Boston runs two 18-hole courses, both Donald Ross, both $46 for a resident weekday round, both on the same booking system. George Wright in Hyde Park is the #3 municipal course in America per Golf.com. William J. Devine in Franklin Park is the second oldest public course in the country. Same city, same price, very different rounds. Here's how to pick, and when the answer flips.
George Wright
- 1938 Ross, par 70, 6,506 yards
- Slope 133, real elevation
- #3 muni in America (Golf.com)
- Weekend slots gone in minutes
Franklin Park (Devine)
- 1896 origins, Ross redesign 1922
- Par 70, 6,013 yards, slope 126
- Flat, walkable, T-accessible
- Easier tee times, relaxed pace
Same price, same system
The economics are identical. A Boston resident walks 18 for $46 on a weekday and $55 on a weekend at either course. Non-residents pay $61 and $70. Carts add $22. Both courses book through CPS Golf with a 4-day public window that opens at 7am. Both are covered by the same season permit, $1,700 for residents and $2,750 for non-residents, which the city sold as renewals-only for 2026. The full breakdown is in the parks permit guide.
So price eliminates nothing. The choice comes down to the golf and the access.
The golf: 133 versus 126
George Wright is the harder, better course, and it isn't close on the rankings. Built in 1938 with 60,000 pounds of dynamite and WPA labor, it plays 6,506 yards to a 71.9 rating and a slope of 133. Crowned greens, blind shots, and elevation on nearly every hole. Golf.com ranked it #3 among American municipal courses in 2024 and #70 among all public courses. The restoration work is real: 25 of 34 bunkers rebuilt to Ross specs, new irrigation, expanded tees. Full detail in the George Wright review.
Devine is the gentler round with the deeper history. Golf started on the Franklin Park site on October 26, 1896, and Ross rebuilt the course into a full 18 in 1922 inside a park Frederick Law Olmsted designed. It plays 6,013 yards to a 69.5 rating and a slope of 126 on flat-to-rolling ground. There's a bell on one fairway that dates to the original routing. The Devine review covers the layout hole types in detail.
The access: where the answer flips
On pure golf, George Wright wins. On getting a tee time, Devine wins, and for a lot of golfers that decides it. George Wright ran 51,000 rounds in 2025. When its 4-day window opens at 7am, prime weekend slots disappear in minutes. Devine's window works the same way but the demand is lower. Weekday mornings and afternoons usually have real availability without rushing the window.
Devine also wins on logistics. It sits 4.4 miles from downtown, the closest full 18 to the city, and you can reach it on the Orange Line plus a walk through the park. George Wright is a drive for almost everyone.
The verdict
Play George Wright when you can plan four days ahead and want the best golf $46 buys in America. Play Devine when you decided to play this morning, when you're bringing a mid-or-high handicapper, or when you're carless. A single-digit who only picks George Wright is skipping the easiest quality round in the city. A beginner who insists on George Wright is signing up for a slope-133 lesson in humility. The right answer for most Boston golfers is both, matched to the week they're having.
Both courses share the same 4-day, 7am booking window, and George Wright's weekend slots are gone before most people finish their coffee. Singles pairings and late openings at both courses often never surface on the public CPS Golf sheet. Text Carl which course you want and when. He watches the window, checks both tee sheets, and calls the pro shops for the openings the platform doesn't show.
