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Outdoor Adventure Center reviews
16
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enragedmullet
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience:
12.6 years
115 played
79 reviews
An Oasis in a DG Desert 2+ years
Reviewed:
Played on:Jul 14, 2021
Played the course:once
Pros:
+ Decent tee signage (#, par, distance, diagram)
+ Navigation is easy your first time here, I only pulled out the map briefly once or twice
+ Elevation (unexpected!) is used about as well as I can imagine given the land available. There are some flat holes, some that have gradual changes (1-3) and some with more pronounced elevation in play, like 4 & 7
+ An easy to find quick bag, good for beginners; plays most of a loop & the grounds are maintained well, as you might expect at a small campus course
+ Challenge: The short nature of most holes make it good for beginners & anyone working on distance control. You could also take that to mean ace runs abound. As with many college or church campus courses I've played, the main hazards are buildings/infrastructure/cars/roads. That and the occasional bit of rough on some holes makes this more than vanilla pitch 'n' putt on some holes - you'll have to do a little thinking on some of them. Despite short lengths there's variety in distances with holes ranging from around 180' up to 400'+. I used both BH's and FH's.
+Location: DG Courses are thin on the ground in this part of Maine, so the fact it's here at all is great. The nearest course I know of is an hour south in Machias @ UMaine w/ 9 holes. In the other direction 2 hours away is Houlton w/ another 9 holer at Community Park.
+ Navigation is easy your first time here, I only pulled out the map briefly once or twice
+ Elevation (unexpected!) is used about as well as I can imagine given the land available. There are some flat holes, some that have gradual changes (1-3) and some with more pronounced elevation in play, like 4 & 7
+ An easy to find quick bag, good for beginners; plays most of a loop & the grounds are maintained well, as you might expect at a small campus course
+ Challenge: The short nature of most holes make it good for beginners & anyone working on distance control. You could also take that to mean ace runs abound. As with many college or church campus courses I've played, the main hazards are buildings/infrastructure/cars/roads. That and the occasional bit of rough on some holes makes this more than vanilla pitch 'n' putt on some holes - you'll have to do a little thinking on some of them. Despite short lengths there's variety in distances with holes ranging from around 180' up to 400'+. I used both BH's and FH's.
+Location: DG Courses are thin on the ground in this part of Maine, so the fact it's here at all is great. The nearest course I know of is an hour south in Machias @ UMaine w/ 9 holes. In the other direction 2 hours away is Houlton w/ another 9 holer at Community Park.
Cons:
- Being a campus course the main hazards are people, roads and buildings.
- On the short side, w/ most holes under 300'. 1-3 can seem one-note and bland but press on, it gets better.
- Parts of the course get a bit cramped either because of buildings or competing fairways. 4 & 5 are the worst offenders here (more below).
- On the short side, w/ most holes under 300'. 1-3 can seem one-note and bland but press on, it gets better.
- Parts of the course get a bit cramped either because of buildings or competing fairways. 4 & 5 are the worst offenders here (more below).
Other Thoughts:
WCCC's DGC in Calais is a shortish beginner-friendly 9 holer that's a) a nice quick bag & b) a course I'd love to tear up if I were local. It's free to play & according to the website playable year-round, which are both rare in my experience w/ the state.
It's a short course, w/ no benches or trash cans, just tee signs, grass tees & baskets (Discnation, single row chains that caught well for me but are showing some rust). I'm not sure about restroom availability to nonstudents/staff but there's a gas station not far north of the campus and a rest area not far south, both along US 1. I was the only person playing when I bagged it (Mid July), so I'm not sure what it's like Fall-Spring in terms of crowds/busy-ness.
I was pleasantly surprised by the elevation in play on certain holes. The signature hole for me is #4, which tees off at a high point on campus aiming downhill to a basket guarded on the left by high grass and guarded behind by the highway. There's a bit of a disc loss risk in that high grass, be warned. From the tee you have a great view across the water to New Brunswick.
The course does have some issues (see cons), most egregious in my mind being that the tee for 5 lies several feet in front of the basket for 4, directly in the flight path. The equivalent of waiting on the diving board for someone to swim out of the way, lest you jump on them and serious injury occurs. Despite its issues I've played way worse 9 holers (or even 18 holers) and if I were a student or local I'd love to think it'd be a great course to get that "local's knowledge" on.
Final Thoughts:
I'm going for 2.0 (Reasonable) but if there were more courses nearby it might get a 1.5 (Passable) from me. It's an oasis that'll definitely scratch the itch if you're passing through; a decent 9-holer w/ cool views in a DG desert that's worth the bag if you're visiting & not a bad course in general for locals. Its isolation/existence make up, in part, for its faults. Do it.
It's a short course, w/ no benches or trash cans, just tee signs, grass tees & baskets (Discnation, single row chains that caught well for me but are showing some rust). I'm not sure about restroom availability to nonstudents/staff but there's a gas station not far north of the campus and a rest area not far south, both along US 1. I was the only person playing when I bagged it (Mid July), so I'm not sure what it's like Fall-Spring in terms of crowds/busy-ness.
I was pleasantly surprised by the elevation in play on certain holes. The signature hole for me is #4, which tees off at a high point on campus aiming downhill to a basket guarded on the left by high grass and guarded behind by the highway. There's a bit of a disc loss risk in that high grass, be warned. From the tee you have a great view across the water to New Brunswick.
The course does have some issues (see cons), most egregious in my mind being that the tee for 5 lies several feet in front of the basket for 4, directly in the flight path. The equivalent of waiting on the diving board for someone to swim out of the way, lest you jump on them and serious injury occurs. Despite its issues I've played way worse 9 holers (or even 18 holers) and if I were a student or local I'd love to think it'd be a great course to get that "local's knowledge" on.
Final Thoughts:
I'm going for 2.0 (Reasonable) but if there were more courses nearby it might get a 1.5 (Passable) from me. It's an oasis that'll definitely scratch the itch if you're passing through; a decent 9-holer w/ cool views in a DG desert that's worth the bag if you're visiting & not a bad course in general for locals. Its isolation/existence make up, in part, for its faults. Do it.
