Affordable golf courses in Massachusetts

Created as a WPA project during the great depression, Donald Ross and thousands of laborers blasted George Wright out of the granite in the Hyde Park neighborhood, and shaped a golf course that is now considered one of the best munis in America. It plays over dramatic terrain, with bunkering and greens that even the most stalwart Ross aficionados will love. The course had fallen on hard times, but successive Boston Mayors, Superintendent Len Curtin, and Golf Course Architect Mark Mungeam have peeled back the layers of this old course to reveal her beauty and brilliance. Great history here, and even better golf.

William J. Devine (Franklin Park) – Donald Ross – Boston, MA
Peak Walking Rate: $52

Boston’s other city course is actually the older of the two, and the second oldest public golf course in the U.S. Donald Ross re-designed Franklin Park which plays over gentler meadow land than GW. It was Bobby Jones’s favorite spot to work on his game during his Harvard days, and now thanks to the hard work of Superintendent Russ Heller and his crew, it is home to both high-level amateur tournaments and happy groups of local duffers.

South Shore Country Club – Wayne Stiles – Hingham, MA
Peak Walking Rate: $50

This 1920’s Stiles design was private but is now open to the public. The course meanders over rolling land, is well conditioned, and thankfully doesn’t suffer from the terrible over-treeing of so many similar clubs. A nice opportunity to experience the creative work of one of the Golden Age’s more under-the-radar architects.

Highland Links – J. Henry McKinley – North Truro, MA
Peak Walking Rate: $65 (18 holes)