Best Golf Courses in Massachusetts: New England’s Best Golf?
When it comes to golf in the Northeast, Massachusetts certainly holds it own when compared to power house states like New York and New Jersey. You could easily walk into any clubhouse in the country and argue that it has the best courses compared to the other 5 New England states and get little disagreement.
It also has a vast amount of variety, from sea-side courses to mountain courses and everything in between.
Regardless of where you find yourself in the state, there is great golf to be had. From Cape Cod to to the South and North Shore of Boston, to the hills and valleys of central and western Massachusetts, there is an option for every trip.
The Country Club in Brookline, MA and host to the 2022 U.S. Open is easily the cream of the crop for the state. An extremely challenging course to get on or become a member of, even for the likes of New England hero, Tom Brady.
THE BEST GOLF COURSES IN MASSACHUSETTS 2022
These rankings are averages of the Best in State Rankings from Golf Digest, Top 100 Golf, Golf Magazine and Golfweek. For ties, where possible we ranked based on our personal experience.
To be included there needed to be a minimum of two inclusions in one of the publications listed above, and if there was a course with only one, and I’ve played it, I added my own vote to make this list.
- The Country Club (Clyde/Squirrel, Brookline)
- Old Sandwich Golf Club (Plymouth)
- Myopia Hunt Club (South Hamilton)
- Essex Country Club (Manchester-by-the-Sea)
- Kittansett Club (Marion)
- Eastward Ho! Country Club (Chatham)
- Boston Golf Club (Hingham)
- Sankaty Head Golf Club (Siaconset)
- Salem Country Club (Peabody)
- Hyannisport Club (Hyannisport)
- Vineyard Golf Club (Martha Vineyard)
- Whitinsville Golf Club (Whitinsville)
- Nantucket Golf Club (Siasconset)
- TPC Boston (Norton)
- Taconic Golf Club (Willamstown)
- Winchester Country Club (Winchester)
- Worcester Country Club (Worcester)
- Charles River Country Club (Newton)
- Cape Cod National Golf Club* (Brewster)
- Concord Country Club (Concord)
- Longmeadow Country Club (Londmeadow)
- GreatHorse (Hampden)
- Oyster Harbors Club (Osterville)
- Dedham Country & Polo Club (Dedham)
- Brae Burn Country Club (Newton)
- Vesper Country Club (Tynsboro)
- George Wright Golf Course (Hyde Park)
- The Orchards Golf Course (Hadley)
- Miacomet Golf Club (Nantucket)
- Tedesco Country Club (Marblehead)
HOW OTHER PUBLICATIONS RANKED THE TOP GOLF COURSES IN MASSACHUSETTS
The approach on hole 11 at The Country Club
If you’re anything like us, you can never get too many opinions about golf courses when you’re trying to plan a trip. So we wanted to include the lists from other publications as well. This way you can get a sense of where everything stacks up.
Below you’ll find the current rankings for the best in state across some of the biggest golf publications. The idea was to not only include the composite ranking that you see above, but also give you one place where you can find all of the major information you’re seeking out when it comes to the best golf courses in Connecticut.
GOLF DIGEST BEST IN STATE – MASSACHUSETTS
- The Country Club (Clyde/Squirrel)
- Old Sandwich Golf Club
- Myopia Hunt Club
- Kittansett Club
- Essex Country Club
- Boston Golf Club
- Eastward Ho! Country Club
- Sankaty Head Golf Club
- Hyannisport Club
- Salem Country Club
- Nantucket Golf Club
- Worcester Country Club
- Taconic Golf Club
- TPC Boston
- Winchester Country Club
- Cape Cod National Golf Club*
- Concord Country Club
- GreatHorse
- Deadham Country & Polo Club
- Charles River Country Club
- Longmeadow Country Club
- Oyster Harbors Club
- Brae Burn Country Club
- Miacomet Golf Club
- Vesper Country Club
TOP 100 GOLF COURSES – MASSACHUSETTS
- The Country Club (Clyde/Squirrel)
- Old Sandwich Golf Club
- Essex Country Club
- Myopia Hunt Club
- Eastward Ho! Country Club
- Boston Golf Club
- Kittansett Club
- Sankaty Head Golf Club
- Salem Country Club
- Vineyard Golf Club
- Winchester Country Club
- Taconic Golf Club
- TPC Boston
- Hyannisport Club
- Whitinsville Golf Club
- Charles River Country Club
- Nantucket Golf Club
- Worcester Country Club
- Longmeadow Country Club
- GreatHorse
- Vesper Country Club
- Oyster Harbors Club
- Brae Burn Country Club
- Dedham Country & Polo Club
- Cape Cod National Golf Club*
* Public Course
GOLF MAGAZINE – BEST IN MASSACHUSETTS
- The Country Club (Clyde/Squirrel)
- Myopia Hunt Club
- Old Sandwich Golf Club
- Eastward Ho! Country Club
- Kittansett Club
- Essex Country Club
- Boston Golf Club
- Sankaty Head Golf Club
- Salem Country Club
- Charles River Country Club
- Whitinsville Golf Club
- Nantucket Golf Club
- George Wright Golf Club*
- Longmeadow Country Club
- Vineyard Golf Club
- Taconic Golf Club
- Winchester Country Club
- Orchards Golf Club
- Oyster Harbors Golf Club
- Brae Burn Country Club
BEST MASSACHUSETTS PUBLIC GOLF COURSES – GOLFWEEK
- Cape Cod National Golf Club
- Miacomet Golf Course
- The Ranch Golf Club
- Crumpin-Fox Club
- George Wright Municipal Golf Course
- Pinehills Golf Club (Nicklaus)
- Pinehills Golf Club (Jones)
- Red Tail Golf Club
- Blackstone National Golf Club
- The International (Oaks)
BEST MASSACHUSETTS PRIVATE GOLF COURSES – GOLFWEEK
- The Country Club (Composite)
- Myopia Hunt Club
- Old Sandwich Golf Club
- Boston Golf Club
- Essex Country Club
- Eastward Ho! Country Club
- Kittansett Club
- Salem Country Club
- Whitinsville Golf Club
- Sankaty Head Golf Club
TOP 100 COURSES IN MASSACHUSETTS FOR 2022
The 16th at Boston Golf Club.
A number of courses appear on the various publications’ Top 100 lists, both for public and public/private lists.
Golf Magazine Top 100 Public boasts George Wright Municipal Golf Course at #59 and Taconic Golf Club not far behind at #62.
Located in the northwest corner of the state in the Berkshire mountains, Taconic Golf Club is home to Williams College golf teams and is considered one of the best collegiate golf courses in the country, ranking third on Golfweek’s top collegiate course list.
I know many of you base your travels on top 100 courses, so I wanted to include all of the courses in Massachusetts ranked in any Golf Magazine or Golf Digest top 100 list.
GOLF DIGEST TOP 100 IN AMERICA (MASSACHUSETTS COURSES)
- #17 The Country Club (Clyde/Squirrel)
- #58 Old Sandwich Golf Club
- #69 Myopia Hunt Club
- #77 Kittansett Club
- #79 Essex Country Club
- #84 Boston Golf Club
GOLF DIGEST TOP 100 PUBLIC (MASSACHUSETTS COURSES)
- N/A
GOLF MAGAZINE TOP 100 PUBLIC (MASSACHUSETTS COURSES)
- #59 George Wright
- #62 Taconic Golf Club
GOLF MAGAZINE TOP 100 AMERICA (MASSACHUSETTS COURSES)
- #22 The Country Club (Clyde/Squirrel)
- #43 Myopia Hunt Club
- #52 Old Sandwich Golf Club
- #53 Eastward Ho! Country Club
- #64 Essex Country Club
GOLF MAGAZINE TOP 100 WORLD (MASSACHUSETTS COURSES)
- #40 The Country Club (Clyde/Squirrel)
- #72 Myopia Hunt Club
BREAKING EIGHTY TOP 100 (MASSACHUSETTS COURSES)
- #25 Boston Golf Club
- #45 Myopia Hunt Club
- #88 The Country Club (Clyde/Squirrel)
MASSACHUSETTS GOLF: DREAM ITINERARIES
The 5th at Kittansett has one of the more intimidating shots on the course.
If you are planning a trip to Massachusetts, we certainly would recommend the following options, if you have the right connections.
MASSACHUSETTS GOLF COURSES: BEST OF THE BEST
The great thing about this best-of-the-best itinerary is that all of the courses are relatively close by to Boston, giving you access to a major airport.
The tougher task will be getting access to these courses. But I know many of us are chasing top 100 lists would love this best of best itinerary:
- The Country Club
- Boston Golf Club
- Essex Country Club
- Myopia Hunt Club
BEST PUBLIC ITINERARY
Depending on where you are going in the state, would determine the route you want to go.
George Wright Municipal leading the pack as a Donald Ross design in the Boston metro area. Looking north of Boston, Red Tail Golf Club is a great option within an hour of the airport. Tewksbury Country Club may prove to be a must-visit after it was recently purchased by the wildly popular Treehouse Brewery
Cape Cod National in Brewster, MA dominates the public courses on Cape Cod but Bass River Golf Course is a public 9-hole track with stunning water views and a fantastic layout. If you are planning a Cape trip and need public access, I would make sure these two make your list.
If you head out to the western part of the state, you’ll find yourself in less
A Solid Nantucket Duo
There’s some wonderful golf in the area out near Cape Cod.
On the island of Sankaty Head you can play the fantastic Nantucket Golf Club and Sankaty Head Golf Club, which both fly a little under the radar nationally, but are well-worth playing if you find yourself in the area.
I once had a well-traveled golf friend tell me he thought Nantucket was one of the best hidden gems in golf.
A Trio of East Side Top 100s
The world famous par 3, 3rd at Kittansett Club.
We mentioned our dream itinerary above, but there’s another itinerary that would be equally as appealing and features 3 more courses that have been included among the top 100 in the country.
What are they?
- Old Sandwich
- Eastward Ho!
- Kittansett Club
Eastward Ho! is a little bit farther out near the cape, but you can get to all of these in less than a 90-minute drive from each other, and so if you’re able to get the access, it’s worth heading to Mass to play even one of these gems.
One nice thing about a Boston area golf trip is that travel times aren’t that bad. So if you’re trying to play the more reputable privates, even if you’re only able to get on say Boston Golf Club and Eastward Ho! you can still make the drives work.
Our Thoughts on the Best Golf Courses in Massachusetts
I’ve played a number of the courses mentioned here, and figured I’d share my thoughts on a few of them.
Boston Golf Club is one of the most fun golf courses in the country
Boston Golf Club Hole 5 – Shipwreck
BGC is adventure golf at it’s finest. It’s one of Gil Hanse’s best efforts, and every hole is not only a visual feast, but it’s strategic and fun as well. There are some great elevation changes and memorable holes.
Specifically, the short par 4, 5th named Shipwreck – is one of the most unique golf holes you’ll ever play.
The Country Club Has Insane History
The Country Club is one of the most important and historic clubs in American golf. And it’s even more on people’s radar as it just hosted the 2022 US Open.
It’s widely regarded as the best golf course in the state.
One downside is if you are fortunate enough to play it, you likely won’t be playing the exact course the pros played. The Club has 3 nines, and they use holes from all 3 of the nines to make up the championship routing.
It’s a brutally hard golf course, and is fun to play for the history and the the exclusivity – but many of the other courses mentioned are going to be more fun.
Old Sandwich has some of the most epic accommodations you’ll find
The approach on 13 at Old Sandwich.
Staying on property at Old Sandwich is a very special experience. From the lit-up putting green, 19th “bye” hole, and one of Coore and Crenshaw’s best designs – it’s an all-around cool experience.
Sitting around the fire pit overlooking the lake, is one of my most memorable golf experiences.
Myopia Hunt is Quirky in the Best Way Possible
The opener at Myopia Hunt
Myopia Hunt is the quirkiest golf course I’ve played in America, and may even give North Berwick a run for it’s money.
A short, blind par 4 opening hole? Yes, please.
The club tries to stay off the radar, but this is one golf course I’m dying to go back and see.
Other Best-in-State Recaps
Check out more of our “best in golf” series.
And if you’re looking for other state recaps? Here you go:
- Best Golf Courses in Arizona
- Best Golf Courses in California
- Best Golf Courses in Connecticut
- Best Golf Courses in Colorado
- Best Golf Courses in Georgia
- Best Golf Courses in New York
- Best Golf Courses in Oregon
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