pretty and fun), so over half the course is ho-hum in this area.)

3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == A-
(As stated in #1, 2, 3, 4 & 7 are classic wooded hole and are balance out well by some longer open holes. Down hill bomber hole (8) is my favorite as the creek that crosses the hole does mess with you (especially if you are not comfortable consistently reaching 300'). There is some nice use of elevation to keep things interesting in this area.)

4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == B+
(The superb beauty of the woods and pond/swamp and stream is somewhat offset by the stark and imposing dry dam. Seclusion is wonderful as the course sits in the back of the park you are playing behind the dam and you can not see any houses (other than on hole 1 and at basket 9 you do see the park houses.) It is a great place to just get away and unwind!)

5) Bonus points for multi-throw holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them. == D+
(Small bonus points for having hole 9 as a par-5 3-throw hole - probably 800' and uphill, although it is marked as 600'. Not a great hole, but narrow enough between the woods on the left and the rocks of the dam on the right (if you play those as OB) to force 3 accurate drives.)

Cons:

This course has kinda bad flow between hole 5 and 7-8 which are across the creek. It was made worse since I played after a huge rain and snow-melt and the water was very high (7-8' above normal levels), so the bridge to tee 6 was under water.....and baskets 4 & 5 were in the lake.

It is a pity that this course is not a full 18 since the land is perfect for a course and most the existing holes are great holes. The map that is in the files section shows plans for expansion......great news!

Other Thoughts:

It's all about feeding the addiction, so I ranked this course subjectively based on my own "personal addiction factor". The grades above tell how well this course will draw me back to itself again and again and again. See my profile for specifics on my rating philosophy.

I fancy myself as a connoisseur of good course design and I am a competitive Blue level (950-ish rated) with mid-level power (accurate to 300' with max D of 360'). Since I have played a decent number of courses (150+ 18-hole, 90+ 9-hole as of late 2009), my hope is that players/explorers who have similar addiction tastes will find my ratings list helpful as they choose courses to play and explore.

I fully expect others with different tastes/philosophies to disagree with me.....and that's the fun of things here.
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14 0
solomon.trenton
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 16.2 years 89 played 68 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Best nine hole course I have played 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Feb 23, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

The navigation is pretty straightforward and the paths in between holes are lined with chopped down timbers. The signage for the tee boxes and next tee signs are placed very well and almost impossible to miss. The tee pads are also some of the best natural tees that I have ever seen. They are almost totally level and are lined with 4x4's. Although the use of mando's and OB might be construed as gimmicky, this course has jut enough to make it fun and challenging. Hole eight has to be the signature shot over the dam water. That shot ups this course on beauty alone. The mix of holes between wooded and open is pretty fair. Also the dual tees will make for an interesting eighteen.

Cons:

There are cut down trees in several of the holes fairways which could impede a low drive. Some of the baskets are in various stages of disrepair (I even had a putt fall through the bottom of basket one due to broken welds). Some of the tee pads for the alternate tees are hard to find. The basket numbers are also wrong. There is no map posted on the bulletin board.

Other Thoughts:

Hole four shoots next to a lake and there is a bird observatory next to the tee pad. There are also walking trails throughout the dam. To get to hole six you must cross the bridge. The course was really windy especially near the water so be careful. Once you park near the ranger station go towards the house and you will see a sign that points you to the first tee (which is on the upper road at the end).
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