Far Corner is 27 holes on 250 acres and runs $52 to walk 18. It won the Boston North Shore 2025 Editor's Choice for public golf. Most Boston golfers have never driven north of the city to play it. The North Shore is the most overlooked golf region in eastern Massachusetts, and the rounds are cheaper and easier to get than anything inside Route 128.
The private clubs up here get the attention. Myopia Hunt, Essex, Salem. But the public and semi-private courses are the story for anyone actually looking to book. Here is where to play, what it costs, and how each one handles tee times.
Sagamore Spring Golf Club, Lynnfield
The one to play first. Sagamore Spring opened in 1929 and has been a daily fee favorite north of Boston ever since. It is a par 72 and runs $75 for 18 holes. The drive is about 35 minutes from the city. The course is walkable, well kept, and busy with leagues, so weekend mornings book up. It is the North Shore equivalent of the courses Boston golfers already fight over, with less of the fight.
Far Corner Golf, West Boxford
The best value on this list. Far Corner is a 27-hole layout across three nines: the Fox, the Heron, and the Hawk. Any 18-hole combination stretches past 6,700 yards from the blue tees. It sits on 250 acres of West Boxford countryside. Rates run about $52 to walk 18 and $64 with a cart, with 9-hole and early bird options. It took the BONS 2025 Editor's Choice for public courses. Call (978) 352-8300. With three nines, you can almost always find an open slot.
Gannon Municipal Golf Course, Lynn
A real 18-hole muni about 24 minutes north of Boston. Gannon opened in 1931 and non-resident green fees run around $47 for 18 holes. The layout is hilly with blind shots. It is a genuine test, not a beginner field. Because it does not crack the major Boston golf roundups, tee times are easy to get. We put it in the hidden gems post for exactly that reason.
Beverly Golf & Tennis Club, Beverly
The cheapest 18 on the list. Beverly Golf & Tennis dates to 1910 and plays as a par 70 at 6,237 yards. Green fees run roughly $28 to $31 depending on the day. It is a semi-private club with public access and short enough to walk easily. Booking runs through the CPS Golf system at beverlygolf.cps.golf, the same platform family the Boston city courses use, so the interface will feel familiar if you have booked George Wright or Devine.
How North Shore booking actually works
This is the friction. There is no single system up here. Sagamore Spring runs its own tee sheet. Far Corner uses its own and the phone. Beverly is on CPS Golf. Gannon takes daily fee and league play through its own shop. Some list partial inventory on GolfNow, some list none. If you only check GolfNow, the North Shore looks half empty even when the tee sheets are wide open.
| Course | Town | 18-hole rate | Drive from Boston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sagamore Spring | Lynnfield | ~$75 | ~35 min |
| Far Corner | West Boxford | ~$52 walk / $64 cart | ~40 min |
| Gannon Municipal | Lynn | ~$47 non-resident | ~24 min |
| Beverly Golf & Tennis | Beverly | ~$28–31 | ~30 min |
Rates shift by season and day. Confirm at the pro shop before you drive up. For how these stack against the rest of the metro, see the best public courses breakdown and the closest courses to downtown.
The North Shore has cheap, open tee sheets and no shared place to see them. Every course is on its own system and GolfNow misses most of it. Text Carl the day you want to play and how far you will drive. He checks Sagamore Spring, Far Corner, Gannon, and Beverly directly, calls the shops that do not list online, and sends back a real tee time instead of a half-empty search page.