About this course
William J. Devine Golf Course occupies part of Franklin Park in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood and is the second-oldest public golf course in the United States, established in 1896. The course grew from an original four holes to a full 18-hole layout, with Donald Ross responsible for a later redesign of the routing.
The course is tied to several figures in early American golf: Willie Campbell was its first head professional, Bobby Jones played there as a young golfer, and George Grant, credited with inventing the golf tee, was an early player and advocate for the game. It was renamed in 1967 for William J. Devine, a former Boston parks commissioner.
Devine remains a City of Boston-operated public course, playing to a par of 70 over roughly 6,000 yards, and hosts tens of thousands of rounds a year at municipal rates. It has also hosted the Massachusetts Amateur championship.
Type
Parkland
Region
New England
Holes
18
Par
70
Yardage
6,009
Established
1896
LooperScore
81.0
Your score
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Design & architects
- Donald Ross, architect
Golfer reviews
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Golf trails
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Nearby courses
Courses within 150 miles of William J. Devine Golf Course at Franklin Park, by true distance.
Newton Commonwealth Golf Course
Newton, MA · 4.6 mi away
Newton Commonwealth Golf Course is an 18-hole public course in Newton, Massachusetts, about ten miles from downtown Boston. It began as a nine-hole course in 1897 under the name Commonwealth Club and was expanded and redesigned by Newton resident and architect Donald Ross in the 1920s. The course became public in the late 1970s when the city of Newton purchased the financially struggling private club. It is known for quick greens and relatively narrow, tree-lined fairways, with water and sand bunkers that come into play often, rewarding careful course management over pure length. The course is managed by Sterling Golf Management for the city and is open to residents and visitors, with online tee time booking available seven days ahead. A snack shop on site serves food and beer, and outing packages are offered for groups.
George Wright Golf Course
Hyde Park, MA · 5.3 mi away
George Wright Golf Course opened in 1938 in Hyde Park, a Boston neighborhood, after Works Progress Administration funding helped complete construction on a rugged, boulder-strewn site. Donald Ross designed the par-70 municipal course, carving fairways and greens around granite outcroppings and mature woodland that give it unusually dramatic character for a city-owned facility. Architect Mark Mungeam has led restoration work aimed at preserving Ross's original design intent. The course remains open to the public under the City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department.
Fresh Pond Golf Course
Cambridge, MA · 5.5 mi away
Historic 9-hole gem in Cambridge since 1894.
If you liked William J. Devine Golf Course at Franklin Park
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