William J. Devine Memorial Golf Course, colloquially referred to as and contained within Franklin Park, is a municipal

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

in the

Jamaica Plain Jamaica Plain is a neighborhood of in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Settled by Puritans seeking farmland to the south, it was originally part of the former Town of Roxbury, now also a part of the City of Boston. The commun ...

neighborhood of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, 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.

History

In 1890

George Wright George Wright may refer to: Politics, law and government * George Wright (MP) (died 1557), MP for Bedford and Wallingford * George Wright (governor) (1779–1842), Canadian politician, lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island * George Wright ...

, the former star

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

of the

Cincinnati Red Stockings The Cincinnati Red Stockings of were baseball's first all-professional team, with ten salaried players. The Cincinnati Base Ball Club formed in 1866 and fielded competitive teams in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) 1867– ...

and the Boston Red Stockings, set in motion the origin of the first public golf course in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

. Wright and partner Henry Ditson were the proprietors of

sporting goods Sports equipment, sporting equipment, also called sporting goods, are the tools, materials, apparel, and gear used to compete in a sport and varies depending on the sport. The equipment ranges from balls, nets, and protective gear like helmets. ...

store ''Wright & Ditson'' on Washington Street in Boston. When ordering

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

equipment from an English athletic goods catalog, Wright noticed a listing for

golf ball A golf ball is a special ball designed to be used in the game of golf. Under the rules of golf, a golf ball has a mass no more than , has a diameter not less than , and performs within specified velocity, distance, and symmetry limits. Like g ...

s and

clubs Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

. 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 A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

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. After the day's events, Wright reported all had "enjoyed the outing" and the game was "a grand success". However, while private clubs were being established in Massachusetts after Wright's "experiment", no further golf was played at Franklin Park or any other public course in America through 1894. Boston resident Willie Campbell, the

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

-born professional at

Brookline Brookline may refer to: Places in the United States * Brookline, Massachusetts, a town near Boston * Brookline, Missouri * Brookline, New Hampshire * Brookline (Pittsburgh), a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania * Brookline, Vermont See ...

The Country Club The Country Club, located in Brookline, Massachusetts, is the oldest golf-oriented country club in the United States. (The Philadelphia Cricket Club, founded in 1854, was the first country club for any sport.) It holds an important place in ...

began petitioning the City of Boston to open a public links at Franklin Park. Because of these efforts, a 9-hole municipal course designed by Campbell opened at the park on October 26, 1896. The course was built on ''Country Park'', a mile long and ¾ of a mile wide section, originally designed by

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co- ...

for the enjoyment of rural landscape for urban Bostonians. The cost of play was 25 ¢ for a double round of 9 holes, and the hours of operation were 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily, except for Sundays. The holes were named ''Harvard'', ''Valley Gate'', ''

Schoolmaster The word schoolmaster, or simply master, refers to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British independent schools, both secondary and preparatory, and a few Indian boarding schools (such as The Doon School) that were modelled after B ...

'', ''Pettigrew'', ''Scarborough'', ''Canterbury'', ''Abbotts'', ''Brooks'' and ''Misery''. Campbell was named the first professional at the course. The course was redesigned and expanded to 18 holes by Donald Ross in 1922. In recent years, course renovations have been done by Mark Mungeam of Mungeam Cornish Golf Design. The first clubhouse was built in 1911. The building was destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

when the hilltop was used for artillery guns. The second course clubhouse was built in 1949. Burned down in a suspicious fire in 1975, the building was subsequently reconstructed within the burned out shell of the old building in order to save money. This led to an unsatisfactory result, and the current clubhouse is the product of an entirely new design. It was built by the City of Boston for $3.4 million and was opened in 1998.

Legacy

* After Willie Campbell's death in 1900, his widow Georgina Campbell was appointed by the City of Boston as a professional at the course, becoming the first female golf pro in the United States. *

George Franklin Grant George Franklin Grant (September 15, 1846 – August 21, 1910) was the first African-American professor at Harvard. He was also a Boston dentist, and an inventor of a wooden golf tee. Biography Grant was born on September 15, 1846, in Oswego ...

, the first African American

Harvard Dental School The Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) is the dental school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to the DMD degree, HSDM offers specialty training programs, advanced trainin ...

graduate, pioneered minority play at Franklin Park. He was an inventor of a wooden golf tee. *

Francis Ouimet Francis DeSales Ouimet () (May 8, 1893 – September 2, 1967) was an American amateur golfer who is frequently referred to as the "father of amateur golf" in the United States. He won the U.S. Open in 1913 and was the first non-Briton elected ...

, 1913 winner of the U.S. Open, honed his game at the course. Ouimet was an employee at Wright & Ditson. * Both

Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in PGA Tour wins, ranks second in men's major championships, and holds numerous golf records. * * * Woods is widely regarded as ...

and

Chi-Chi Rodríguez Juan Antonio "Chi-Chi" Rodríguez (born October 23, 1935) is a Puerto Rican professional golfer. The winner of eight PGA Tour events, he was the first Puerto Rican to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Early years Rodríguez was bor ...

have taught youth golf clinics at Franklin Park.

Location

Franklin Park links the

neighborhoods A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; American and British English spelling differences, see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community ...

of Jamaica Plain, Roxbury and Dorchester together due to its proximity to all three communities. Originally named ''West Roxbury Park'', Frederick Law Olmsted planned and developed the park in the former municipality of

West Roxbury West Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts bordered by Roslindale and Jamaica Plain to the northeast, the town of Brookline to the north, the cities and towns of Newton and Needham to the northwest and the town of Dedham to the ...

(of which Jamaica Plain was a section), which was annexed to Boston in 1872. Roxbury lies across Seaver Street to the north and Dorchester across Blue Hill Avenue to the east. The street address of the course has a Dorchester ZIP code, 1 Circuit Drive, Dorchester, MA 02121.

Scorecard

Footnotes

External links