William J. Devine Golf Course at Franklin Park

Honestly, this place is a hidden gem. Not only are the guys that work here old school legends, but they are also super welcoming. Great track, easy to walk if you don’t want to pay for a cart. Challenging but super enjoyable. If you only did 9 and come to the turn, most of the time they say you can keep playing as long as you return the cart (they have to be in by a certain time), but no extra charge. Chill vibes, fun layout, definitely worth playing at.

Played here several times and enjoyed each round. The course is in pretty good shape for being a public course in the middle of the city. The hole layouts are interesting and make for a challenging experience. The staff has always been friendly and is good at what they do. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone looking for a quick nine after work.

William J. Devine aka Franklin Park is one of two municipal golf courses operated by the city of Boston (the other being George Wright). I’ve played here a few times and here are my takeaways: Pros: The golf course is located close to the city for city residents. You can get a slightly discounted rate for being a Boston resident. It’s also fairly easy to get a tee time, less booked than GW. It’s a fun golf course. Even though it’s a shorter golf course at 6000 yards from the tips and many fairways are wide open, many shots demand your attention. The rough isn’t too bad. Be sure to avoid the fescue areas. Some tee shots are blind and it’s hard to tell which way the hole goes, so it’s helpful to download a GPS rangefinder app. Greens require good reads. Overall it makes for a laid back and enjoyable round. Cons: Greens were running a bit slow and there was standing water on the fairways, but given the recent weather it’s understandable. Hope it improves. The pace of play here is slow. One time I had to wait 30 minutes past my tee time. And like other reviewers have said, the course marshals are rude. I saw them yell at the top of their lungs to people for going off the cart path by a few feet. Not a good look and not a good way to invite people to take up the game. WJD and GW are the same prices - I’d take GW any day if I can get a time.

Pros: - Reasonably priced for what you get: accessible historic muni in Greater Boston that has an interesting layout - Conditions are great, photo attached were taken late in the season (weekend before Halloween). Back 9 is pristine - Good practice putting / chipping green - Small discount for Boston residents - Staff are super nice Cons: - It can be hard to get a good tee time due to popularity - Pace of play on weekends often drags to ~5 hr range

For years I keep saying every time I finish a round it's the last time. I cancelled my membership there after two years. All because the staff is just too rude, sarcastic. On the course, at the desk, it gets exhausting. The sister course's team is direct, straight to the point, but not rude. It's a shame because the course is fun, and close to the city. I played at another course the other day and some guys I played with told me the same thing without me brining this up. Pretty sad story. Teach some professionalism, manners. Or just be decent if you can't be polite. The GM should hold their staff to some kind of standard in these regards.

Great course but the starter was rude and on a power trip. The pro shop handled the confusion that we both had about tee time (professionally) but the unprofessional starter had to add his two cents over and over again. As we approached the carts the rude starter from the jump called out the issue and didn't want to listen to my explanation. I told him over and over again that the pro shop and I had figured it out but it went in one ear and out the other. He then asked me "how long have I been golfing"...I answered and he said "you should know better". Sorry that the online booking and you pro shop database didn't communicate properly. He then went on and on about how the course is packed and other irrelevant things. As we were waiting to take off the group behind us was checking in with him. One guy was definitely visiting from out of the country. They approached with one bag and the starter told them that they couldn't play unless they rent one more. ( I understand there are some "rules" about that but come on). The starter then spoke to them like little children "you can't do that..." They apparently did it a day prior and the pro shop and starter then said it was "okay". This starter said someone f'ed up and its not right. Then he started talking about how it's illegal and it's an added stroke every swing you take with a club that's not yours. Like dude...it's a Tuesday morning, it's not that serious. After he chirped us on the first tee box and followed us to the par three we finally got away from him and felt a little more relaxed. All in all beautiful and historical course but I'm not going back.