David, yes the hole is for the option of loading the stand. with the use of the maple base, mass is not as important so filling the stand with dacron fill or something similar keeps the stand from having any resonance issues. if you do opt for adding mass please use some type of plastic bag(s) to enclose whatever you put in otherwise it may create a moisture problem. steel shot, sand, gravel, etc are all possibilities. please let us know what works for you in this, (customer feedback was how we found the dacron idea!)
thanks,
lou