The best golf courses in Massachusetts, USA

Founded in 1882, The Country Club in Brookline is a founding member of the USGA and one of the most storied private club courses in America. The Clyde & Squirrel nines form the composite championship layout, notably restored by Rees Jones. Home to multiple USGA championships and the 1999 Ryder Cup, it boasts classic parkland features, undulating terrain, and a historic atmosphere.

Eastward Ho! Country Club in Chatham, Massachusetts, is a private, 18-hole, par-71 links-style course established in 1922 and designed by Herbert Fowler. Set on Pleasant Bay, the layout offers panoramic Atlantic views and challenges with rolling terrain and breezy conditions. Renovation by Keith Foster in 2004 preserved its classic seaside character while enhancing playability and strategy.

Myopia Hunt Club is a prestigious, private course in Massachusetts, originally designed by Herbert Leeds in 1894 and expanded a few years later. Revered for its challenging, quirky, and historically rich layout, Myopia hosted four early U.S. Opens and is noted for its unique architecture and rolling, tree-lined landscape. Strict membership and pedigree define the club experience.

The Kittansett Club is a historic private club on a beautiful peninsula by Buzzards Bay in Marion, Massachusetts. Originally designed by William Flynn with input from Hugh Wilson and opened in 1923, it is renowned for its classic links-style holes, coastal scenery, and recent restoration work by Gil Hanse to recapture Flynn's vision.

Old Sandwich Golf Club is a private course in the Pinehills area of Plymouth, Massachusetts, designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw in 2004. The course offers sandy soil, wide fairways, undulating greens, and strategic bunkering. It is consistently noted for its firm, fast conditions and natural aesthetics, delivering strategic interest and a quintessential New England golf experience.

Located on Boston’s North Shore, Essex County Club is a historic private club featuring a Donald Ross-designed course completed in 1917. The layout maintains much of its original strategy and character, routing through rolling terrain with thoughtfully placed bunkers and challenging greens. The club offers a traditional walking experience with year-round amenities and maintains a reputation as one of New England's top courses.

Boston Golf Club, designed by Gil Hanse in 2005, is a private members-only course routed over 300 forested, rolling New England acres. Walking-only, with distinctive elevation changes and natural terrain, it emphasizes pure golf. The intimate clubhouse and setting reflect a laid-back, classic golf experience, known for creative shot-making and an absence of frills common to elite private clubs.

TPC Boston, originally designed by Arnold Palmer and remodeled in 2007 by Gil Hanse with Brad Faxon, is a private, PGA TOUR-caliber championship course in Norton, Massachusetts. Stretching over 7,200 yards, it challenges golfers with lush Bentgrass fairways, 58+ bunkers, and a dynamic layout favored by both tournament professionals and club members.

Vineyard Golf Club, designed by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner, is renowned as the first fully organic golf course in the United States. Stretching 7,100 yards, this private club on Martha’s Vineyard features classic architecture, pristine natural beauty, and a caddie program recognized as one of the best in the Northeast. Strictly walking-only and member-exclusive, its playability and conditioning are elite.

Sankaty Head Golf Club, designed by Emerson Armstrong and opened in 1923, is a classic links-style 18-hole private course perched dramatically on the edge of Nantucket Island. Known for sweeping Atlantic vistas, firm turf, and the iconic Sankaty Head Lighthouse, the club blends understated exclusivity with authentic seaside golf and a unique caddy camp tradition.

Cape Cod National Golf Club, designed by Brian Silva, Geoffrey Cornish, and Mark Mungeam, is a highly regarded private club in Brewster, Massachusetts. Opened in 1998, this 18-hole, par-72 parkland layout is praised for its challenging play, scenic views, and meticulously maintained bentgrass greens and fairways. Members and select guests enjoy exceptional conditions and a prestigious golf experience.

Crumpin-Fox Club is a celebrated public golf course in Bernardston, Massachusetts, designed by Roger Rulewich of Robert Trent Jones, Inc. and opened in 1977. Known for its lush bentgrass fairways and challenging, well-routed layout, the course is frequently ranked among New England’s best. The rolling forest setting offers a blend of beauty and golfing challenge, with extensive practice facilities and a welcoming atmosphere.

Woodland Golf Club in Newton, Massachusetts is a renowned private club founded in 1896. The 18-hole, par-72 course was designed by Donald Ross and is known for its strategic layout and classic New England parkland style. Surrounded by mature trees and rolling terrain, the course offers an inviting yet challenging experience, supported by premier practice facilities and upscale amenities.

Salem Country Club, founded in 1895 and featuring a Donald Ross design finalized in 1925, is one of New England's most classic private parkland layouts. The course is renowned for its undulating greens, strategic bunkering, and challenging routing through rolling wooded terrain. The club is also complemented by extensive practice facilities, a welcoming clubhouse, and a reputation for hosting major events.

Designed by world-renowned architect Rees Jones in 2001, this championship course weaves dramatically through dense pine forests with undulating terrain. Part of a 36-hole facility, it offers challenging yet fair play with firm, fast greens and strategic bunkering throughout the tree-lined layout.

Belmont Country Club is a private, classic Donald Ross-designed golf course established in 1918 and set on rolling terrain in Metro Boston. Known for pristine Bentgrass fairways and greens, the 18-hole parkland layout has hosted major professional events and blends tree-lined holes with strategic bunkering, providing a challenging experience for golfers of all skill levels.

Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club is Cape Cod's only Nicklaus Design course, offering diverse parkland-style golf set on 429 acres. Designed by Jack Nicklaus, it features generous fairways, dramatic elevation changes, and challenging greens within a luxurious resort setting, noted for its hospitality and scenic beauty.

Granite Links Golf Club, designed by John Sanford, is a unique 27-hole public facility perched atop old quarries and landfill. Opened in 2003, the club is renowned for its dramatic elevation changes, challenging layout, and sweeping views of Boston. It combines playability for all skill levels with a stunning setting and vibrant clubhouse amenities.

The Ranch Golf Club, designed by Damian Pascuzzo in 2001, spreads over a scenic 340-acre site in Southwick, Massachusetts. This public, parkland-style layout features bentgrass from tee to green, notable elevation changes, beautifully framed tree-lined holes, natural streams, and strategic bunkering. With an acclaimed design and excellent playing conditions, the course is widely regarded as one of the top public courses in New England.

Wianno Club, designed by Len Biles and later remodeled by Donald Ross, is a classic 18-hole private club perched on a bluff overlooking Nantucket Sound in Osterville, Massachusetts. The course is renowned for its strategic play, historic character, and picturesque Cape Cod setting. Bentgrass greens and fairways offer a quality playing surface from spring to late fall.

Edgewood Golf Course, designed by Geoffrey Cornish in 1963, is a public 18-hole, par-71 layout set on rolling converted farmland outside Southwick. The course features contrasting nines—an open, forgiving front and a wooded, scenic back—with challenging greens and moderate length. Well-maintained fairways, driving range, and active leagues make it a favorite among locals and visitors alike.