William J. Devine Memorial Golf Course
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| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°18′03″N 71°05′19″W / 42.30083°N 71.08861°W |
| Location | Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Established | 1896, 121 years ago |
| Type | Public |
| Owned by | City of Boston |
| Operated by | City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department |
| Total holes | 18 |
| Tournaments hosted | MGA 2018 Massachusetts Amateur |
| Website | cityofbostongolf.com |
| Designed by | Willie Campbell, Donald Ross |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 6,013 yards (5,498 m) |
| Course rating | 69.5 |
| Slope rating | 126 |
William J. Devine Memorial Golf Course, colloquially referred to and contained within Franklin Park, is a municipal golf course in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, bordered by the neighborhoods of Dorchester and Roxbury. Established on October 26, 1896, it is the second oldest public golf course in the United States. The course is named after William J. Devine, former Commissioner of Boston's Parks and Recreation Department.
In 1890 George Wright, the former star shortstop of the and the Boston Red Stockings, set in motion the origin of the first public golf course in New England.
Wright and partner Henry Ditson were the proprietors of sporting goods store Wright & Ditson on Washington Street in Boston. When ordering cricket equipment from an English athletic goods catalog, Wright noticed a listing for golf balls and clubs. Despite not having knowledge of the game, Wright placed an order for a dozen golf balls and a set of clubs.
After acquiring a rulebook he attempted to play a game in Franklin Park in October 1890, but was stopped by a policeman who informed him he needed approval to play from the Boston Parks Department. Wright wrote a letter to the commission but was denied authorization, the stated concern that it was too dangerous for people walking in the park. Undeterred, Wright personally attended the next commissioners' meeting on December 5 and received a hearing, and a permit was granted on an "experimental" basis.
On December 10, Wright and an assistant paced off the holes, tomato cans buried in the ground serving as cups. Flagsticks were cut 3 feet in length with a piece of red flannel attached to serve as flags marking each hole. Wright, Fred Mansfield, Sam Macdonald and Temple Craig then played the new course, becoming the first foursome to play on American public, municipally-owned land. They played 2 rounds of 10 holes.
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