Best golf courses: Boston / Cape Cod / R.I.

Boston / Cape Cod / R.I.: the table below provides brief details about the top golf courses in this country or region. Each golf club has been visited and/or researched by Where2Golf. Click on the course name below to discover more. The course ratings below range from 5 highest, to 2 lowest. They attempt to provide an indication of the golfing experience you might expect at the course (based on its design, condition and surroundings). Hover your cursor above the Rating Key for the rating definitions.
5-star: Fabulous – courses don’t get much better than this.
Visitors welcome
Newport, RI
Cornish, Robinson & Mulligan

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Newport, RI

Designer

Front-nine designed by Geoff Cornish & William G. "Bill" Robinson (1978); back-nine designed by Patrick Mulligan (1980).

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Plymouth, MA
Jones, Rees

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Plymouth, MA

Designer

Rees Jones

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Plymouth, MA
Nicklaus II, Jack

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Plymouth, MA

Designer

Jack Nicklaus II

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Boston
Silva, Brian

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Boston

Designer

Brian Silva

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Boston
Sanford, John

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Boston

Designer

John Sanford

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Providence
Jones, Rees

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Providence

Designer

Rees Jones
4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Newport, RI
Hills, Arthur

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Newport, RI

Designer

Arthur Hills and design associate Drew Rogers.

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Barnstable, MA
Cornish, Silva & Mungeam

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Barnstable, MA

Designer

Geoffrey Cornish, Brian Silva & Mark Mungeam

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Plymouth, MA
Silva, Brian

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Plymouth, MA

Designer

Brian Silva

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Barnstable, MA
Silva, Brian

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Barnstable, MA

Designer

Brian Silva of Cornish, Silva & Mungeam.

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Boston
Silva, Brian

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Boston

Designer

Brian Silva

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Plymouth, MA
Hurdzan/Fry

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Plymouth, MA

Designer

Hurdzan/Fry Design (Dr Michael J. Hurdzan & Dana Fry).

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Newport, RI
Marble & Maurer

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Newport, RI

Designer

Original nine designed by Ralph P. Marble (1963); extended to 18-holes by Howard Maurer (2003).

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Newport, RI
Cornish & Silva

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Newport, RI

Designer

Geoff Cornish & Brian Silva

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Barnstable, MA
Silva, Brian

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Barnstable, MA

Designer

Brian Silva of Cornish, Silva & Mungeam.

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Plymouth, MA
Cornish, Silva & Mungeam

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Plymouth, MA

Designer

Geoffrey Cornish, Brian Silva & Mark Mungeam

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Rsrt guests only
Barnstable, MA
Silva, Brian

Visitors?

Rsrt guests only

Nearest city

Barnstable, MA

Designer

Brian Silva of Cornish, Silva & Mungeam.

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Barnstable, MA
Cornish & Robinson

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Barnstable, MA

Designer

Geoff Cornish & William G. "Bill" Robinson (1974), with later improvements by Mark Mungeam.

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Boston
Mungeam, Mark

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Boston

Designer

Mark A. Mungeam
3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Barnstable, MA
Small, Isaac

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Barnstable, MA

Designer

Original layout by Isaac Small (1892); redesigned by J. Henry McKinley (1913).

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Boston
Ross, Donald

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Boston

Designer

Donald Ross's design work started in 1928, but the project was shelved due to the Wall Street Crash. Course eventually opened in 1938.

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Providence
Ross, Donald

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Providence

Designer

Donald Ross

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Providence
Flynn, Hood & Hanse

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Providence

Designer

Original design by William S. Flynn & Frederic C. Hood (1922); renovated by Gil Hanse (1998, 2012).

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Boston
Ross, Donald

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Boston

Designer

Course designed by Donald Ross (1925), when club moved to its current Peabody site.

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Boston
Hanse, Gil

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Boston

Designer

Gil Hanse

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Boston
Cornish & Silva

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Boston

Designer

Geoff Cornish & Brian Silva
Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Boston
Campbell, Willie

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Boston

Designer

Original 6-hole course designed by three club members (1893). Extended to 9-holes (1894) and then 18-holes (1899) by the club's first professional, Scotsman William (Willie) Campbell. The course was lengthened by Alex Campbell* (1902) and later revised and renovated by Rees Jones (1988). 9-hole Primrose course designed by William S. Flynn (1927). *Willie and Alex Campbell were not related to each other, other than by the clan Campbell name.

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Providence
Ross, Donald

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Providence

Designer

Original nine-hole course designed by Willie Campbell (1898), which was folded into the original 18-hole Donald Ross design (1914). In 1926 Ross returned to further improve his original design. Restoration project led by Ron Forse (2008).

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Plymouth, MA
Coore & Crenshaw

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Plymouth, MA

Designer

Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Boston
Ross, Donald

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Boston

Designer

Current layout designed by Donald Ross (1913).

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Boston
Leeds & Cornish

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Boston

Designer

Original design by Herbert C. Leeds (1894); modifications by Geoff Cornish (2005) and Gil Hanse (2013).

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Providence
Palmer, Hanse & Faxon

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Providence

Designer

Original design by Arnold Palmer (2002); redesigned by Gil Hanse in consultation with Brad Faxon (2007).

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Boston
Ross, Donald

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Boston

Designer

Designed by Donald Ross (1917); modifications by Tom Doak (2008).
Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Barnstable, MA
Fowler, Herbert

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Barnstable, MA

Designer

Original design by English course architect Herbert Fowler (1922); modifications by Keith Foster (2007).

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Newport, RI
Davis & Tillinghast

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Newport, RI

Designer

Original nine-hole layout designed by the club's first professional, William F. Davis (1894), and extended by him to 18-holes (1899). Later improvements by Albert W. Tillinghast (1924) and Ron Forse (1999). Although Donald Ross was thought to have been involved at some stage in Newport's design, this was not apparently the case.

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Boston
Cornish / Fazio

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Boston

Designer

Pines course: designed by Geoffrey Cornish with input from Francis Oiumet (1956); modifications by Robert Trent Jones Sr (1972). Redesigned by the firm of Coore & Crenshaw (Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw) (2021).
Oaks course: original design by Tom Fazio (2001); modifications by Tripp Davis (2021).

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Tournaments

Chevron Championship: the first women’s major championship of 2023 is played for the first time in Texas, having been uprooted from its home of 51 years at the Mission Hills Country Club, Rancho Mirage, California.

Italian Open: the 80th playing of this prestigious European event will see many 2023 Ryder Cup hopefuls build their “local knowledge” of the Marco Simone course in Rome. (May 4-7). Ryder Cup (Sept 29-Oct 1).

Who's Who

Jon Rahm: dedicated his emphatic Masters Tournament win to the late Seve Ballesteros. “Rahmbo’s” victory came on the day his fellow countryman and golfing inspiration would have turned 66 years of age.

Steve Stricker: four-time senior major championship winner, chases a fifth title as he defends at the 34th Regions Tradition (May 11-14), the first senior major of 2023.

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.

Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.

Costa Cruise & Golf

Costa’s "Cruise & Golf" allows golfers and their families to combine a unique golfing experience with the relaxation and fun of a cruise on board Costa Smeralda. Golf enthusiasts are offered a choice from 23 top-quality golf clubs; their chosen courses are played during the ship’s port calls in Italy, France and Spain. While the golfers are driving the fairways, accompanying non-golfers are able to enjoy the amenities and activities on-board, or explore wonderful places on day excursions organised by Costa. Read more ...

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