William J. Devine Golf Course

About William J. Devine Golf Course

Devine is the City of Boston's course inside Franklin Park, the Frederick Law Olmsted park where Jamaica Plain, Roxbury and Dorchester meet. It opened on October 26, 1896, and the city calls it the second oldest public course in the country, behind only Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. Today it's a par 70 of 6,013 yards, so it's short, and Mark Mungeam has done renovation work in recent years.

The history runs deep. George Wright, the old Red Stockings shortstop, played the first round here in December 1890 with tomato cans for cups. Willie Campbell, the pro at The Country Club, pushed the city for a public links, designed the first nine and became its first head pro, and the holes had names, from Harvard to Misery. Donald Ross redesigned it and stretched it to 18 in 1922. After Campbell died, his widow Georgina became the first woman golf pro in the country here, and George F. Grant, the dentist who invented a wooden tee, pioneered minority play here.

Francis Ouimet and a young Bobby Jones both worked on their games at Franklin Park. The first clubhouse was destroyed in World War II, when the hilltop held artillery guns. Golf Digest rated it one of its best places to play in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

It's one of 2 courses in Boston on Yoink, and George Wright Golf Course is practically next door — handy when your first choice is booked solid.

Booking a tee time at William J. Devine Golf Course

City of Boston season permit holders book five days out, starting Mondays at 7 a.m. for Saturday; everyone else gets four days, starting Tuesdays at 7 a.m. for Saturday. 2026 rates for 18 are $46 on weekdays and $55 on weekends for residents, and $61 and $70 for non-residents. From May through August there are no 9-hole rates on weekends and holidays until 3 p.m. Cancel at least 4 hours ahead or you can be charged. The pro shop is 617-265-4084.

How to get a tee time at William J. Devine Golf Course