$100 gets you a Rees Jones design, a full practice facility on grass tees, and a 4.7 Google rating from nearly 400 reviews. The tradeoff is the drive: 40 minutes south of Boston on Route 3, in Plymouth. That's the honest version of why Pinehills Golf Club sits at the top of the list for best golf day trips from Boston. Most Boston-area golfers know Pinehills exists. Fewer know which of the two courses to book first, or whether the premium Nicklaus price is actually worth it.
The Jones Course
The Jones Course is the Rees Jones design. Weekday rates run $100. Weekend rates are $115. After 2pm, the rate drops to $85 on any day of the week.
The fairways are wide. Off the tee, there's room to miss. That's not a knock on the design — Rees Jones built the layout to be demanding around the greens, not punishing from the tee. The greens roll true. They're not slick, but they hold a consistent speed throughout the round.
This is the right starting point for most golfers at Pinehills. Mid-to-high handicappers get a fair track. Better players get a course that rewards good iron play and accurate approach work. At $100 with the practice facility included, it competes with anything in the state at that price. If you've never played Pinehills before, start here.
The Nicklaus Course
The Nicklaus Course is the premium layout. Weekday rates run $140 Monday through Thursday. Weekends jump to $175 Friday through Sunday. After 2:30pm, the rate drops to $100 Monday through Thursday and $115 Friday through Sunday.
The routing is tighter. The Nicklaus Course demands more precision off the tee and the margin for error shrinks on approach shots. If you play to a single-digit handicap or want a genuine test, the premium makes sense. At $140 to $175 for a Nicklaus Design on 300 acres in good shape, the price is defensible.
The best value on the property is the Nicklaus after 2:30pm on a weekday. At $100, you get the harder course at Jones Course pricing. That window is the right move if you want to experience Nicklaus without paying the peak rate. For a full comparison of where Pinehills sits in the state, the Red Tail Golf Club review covers the other course that competes for best public in Massachusetts.
Jones Course
- $100 Mon–Fri / $115 Sat–Sun
- $85 after 2pm any day
- Wide fairways, forgiving off the tee
- Best first visit to Pinehills
- Right for mid-to-high handicappers
Nicklaus Course
- $140 Mon–Thu / $175 Fri–Sun
- $100–115 after 2:30pm
- Tighter routing, more demanding
- Best for single-digit handicappers
- Steal at the after-2:30pm rate
The practice facility
Every green fee at Pinehills includes the practice facility. No separate charge. The driving range runs on grass tees. There's a chipping area, a sand trap for bunker practice, and a putting green.
Most standalone ranges near Boston charge $20 to $25 for a bucket on mats. Getting grass tees, a bunker, and a chipping area as part of the round fee is not standard. If you arrive 30 minutes early and warm up properly, you're already ahead of what most Boston-area courses offer at this price point.
Getting there from Boston
Pinehills is at 54 Clubhouse Dr, Plymouth, MA. Route 3 south the whole way. The drive runs 35 to 45 minutes depending on where you're starting and what time you leave.
Mid-week works best. Route 3 carries Cape Cod traffic on weekends, and southbound on a Friday afternoon adds 20 to 30 minutes. Morning tee times on weekdays avoid the weekend rate premium on the Nicklaus Course and make the drive straightforward. If the weekend rate on the Jones Course ($115) is your target, go early — before 9am — and the drive is clean.
Is it worth the drive?
Yes. The Jones Course at $100 with grass tee practice included holds up against any public course in Massachusetts at that price. Reviewers consistently put Pinehills in the top three public courses in the state. The conditioning is consistent through the season — not just peak summer — which matters for planning a trip that's 40 minutes away.
The Nicklaus after 2:30pm on a weekday at $100 is the best value on the property. If you're making the drive anyway, consider booking the Jones in the morning and the Nicklaus in the afternoon on separate visits. Both courses are worth the trip. The debate is only about which to do first.
If you're weighing Pinehills against closer options, cheapest golf near Boston covers what the full range looks like at shorter distances.
Booking tips
Book at pinehillsgolf.com/rates-policies. Tee times are available online. Weekend morning slots on both courses book out fast — a week in advance is the safe target, two weeks for peak summer Saturdays.
If you make the drive regularly, Pinehills offers annual passes at pinehillsgolf.com/annual-passes. The math works once you're playing both courses multiple times per season.
Pinehills is worth the 40-minute drive. The issue is that planning a trip around one slot at one course still means checking pinehillsgolf.com, comparing it against what's available closer to the city, and figuring out whether the 20-odd courses between Boston and Plymouth have better value for your particular Saturday. Carl checks inventory across all of them — GolfNow, TeeOff, and direct booking — so you get the best available slot for what you actually want to spend, not just the one course you already know about.