Newton Commonwealth Golf Course

There's a great gang of folks that work here led by Albie, who does a fantastic job of listening to patrons and keeping everyone happy and the golf good. Great superintendent always has the course in great condition in spite of many seasonal challenges and moisture issues related to the steep incline that many holes sit upon. This course has a lot of history, being one of the oldest public courses in the nation, opened in 1897 and redesigned by Donald Ross, the course still holds a lot of his architectural influences, in spite of the course being shortened many decades ago after much of the course was awarded to Brighton and built-over in a land dispute (yes, this course was once over 7,000 yards easily, but what's more impressive is that they've maintained an 18-hole layout in a very urban setting on a small plot of land and kept it quite fun and interesting).
Strategy guide:
1. Always leave your ball below the hole on the greens (never chip/putt downhill if you can avoid it);
2. You may not even need a driver if you hit the ball long enough;
3. 5 is a fantastic score on the 2nd hole that plays so much longer than its stated yardage and demands a ridiculously tough tee shot (ideal shot shape is right-to-left for the best chance of avoiding the creek that crosses the fairway from 4 o'clock-to-11 o'clock by staying short of it and playing this as a 3-shot hole)
4. CALL FORE! - THERE ARE SO MANY BLIND SPOTS, JUST ASSUME SOMEONE IS NEAR YOUR SHOT AND SAVE THEIR LIFE, PLEASE (or wear a helmet here, as the fairways travel back and forth along the side of the hill on the front 9 and you could catch errant traffic from 3 holes away).
5. Being able to shape the ball in both directions is a very useful skill at this course, although it is much easier for a golfer to fit a RH cut-shot (left-to-right ball flight) on most of the course's tee shots, as a general rule; the ability to draw the ball will come into play on quite a lot of approach shots resulting from the pitched sidehill lies.
6. Snack shop is great, say hi to Buddy and put some bread in his jar.
7. Pro shop can hook you up if you show up ill-equipped, great selection of equipment
8. Use the practice green since the course can run as fast as the practice surface.

Please please please save your money and play somewhere else. The course is on a hill which ruins a lot of the holes. I can promise there will be no hole where you stand on the tee box and are impressed. The course is also incredibly short (which I don’t mind because I don’t hammer hit it far) but it’s just a terrible set up when basically every hole you’re walking on the side of a hill. The BIGGEST issue is the price, the conditions aren’t great, the pace of play is dreadful but the price is what makes this place so terrible. There’s nothing wrong with playing your average muny, but you shouldn’t be expected to pay like it’s a quality course. The course is below average but priced like a great course, avoid at all costs!

Got a twilight tee time for $15 at 6:30 on friday thinking it was a great deal. Left the course with potential lung cancer.

My buddies and I were able to book 9 holes for $15, trying to get some quick golf in with beautiful weather that day. As soon as we left the first hole it was a disaster. We were constantly waiting for the next group to tee off and as we reached the 3rd hole we could see why. There was a group of 7-8 a couple groups ahead. In what world does this make sense? Then, when we finally got to tee off and reach the green, there was someone spraying some nasty pesticide/green spray paint to cover up the fact that dead grass was nearly everywhere on this course.
Luckily for us, he would spray this right as we reached the green on every hole so we were inhaling Agent Orange everywhere he went. At 8:30 we were finally at the 5th tee box, averaging a lightning quick 30 minutes per hole.

We wanted to finish back at the clubhouse, so we skipped over to the 13th hole and played that as our last hole. With no pesticides, no large party of 8, and no light, I managed to sink a chip for birdie as the highlight to our fantastic 5 holes of golf.

Would not recommend as this course is not maintained, full of people who don't understand what the number 4 is, and literal chemical warfare happening as you try to putt.

GRADE : B- (i got a birdie)

This was my first time playing Newton Commonwealth - the staff here are amazing! Very friendly and helpful. The course is in good shape, the greens were challenging. This course has a bunch of switch-back par 4/5s on the side of a hill so it will test your ability to play challenging lies. I will definitely be golfing here again!

Drove out to walk an early round before work (went off at 6:15 am). Caught up with a group by the 3rd hole. From there, there was already nowhere to go on the course (front or back). Very slow pace of play and poor quality golfers on every hole. Ended up playing 5 holes and walking off after paying for 18. Frustrating experience, will not return.

My son and I were visiting my friend of 45 years and his club was closed on Monday. He suggested Newton Commonwealth as an option and we were able to make a tee time with no issue. The staff was very flexible as we had to move our time back a half hour.

The course layout is a little cramped as there are several holes with large fences protecting condos in case there was an errant shot. There were several short par fours that were in the 270 range that some of us came close to driving. The greens head few ball marks on them for as much play as they get, were in pretty good shape. They were a little on the slow side, which is to be expected but overall I found them quite playable.

I wouldn’t go out of my way to play here, but if you find yourself in a similar situation as us we did have a good time and the staff being friendly and accommodating really helped.

I've played Newton Commonwealth over the years many times. The course was in good condition except the greens were not well mowed and were slow. Overall, it's a good municipal course at a very good price. I recommend it for anyone visiting Boston, if you want to just get out and have fun golfing without breaking the bank. It is a hilly course to walk but I do it anyway. Enjoy.

This is a nice course not too far from Boston with several interesting features. For instance, you have to climb an observation post on two holes to make sure it is safe to tee off. However, the novelty of the steep hills and blind approaches wears off by the back nine. If you miss the green on 10, 11, or 12 by mere inches, your ball will roll 50 yards downhill. If you go 5 yards left on some of them, your ball is out of bounds. A stiff gust of wind is all you need to blow the hole and maybe a neighbor's window. There is also more than one hole where you can hit the center of the fairway and the ball rolls all the way off, through the rough, over the cart path, and onto another fairway. It is just not fun.

Also, carrying a bag for 18 is a chore up those hills. Be forewarned.

Course is not long but challenging to all level
Of Golfers. Course is in excellent condition Staff is extremely friendly and accommodating

I’m not going to act like this is a high-quality course, but it’s not bad considering the lack of courses around Boston. It’s a tricky and fun course to play, though the greens and overall conditions on some holes aren’t in the best shape. I was able to finish this round in about 4 hours. A previous time it took me closer to 6 hours.