Golf courses in Boston, MA.

Boston, MA

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.