Being a Boston public golfer is tough. If you have ever searched for golf in Boston, you will find the majority of the courses close to the city are private, there are only a few public courses accessible by public transportation, it is difficult to find where to get a lesson and getting to the closest range will take 20+ minutes with no traffic. What should you do?
1)Finding the right course – If you do not have the luxury of playing a private club, your options in the city are fairly limited. The top three courses within a reasonable drive taking into consideration cost, quality, available tee times, staff and overall experience are South Shore CC, Hingham (best overall), Sandy Burr, Wayland (best course), and Putterham Meadows, Brookline (best value).
2)Hitting the range – The two closest driving ranges to the city are Granite Links in Quincy and McGolf in Dedham. Granite is by far the better of the two options given it is closer to the city and there is a bar/live entertainment Thursday-Saturday nights. Nextgen is running social bus trips to the range from the city bi-weekly on Thursdays this summer if you need to catch a ride.
3)Learning the game – If you are new to the game and looking for a personal lesson or group lessons there are two good options. First, Get Golf Ready is a program sponsored by the PGA of America providing group lessons for golfers for $99 for 5 lessons. Many golf courses offer the Get Golf Ready program and is great for beginner golfers. If you are looking to get a private lesson, Jesse Struebing, the head of instruction at MIT is a good option. Jesse is open all year round, has a teaching studio at MIT’s campus, and provides a mix of old school golf teaching with the latest technology.
4)Getting to the course – Being a millennial and sharing a car with my girlfriend often means I may need to get a ride to the course. Unfortunately, the only course really accessible by the T is Fresh Pond Golf Course in Cambridge. You need to take the Red Line to Harvard and then a bus to the course, but this is the only track in the city where it is easy to get to via public transportation. Nextgen college student members can play Fresh Pond for $16 too.
5)Playing in tournaments – Depending on what type of golf experience you are looking for, there are a variety of events to play in during the summer depending how much you want to spend and how far you want to drive. The Massachusetts Golf Association provides a list of state-wide events, but if you are looking for good competition locally, Nextgengolf is hosting a series of affordable golf events close to the city this summer.
Let us know if you have any more tips for golfing in the city! You can learn more about our city golf events in Boston this summer.
