Plymouth may be best known for its history, beaches, and waterfront, but golfers have another reason to visit: there is a surprisingly large collection of golf courses right here in town.
You can play a championship course in the morning, head to Plymouth Harbor for dinner, and finish the day back by the ocean. And because the courses range from premium 18-hole layouts to relaxed executive and par-3 courses, a Plymouth golf getaway works just as well for serious golfers as it does for families and mixed-skill groups.
Here are some of the best places to play while visiting Plymouth.
Pinehills Golf Club: The Destination Golf Experience
If golf is one of the main reasons for your Plymouth trip, start with Pinehills Golf Club. Pinehills has two 18-hole championship courses, one designed by Jack Nicklaus' design team and the other by Rees Jones. Both are public daily-fee courses, so you don't need to belong to a club to play them. The Nicklaus Course stretches as far as 7,243 yards, while the Jones Course can play to 7,175 yards, with multiple tee options on each.
Nicklaus Course
The Nicklaus Course winds through tall pines with rolling fairways and strategically designed greens. It has a polished resort-course feeling and is a good choice when you want golf to be a centerpiece of the day rather than simply one activity among many.
Jones Course
The Rees Jones Course offers a different personality, with plenty of strategic decisions and a layout designed to work with Plymouth's natural terrain. If you are staying several days, playing one course one day and the other the next makes for a very easy Plymouth golf getaway. Pinehills also has an extensive practice facility, making it a particularly good option for golfers who want some range time before their round.
Good for: Golf weekends, experienced golfers, couples' golf trips and groups who want a higher-end golf experience.
Crosswinds Golf Club: 27 Holes Means More Variety
Just down Long Pond Road is Crosswinds Golf Club, another course worth putting on the itinerary. Crosswinds has 27 holes divided into three nine-hole courses — Jones, Ouimet and Zaharias — allowing different combinations for an 18-hole round.
That makes Crosswinds especially appealing for a multi-day golf trip. You can return and play a different combination rather than essentially repeating the same round. The course moves through wooded South Plymouth terrain and around environmentally sensitive areas, including cranberry bogs — one of those distinctly Plymouth touches you aren't likely to encounter on a typical golf vacation.
Good for: Groups, repeat rounds, serious golfers and travelers looking for strong golf without necessarily choosing the highest-priced course in town.
Waverly Oaks Golf Club: Championship Golf in the Woods
Almost next door to Crosswinds is Waverly Oaks Golf Club. Waverly Oaks is a public championship-style course designed by Brian Silva, set on a large wooded property in Plymouth. It offers another full-length option for golfers who want to build a two- or three-course golf weekend without driving all over southeastern Massachusetts.
One advantage to this part of Plymouth is just how concentrated the golf becomes: Crosswinds, Waverly Oaks and the Pinehills area are all in the same general section of town. Good for: Experienced golfers and golf-focused weekends where you want several full-size courses close together.
Atlantic Country Club: A Traditional 18-Hole Round
Farther into South Plymouth you'll find Atlantic Country Club. Atlantic spreads its 18 championship holes across approximately 187 acres and offers four sets of tees. The course is known for bentgrass fairways and greens and includes a substantial practice facility; its driving range alone covers roughly 12 acres.
This is a good course to consider if you enjoy traditional golf where placement and course management matter as much as distance. Another nice option for vacationers: Atlantic offers both 18-hole and 9-hole rates, so you don't necessarily have to devote most of the day to golf. Good for: Traditional golfers, practice sessions, nine-hole vacation rounds and players who enjoy strategic golf.
Southers Marsh: Golf Through Plymouth's Cranberry Bogs
For something completely different, try Southers Marsh Golf Club. This might be the most uniquely Plymouth course on the list. Southers Marsh is an 18-hole, par-61 executive course built around the Stearns family's working cranberry bogs. The course measures approximately 4,111 yards from the back tees, so you'll generally finish faster than you would on a championship-length course — but that doesn't mean it's simply a beginner course.
The shorter layout makes Southers Marsh particularly useful on vacation. You can play in the morning and still have plenty of time for the beach, Plymouth waterfront, sightseeing or dinner later in the day. The facility also has Toptracer-equipped indoor hitting bays at The Barn, giving golfers an option when New England weather isn't cooperating.
Good for: Mixed-ability groups, shorter rounds, families, casual golfers and anyone who wants to see a golf course surrounded by real Plymouth cranberry bogs.
Squirrel Run: A More Relaxed Round
Not every vacation round needs to be championship golf. Squirrel Run Country Club is an 18-hole executive-style public course. Its compact layout consists primarily of par 3s along with several par 4s, making it approachable without turning the round into little more than a practice session.
It can be a particularly good choice when one person in the group loves golf and another is still learning. Good for: Beginners, families, casual rounds, short-game practice and mixed-skill groups.
Village Links: When You Just Want to Play a Quick Round
For an even more relaxed option, Village Links Golf Club is an 18-hole par-3 course. Because the holes are short and the course is walkable, it's an easy way to squeeze golf into a beach vacation without committing half the day.
It's also a nice choice for parents introducing kids to golf or for experienced golfers who want to work on their irons and short game. Good for: Families, newer golfers, quick rounds and short-game practice.
What About Plymouth's Private Golf Courses?
Plymouth also has some exceptional private golf. Old Sandwich Golf Club is a members-only Coore & Crenshaw course located along historic Old Sandwich Road, while Plymouth Country Club is a private club with a classic Donald Ross course. And overlooking Cape Cod Bay, White Cliffs Country Club combines private golf with one of Plymouth's more dramatic coastal settings.
For most visitors, however, Plymouth's public golf choices are extensive enough that you can plan an entire golf trip without needing private-club access.
Planning a Plymouth Golf Weekend
One of the best things about golfing in Plymouth is that you don't have to make it an all-golf vacation. A long weekend could look something like this:
- —Friday: Arrive in Plymouth, settle into your beach house and have dinner on the waterfront.
- —Saturday: Play Pinehills, Crosswinds or Waverly Oaks, then head into downtown Plymouth for drinks and dinner.
- —Sunday: Play a quicker round at Southers Marsh, Squirrel Run or Village Links, followed by an afternoon at the beach.
And if you're traveling with someone who doesn't golf, they have plenty to do while you're on the course — beaches, shopping, historic Plymouth, restaurants, breweries, spas and the waterfront are all nearby.
Stay Near the Golf — and the Ocean
A golf weekend doesn't have to mean staying at a golf resort. The Bay Stay Homes offers two Plymouth vacation homes near the ocean, giving you a home base where you can combine golf, beach time and everything else Plymouth has to offer.
Whale Away accommodates up to 8 guests, making it especially well suited to golf groups, families and friends traveling together. Bay Watch accommodates up to 4 guests and works beautifully for a couple, two couples or a smaller golf getaway.
Both give you something a golf hotel can't: a place to come back after your round, relax together, enjoy the coast and experience Plymouth as more than simply a golf destination.
One local tip
Plymouth is geographically much larger than many visitors realize. If there is a particular course you definitely want to play, reserve your tee time before your trip, especially for prime weekend morning times, and then build that day's Plymouth plans around where you're playing.
With Pinehills, Crosswinds, Waverly Oaks, Atlantic, Southers Marsh and several shorter-course options all in town, Plymouth makes it surprisingly easy to build a very good New England golf trip — and still spend the rest of your vacation by the water. See our Plymouth golf course guide for course details.
