A beautiful course and well maintained
Great signage
Clearly marked with distance and map
Short and medium distance holes

No real blow out holes here... you won't find any that require all you've got multiple times to reach the pin

There is some hiking that is involved, so if you're not one for elevation changes and climbing 70-100 feet, this may be a course to stay away from

a great way to start a day at Devens

-Stunning natural setting. The rocky outcroppings and topography are like nothing else I've seen in the 10-15 courses I've played in New England.
-Extremely challenging, while most holes are still very fair. This game tests your skill big time
-No thorns or poison ivy (that I saw)
-Easy to find poorly thrown discs
-Free
-Very easy to navigate. Kudos to whoever did the signs!
-Fantastic balance of left, right, and straight holes
-Great course design in so many aspects. It's easy to navigate, it's safe, fairways don't cross, 18 finishes near where 1 starts...
-Has a pro shop next to one of the holes
-People clearly care about and care for this course. It's something special.
-Great rubber tees with enough length

-18 sort of needs a spotter if you throw a nice drive
-Shouldn't at least one of these holes be a par 4? 3? 18?

This course blew me away. It is beautiful, extremely well kept, and a great playing experience. I didn't go to the Hawks Nest pro shop, but maybe that would've bumped this up to a 4.5. Other things that could raise the rating are multiple pin/tees, 18 being less of a threat for lost discs, having some water in play (this obviously cannot be done, but for a course to get a top rating from me, it helps to have water). For a free, public course, it's hard to get much better than this. I'll be sure to play The General the next time I'm in town. Thank you to all the volunteers who made this exceptional course!

Gorgeous sylvan setting. Great test of long downhill drives and approaches and long uphill drives and upshots. Great test of one's control mad touch. Clean, organized. Great tee pads. Empty. Great workout hoofing it up and down the holes.

None really. A little remote. Hole 1 tee pad is a little ways from the parking lot - no big deal. I didn't see too much commerce around - not too many spots to get a drink or a sandwich. Really buggy.

Another great Boston course. I live in LA but my folks live in Boston. After I picked up the game three years ago, I started to bring my gear with me when I would visit. So far, in Boston, I've played Maple Hill, Borderland and now The Hill at Devens. Each have been superb. Tomorrow, I plan to hit The General.

It's really apparent how much work & dedication went into building The Hill. Based on what I've seen, the DG scene in Boston looks quite hale & hearty. Big time respect to the designers & builders of The Hill. Can't wait to play The. General tomorrow. Keep up the great work.

Good way to get into shape. This course requires a variety of different throws which makes it a challenge. Beginners can enjoy it as well (don't keep score) but this shouldn't be your first course to play (maybe your third or fourth). A course you can enjoy plus also enjoy the scenery as well. Good parking nearby. Parking is in the sun, so your car may get warm. Course is mostly shady but you will get warm going up and down and around this course.

Finding the first tee is the toughest part but real easy to follow the course after that. From the parking lot, go across the street and follow the trail for a couple of hundred feet. The first tee will be there as you get in the woods. No water, no facilities on the course or even nearby. The course is hilly. This is a pack it in, pack it out type of course.

This is a challenging course for decent average players. Fun but tough. Not so bad the second or third time around (if you miss the trees). Elevation changes, trees, rocks, this course has them all. If you are not in decent shape you'll probably feel it by the end. However, I'm not in great shape and I enjoy playing here. Bring water with you and also leave some in the car (with ICE)!

Secluision, peacefulness, and a fun test of your golfing skills await those who choose to play up and down the hill of Devens DGC.

The course features a good variety of shot's though I would rate it a 7 out of 10 in that department. Someone with just overhand and forehand shots can score close to scratch here while it seems throwing RHBH for every shot would make that more difficult.

The nice signage is an extra bonus considering the course is unmarked from the road. I like the use of the Helo Pad at the top of the hill (hole 7).

Many things to like for fans of all that mountain golf has to offer!

No sign from the main road (can understand this though). A slight con in shot variety as said above. Perhaps favors overhand and forhand players.

This is a wonderful course. Any coast to coast Discers should check out Shale City in Oregon for a west coast sister course to this. Very similar tests. Shale has remote mountain paradise, while Devins has nice baskets, flags, and nice tee pads. Both favorites of mine!

Course in good shape. Challenging tight holes. Good workout while I ran up and down hills. Maps are outstanding and course east to follow. Must play if you enjoy Disc Golf

Very hilly. Since the holes are all played in the woods it is a very tight course. I would not recommend for beginners

Would recommend to all who enjoy sport.

The course is in excellent condition. Great tee pads and benches, clean and well maintained, and signs with descriptions at every hole. This one is a workout because you're hiking all over the place! There are some really interesting holes here that make drastic elevation changes. A nice little course over all.

There were some trees that had been knocked down by the elements that hadn't been cleared out of the way yet, but that's really no big deal.

*** I JUST PLAYED THIS course for the first time since last fall and remembered how much I love to hate it! Here's a tip - get your mid range discs out. With all the rapid elevation changes it's easy to overthrow a few of these.

Most of the holes are very short and technical, so you can rack up some extra strokes if you get off course. There are some easy 2's mixed in as well. I definitely want to play it again before the end of the season.

Wow, what a course! I had read about the terrain on DGCR and thought I would be prepared, but it can be really brutal in places. Parts of the back nine, when you are already tired, almost make you think the designers were as interested in wiping you out as they were in creating a great course (seriously? another #%@&ing stairway???). All in all, one of the best I have played in New England.

It is extreme disc golf, very focused on uphill and downhill shots, with only a few holes with less than 10' of elevation either way. Even #3, with technically 15' of elevation down, is a workout because the hole actually plays 50' down and 35' back up.

Many, many memorable holes, fun holes, extremely fair fairways, good opportunities for deuces and bogies, and I suppose a few 5s and 6s if you really get stuck.

The signage is perfect, showing you the line, elevation and distance at each tee and guiding you from one hole to the next tee, without overkill or ugly spraypainted arrows everywhere. I think most if not all of the baskets had high orange flags to mark their position, which came in very handy on a few.

Very little trash, just a few pieces of bottle glass here and there where some jerk must have thought throwing a bottle was a really cool thing to do, and might get him women.

All of the teepads were fine, some were awesome, some were just OK, but none were a trip hazard, and the couple that were OK I threw forehand and didn't need a run up anyway.

Speaking of forehand, I threw about 75/25 BH/FH, which I was not prepared for. I usually rely on anhyzer RHBHs to do the trick on left-right holes, but the fairways and tree placement on most of the left-right holes at Devens ruled out a sweeping anhyzer. Much better shot was a low, straight RHFH which faded right at the end. Seeing as I don't throw a lot of those, it was a little refreshing.

Elevation, elevation, elevation!!!! 30', 50' 70'!, 90'!!?!?!?! of elevation on holes under 400'?? And on some holes under 300'?????? Just awesome and a lot of fun.

Portable toilets down at the parking area.

This course is about 70 minutes from me, but I will definitely be back. Well done!!!

Only three cons I can think of, all relatively minor:

1) Hole 9 finishes in the middle of the woods, so if you have to break for lunch (like I did), you have to walk quite a ways to get back to the car, then back to 10 to finish up. Not much of a con if you plan on playing 18 holes.

2) Due to the awesome and rugged terrain, your discs may take a beating, which may change your disc selection. There were a few times where I brought out a trusty favorite disc, thought about it, then put it back in and picked another with a slightly different shot in mind, because I didn't want to risk gouging a favorite disc. I often throw an SE Leopard, but never threw it once, although I had opportunities. So, if you are concerned about bashing your favorite Roc on one of the 17 million rocks on the course, leave it home. DX plastic will SUFFER!!

3) Some of the stairs and paths were in rough shape and, in a couple cases, were more dangerous than just clamboring down the hillsides. One stairway in particular (the really steep one on the back 9, #16 I think) had various missing chunks and exposed rebar supports and took some careful navigating to make it down. Honestly, that hole was worth it though.

Bring water, really, really good solid shoes or hiking boots, and take your time. Don't throw your favorite 15 year old DX whatever unless you're looking to replace it.

There were a few missing amenities that you might find at higher-end or private courses (snack bar, tee brooms, bag hangers, etc), but I don't factor them in as Cons, just missing Pros.

I love the fact that I can get my heart rate up clamoring up to the second hole. The layout was well planned to put the hill to it's best use. I like the fact that it's a technical course and there aren't any real bomb shots to be had.

Not a great course for the beginner, some tight tree littered shots. To far from me to play on a regular basis

New Killer B pro shop located behind hole 12 has a fine selection of discs, bags and other necessities for the golf nut. Friendly and helpful staff, check 'em out!

what a great course.. well laid out and mapped.

very challenging and fun holes to play...i had a blast..wished i lived a little closer.

this is what i wish more courses were like.

nothing bad to say about it.

but bring a drink..it's a workout

park at the soccer field parking lot and cross the street where the american flag on the fences is..first hole on the left.

One of the best laid out courses out there! Big elevation changes, challenging shots, and beautiful scenery!

No negatives on this course, unless you count the toll it takes on your legs!

This course is an hour plus travel time for me, but well worth the drive, by far one of my favorites! Wear good hiking shoes and bring a water!

Devens DGC sits on an old military training facility and is shrouded in woods. The only time you are outside the woods is the first tee shot, and then it's all woods and hills from there. Par for each hole is 3, but depending on your skill level, a handicap can help your confidence. Steep elevations both up and down from hole to hole keep this course a constant challenge. This is the course I play most often (because it's the closest to me) and I rarely play a round free of at least one 5+ hole.

Brand new recycled rubber teepads have been put in on most holes, making for consistent tee-offs instead of worrying about slipping on dirt or tripping in a divot on the teepad.

Both a pro and a con, this course has a lot of steep elevation changes (See holes 14 and 16 especially!), as well as a few holes where it helps to have a second person to watch your tee-shot, as you'll have to throw around some sharp doglegs that go around large boulders or thick sections of trees, so playing this course alone comes with the risk of losing your disc. Missing a putt on downhill holes can be catastrophic for your score, as most misses result in a long roll down the hill.

Definitely a course where you'll want to bring shoes or boots good for hiking, bug spray, and water, especially when playing in the summertime.

What I personally like and how this course stacks up in my list of 18 hole courses:

1) Holes with good risk/reward. Fair, but harsh punishment for bad decisions or execution. == A-
(Being a tightly wooded course with pretty dense rough, there are quite a few holes that will slam you for bad performance off the tee and a few that will add extra strokes for mediocre drives - that is a good thing! Some holes are just too short though to make it difficult to recover from bad throws. This aspect is the main thing that kept me from giving a higher score here.)

2) Holes that have rewarding birdie opportunities for me. I'm a Blue level player who throws 300' accurately, 360' max. == B-
(Only about 1/3 of the holes feel really rewarding for me to birdie. There is a real variety of lengths.....effective lengths really (taking the effects of terrain into account). This variety makes some holes too short to be rewarding and others too long from me and people of my arm strength to ever hope for birdies....rather just an easy drive, easy upshot and tap-in par = boring. It seems the designers tried to cater to everyone in this regard.)

3) More wooded than open - lots of variety of shots required caused by hole shape and topography == A
(This is an area where this course shines - lots of up/down/left/right/late-turn/early-turn. IMO, there is potential to have had more creatively designed holes - the type that would have gotten an A+. Great use of terrain - I love the way the transition paths (from basket to next tee) take you uphill on almost all holes. This leads to more of the very fun downhill shots.)

4) Natural beauty (Appalachian beauty preferred) and seclusion. == A+
(Extremely secluded and very beautiful after you "Walk past piles of junk and follow green chain-link fence to 1st tee" (from course directions - ouch!). Rock out-croppings, beautiful trees and a healthy under-story make you feel like you are hiking the AT. Amazing!)

5) Bonus points for multi-throw holes with defined landing zones, good risk/reward and multiple options to play them. == D+
(There are 1.5 legit par 4 holes (3 is a right angle dogleg that you throw putter-putter-putter & 18 is slight dogleg that is reachable with some luck) and they are not really challenging as far as good par 4's go. But, some bonus points for adding multi-throw holes!)

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 the course will draw me back to itself again and again and again. 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....that's the fun of things here. See my profile for my rating philosophy.

Hands down my favorite MA course. I play here a LOT and my best score so far is a grin-inducing -2.
Additionally, my one and only Ace to date was carded here on Hole#2 during a tournament.

Devens is technical in every way imaginable. Challenging from drive, through approach, and right up to your putt. Putt with care! Too often if you front-lip it with a low or high flyer, your disc may roll back waaaay past you for some negative distance and subsequent elevated blood pressure.
There are elevation changes galore and a nice easy-to-navigate layout. The signs at the tees have good informative pics and there are signs leading from basket to the next tee on each as well.
The underbrush is light for the most part which helps when you have to go hunting for a stray shot. Last winters' ice storm did a lot of damage here, but the upside is that it cleared out a lot of troublesome obstacles.
I've been playing here quite often since I started playing in 2006 and it just gets better and better as the volunteer staff upgrades it. While the tee boxes are still natural, they're gradually leveling them out and boxing them in with 4x4 lumber. Except for a couple holes, you won't need much of a run-up for your drives. Concentrate on accuracy v.s. distance and you'll be in good shape.
The course is easily accessible from Rt.2 and the gas station in "town" has all your drinks, food, etc. to set you up for a full days play.

Can't say enough good things about Devens. The technical aspect of this place continues to make me a better, more shot-conscious DG'er.

Not for the out-of-shape or respiratorily challenged player. The phrase "all hill all the time" is their own advertisement and their logo is a severed head on a stick. You will often feel exactly like that after a hot summers day of playing.
Beginners will have a tough, though educational time of it here and if they can stick it out, will learn a lot about the game.
Mosquitos and black flies will welcome you to dinner with open...ummm... arms? These guys are Army trained so I recommend you do battle with them with some military grade DEET.

Hole 18 can crush your spirit if you don't approach it carefully. The downhill approach to the higher-than-normal basket is a nightmare. Unless you're a dead-eye downhill putter from inside 20-40', I recommend playing it safe with a scoobie-slider and lay up for the easy put-in. Bogey is a good score on this one! If you over-shoot the basket or get up on edge, it'll sail/roll away on you and you're in for a loooong recovery coming back up the hill to finish out.

Clean, well marked, challenging, quiet.

Natural tees, a bit too physical for some people, not the most beginner friendly course.

Devens is an extremely challenging course set on a hill in a former military base. The course uses elevation extremely well challenging even the most seasoned players. This is the type of course where you pull just about every disc out of your bag once and shoot every shot in your arsenal. No round is ever the same.

At the parking lot there are port-a-potties, trash cans, and a large soccer field for warm up throws. Adjacent to the first tee there is a billboard with notices, scorecards, and a lost and found drop.

Tee signs are at every tee showing elevation change, layout, and suggested routes. The tees are natural but well defined and mostly flat. Signs exist pointing to the next tee and paths are well worn between basket and next tee.

This course has a large following and an active league play. The website www.devensdiscgolf.com is up to date and includes a course map, detailed directions, and updated lost and found information along with a running blog. The administrator for the course returns e-mail very quickly.

Simply a pleasure to play.

The welcome board has some really nice scorecards and a course map. There is also a dry erase board there with a spot to put found discs. The board had the found discs and what hole they were found on. The tee signs were made of a high grade metal that didn't fade or rust. They were very colorful and mapped out the best way to the basket. The tee boxes were natural but were well defined with 4x4's lining the side. There is one tee that is the cement base of an old antenna tower, which is a great challenge. Several of the tree stumps are used as benches at the beginning of the tees. Since the course is on an old military training hill there are several large elevation changes (hole16 drops down 90 feet, and hole 14 inclines 65 feet; just to name the two largest.) the steps that are installed are a lifesaver. There is also a super clean porta potty right in the parking lot.

You have to be careful walking through the pathways to the next tee pads as you might get smacked in the face by low hanging branches. It might have been worse when I played as it had been raining for a week prior; but still be on the lookout. If you aren't in shape, have asthma or a heart condition this course isn't for you. It is nicknamed The Hill, and it sure lives up to that. It is based on an old military training hill (the course is just outside of an active base: Fort Devens) and the course plays well alternating up and down frequently. Some of the rocks on the rock stairs on hole nine are very loose, I almost fell a few times. The tee pads on the holes lack consistency. There is dirt on some while there is gravel on others. Although the gravel limits the mud it isn't packed and makes for slippery footing.

The latitude and longitude directions will get you between the soccer field and a Department of Public Works building. Look across the street and follow the green chain link fence to the Welcome Board and first tee (which are on the left hand side).
The elevation changes are listed below
Hole #1 ~ up 15`
Hole #2 ~ up 25`
Hole #3 ~ down 10`
Hole #4 ~ up 15`
Hole #5 ~ up 10`
Hole #6 ~ up 15`
Hole #7 ~ down 45`
Hole #8 ~ up 40`
Hole #9 ~ down 30`
Hole #10 ~ down 30`
Hole #11 ~ up 6`
Hole #12 ~ down 30`
Hole #13 ~ down 20`
Hole #14 ~ up 65`
Hole #15 ~ up 5`
Hole #16 ~ down 90`
Hole #17 ~ up 50`
Hole #18 ~ down 70`


The porta-pottie is removed in the winter time.

This course is incredibly clean and well maintained. Signage is excellent throughout. Natural tee boxes work great, stairs and rope help on steep slopes, yardage and elevation change on each hole is helpful. This course has a bit of everything, from hills, to short technical holes, to downhill wind ups to long straight flat throws, and more!

Buggy (nobody's fault just bring some good bugspray!), wish there was some signage near the dirt area or parking lot across the road....to be honest this course deserves a billboard on I-495 or some signage in town.

I wished I lived a bit closer but its worth the drive if you have the time...every hole was unique and there was some challenge but also some shorter throws. I would recommend playing a few easier courses if you are a beginner but do not hesitate to give Devens DGC a try after a few weeks of playing!

Beautiful woods, especially in the fall. Great elevation changes forces some fun shots. Had to use a lot of hammers on this one.

Tough to find, although that also keeps it from being too busy. Could use better signage, but we found our way all right. A lot of holes aren't visible from the tee, so you're guessing a bit the first time you go.

Really fun course to play. A lot of shots will result in shouts of joy or shouts of frustration, separated by inches. I love when people think to put a course in a place like this. Can't wait to get back.

Great layout with huge boulders to work around, up and down on a big hill, scenery is great, very challenging, great workout, some steep, long mult-tiered downhill drives

Lots of trees, very challenging for beginners, not easy to find, a few 'fairways' aren't really fairways, did I mention trees? Could use more signage, especially at the entrance or parking area.

This is a great course that will challenge anyone. Not super long, but it makes up for it with technicality and some short uphills that play much much longer. It is unique and rewarding to play, despite the fact that you will most certainly dink plenty of trees and I agree with another reviewer that some of the shots are just a matter of luck to miss the trees (unless you're pro, then maybe not). Props to the folks who built this course, well done.