South Shore Country Club is a 1922 Wayne Stiles design in Hingham that the town runs as a public course. Weekday green fees start at $29. Most Boston golfers drive west to Stow or south to Plymouth and skip everything in between. That's the mistake. The stretch from Quincy down to Scituate has real courses, lower prices, and tee sheets that are easier to get on than anything inside Route 128.
Here is where to play south of the city, what each one costs, and how each handles tee times.
South Shore Country Club, Hingham
The value pick. South Shore is a Wayne Stiles layout from 1922 that the Town of Hingham has owned since 1988 and keeps improving. It plays 6,444 yards to a par of 72. Green fees run about $29 on weekdays and $40 on weekends for 18 holes, which is muni pricing for a genuine Golden Age design. The clubhouse also has a bowling alley, indoor simulators, and a restaurant, so it stays busy year round. It is about 25 minutes from downtown Boston.
Braintree Municipal Golf Course, Braintree
The closest full 18 on this list. Braintree Municipal opened as nine holes in 1932, the town bought it in 1955, and it grew to a full 18 in 1971. It plays a par 72 at roughly 6,554 yards through wooded terrain with water in play. For 2026, weekday rates run about $42 for Braintree residents and $57 for non-residents in prime hours. Booking is online only and opens at 6pm exactly seven days ahead. See the full Braintree Municipal review for what it plays like hole to hole.
Widow's Walk Golf Course, Scituate
The one with the views. Widow's Walk opened in 1997 as America's first environmental demonstration course, designed by Michael Hurdzan on old gravel-pit and marsh land. It is a certified Audubon sanctuary. It plays 6,403 yards to a par of 72 with a slope of 123, and 18 holes run around $82. The marsh and ocean views on a few tees are the best on the South Shore. The tradeoff is that it plays tight and penal. Miss a fairway and you lose golf balls. Read the full Widow's Walk review before you book.
Furnace Brook and the Quincy options
Quincy is where the South Shore starts. Furnace Brook is a city 9-hole at 74 Summit Ave, good for a quick weekday loop, with public play restricted to after 3pm on weekends. A few miles away, Granite Links is the premium end: a 27-hole complex with skyline views that runs $165 to $180 in peak season and drops to around $90 at twilight. Two very different rounds within ten minutes of each other.
Plymouth: the premium end of the drive
Go far enough south and you hit the best public golf in the region. Pinehills has two championship courses, a Rees Jones and a Nicklaus Design, starting at $100 and $140. Waverly Oaks is a Brian Silva design that Golf Magazine once put in its top 100 public courses, around $110 midweek. Both are about 40 minutes from Boston. For a full day trip, either is worth the drive.
How South Shore booking actually works
There is no shared system. South Shore Country Club runs its own tee sheet. Braintree Municipal is online-only and opens seven days out at 6pm. Widow's Walk books through the town. Granite Links has its own reservation platform. Pinehills and Waverly Oaks each run their own. Some list partial inventory on GolfNow and some list none. Check only GolfNow and the South Shore looks half empty when the tee sheets are open.
| Course | Town | 18-hole rate | Drive from Boston |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Shore CC | Hingham | ~$29 weekday / $40 weekend | ~25 min |
| Braintree Municipal | Braintree | ~$42 resident / $57 non-resident | ~20 min |
| Widow's Walk | Scituate | ~$82 | ~40 min |
| Granite Links | Quincy | ~$165–180 peak | ~15 min |
| Pinehills | Plymouth | ~$100–175 | ~40 min |
Rates shift by season and day. Confirm at the pro shop before you drive down. For how these stack against the rest of the metro, see the best public courses breakdown and the North Shore guide for the other overlooked direction.
The South Shore has cheap munis, a premium end in Plymouth, and no single place to see any of it. Every course sits on its own system and GolfNow misses most of them. Text Carl the day you want to play and how far you will drive. He checks South Shore Country Club, Braintree, Widow's Walk, Granite Links, and Pinehills directly, calls the shops that don't list online, and sends back a real tee time instead of a half-empty search page.