Unicorn is a 9-hole muni 12 minutes from Boston where you can walk on for under $30, and it might be the most-searched public course in the area. It plays par 35 at 3,189 yards, which is a full-length nine, not a pitch-and-putt. The land opened as a private 18 in 1928. The town of Stoneham has run it as a public nine since 1972.
Unicorn Golf Course sits at 460 William St in Stoneham, just off I-93 north of the city. Stiles and Van Kleek designed the original 18 for the Boston Athletic Association. When Stoneham bought the land in 1972, it kept the best of that routing and turned it into a nine. Sterling Golf runs it today. It books online through TeeItUp.
The course
At par 35 over 3,189 yards, Unicorn asks more than the average town nine. There is real length and some elevation. From the red tees it stretches to par 37 at 2,857 yards. You play it twice off different markers for a full 18, and the angles change enough that the second loop is not a rerun. It gets busy in summer because it is cheap, close, and legitimately fun. Expect company on a July evening.
2026 rates
Unicorn prices its nine in a band, and the lowest number in each range goes to whoever books online. Here is the 2026 sheet for 9 holes.
| 9-hole green fee | Resident | Non-resident |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | $26–32 | $28–34 |
| Senior (65+) | $24–30 | $26–32 |
| Junior (18 & under) | $19–23 | $19–23 |
A riding cart adds $12 for 9 holes. Pull carts are $5. That $12 cart number gets misquoted as the green fee all over the aggregator sites, so worth saying plainly: $12 is the cart, not the round. Juniors in the Youth on Course program play for $5. Unicorn does not publish an 18-hole rate. If you want to go around twice, call the pro shop at (781) 438-9732 and ask.
Booking
Unicorn books through TeeItUp at unicorn-golf-course.book.teeitup.golf or by phone at (781) 438-9732. Online opens 10 days out. Phone opens 5 days out, so the online window is both cheaper and earlier. Groups cap at four, and everyone in the group pays a green fee. Because it is one of the busiest nines north of Boston, prime weekday evenings and weekend mornings move fast once the window opens.
Who it's for
Unicorn is the after-work nine for anyone north of the city. It is cheap enough to play twice a week and long enough to keep your game honest. It also holds up as one of the cheapest rounds near Boston and a solid walking course. For more short-round options across the metro, see the 9-hole courses guide, and for the wider region the North Shore guide.
Unicorn opens its online tee sheet 10 days out and the good weekday-evening slots are gone within hours, while the aggregators quote a stale $12 that has nothing to do with the real green fee. Text Carl the night you want a quick nine. He watches the TeeItUp window, knows the actual resident and non-resident rates, and grabs the slot the moment it releases instead of leaving you to refresh the booking page.