maps.golfThe hardest golf courses in Massachusetts, by slope rating
We ranked 70 Massachusetts courses with a maps.golf guide using the numbers on their own scorecards. Shaker Hills Country Club is the hardest: a slope of 145 from the Gold tees (course rating 74.2).
Updated November 5, 2026
| # | Course | Location | Slope | Rating | Tees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shaker Hills Country Club | Harvard, MA | 145 | 74.2 | Gold |
| 2 | The Ranch Golf Club | Southwick, MA | 139 | 75.0 | Black |
| 3 | Cyprian Keyes Golf Club – Championship | Boylston, MA | 139 | 72.7 | Blue |
| 4 | Pinehills Golf Club – Jones | Plymouth, MA | 137 | 75.4 | Black |
| 5 | Highfields Golf & Country Club | Grafton, MA | 137 | 74.0 | Black |
| 6 | Blissful Meadows Golf Club | Uxbridge, MA | 136 | 73.4 | Blue |
| 7 | Norton Country Club | Norton, MA | 136 | 73.4 | Gold |
| 8 | Pinehills Golf Club – Nicklaus | Plymouth, MA | 135 | 75.2 | Black |
| 9 | Meadow at Peabody Golf Course | Peabody, MA | 135 | 73.7 | Championship |
| 10 | Taconic Golf Club | Williamstown, MA | 134 | 73.5 | Black |
| 11 | Dennis Pines Golf Course | South Dennis, MA | 133 | 74.3 | Gold |
| 12 | Allendale Country Club | North Dartmouth, MA | 133 | 73.4 | Blue |
| 13 | Cranberry Valley Golf Club | Harwich, MA | 133 | 73.4 | Gold |
| 14 | Hyannis Golf Course | Hyannis, MA | 133 | 71.7 | Blue |
| 15 | Olde Barnstable Fairgrounds Golf Course | Marstons Mills, MA | 132 | 72.1 | Blue |
| 16 | Westover Golf Course | Granby, MA | 131 | 73.7 | Blue |
| 17 | Pembroke Country Club | Pembroke, MA | 131 | 73.1 | Blue |
| 18 | Bradford Country Club | Haverhill, MA | 131 | 71.1 | Black |
| 19 | Captains Golf Course – Port | Brewster, MA | 130 | 73.5 | Blue |
| 20 | Black Swan Country Club | Georgetown, MA | 130 | 72.9 | Black |
| 21 | Cold Spring Country Club | Belchertown, MA | 130 | 71.7 | Black |
| 22 | Country Club of Wilbraham | Wilbraham, MA | 130 | 71.4 | Blue |
| 23 | Juniper Hill Golf Course – Lakeside | Northborough, MA | 130 | 70.9 | Blue |
| 24 | Waverly Oaks Golf Club | Plymouth, MA | 129 | 74.0 | Black |
| 25 | Hazelton Golf Club | Rehoboth, MA | 129 | 72.3 | Gold |
| 26 | Miacomet Golf Club | Nantucket, MA | 128 | 73.6 | Gold |
| 27 | West Bridgewater Country Club | West Bridgewater, MA | 127 | 70.9 | Gold |
| 28 | Mink Meadows Golf Club | Vineyard Haven, MA | 127 | 70.4 | Blue |
| 29 | Rowley Country Club | Rowley, MA | 127 | — | Blue |
| 30 | Poquoy Brook Golf Club | Lakeville, MA | 126 | 73.5 | Blue |
| 31 | Chicopee Country Club | Chicopee, MA | 126 | 73.0 | Blue |
| 32 | Olde Scotland Links | Bridgewater, MA | 126 | 72.6 | Black |
| 33 | Sandy Burr Country Club | Wayland, MA | 126 | 71.9 | Blue |
| 34 | Juniper Hill Golf Course – Riverside | Northborough, MA | 126 | 70.5 | Blue |
| 35 | George Wright Golf Course | Hyde Park, MA | 126 | 69.5 | Blue |
| 36 | Kettle Brook Golf Club | Paxton, MA | 125 | 73.1 | Gold |
| 37 | Braintree Municipal Golf Course | Braintree, MA | 125 | 71.4 | Blue |
| 38 | Furnace Brook Golf Club | Quincy, MA | 125 | — | Blue |
| 39 | Acushnet River Valley Golf Course | Acushnet, MA | 124 | 72.5 | Gold |
| 40 | Beverly Golf & Tennis Club | Beverly, MA | 124 | 70.3 | Blue |
| 41 | Gannon Municipal Golf Course | Lynn, MA | 123 | 70.2 | Blue |
| 42 | Bass River Golf Course | South Yarmouth, MA | 123 | 69.7 | Blue |
| 43 | Country Club Of Billerica | Billerica, MA | 123 | 67.9 | Blue |
| 44 | Sandwich Hollows Golf Club | East Sandwich, MA | 122 | 70.4 | Blue |
| 45 | Green Harbor Golf Club | Marshfield, MA | 122 | 69.6 | Yellow |
| 46 | Newton Commonwealth Golf Course | Newton, MA | 122 | 65.8 | Blue |
| 47 | Veterans Memorial Golf Course | Springfield, MA | 121 | 69.3 | Blue |
| 48 | Fresh Pond Golf Course | Cambridge, MA | 121 | 68.8 | Blue |
| 49 | Greenock Country Club | Lee, MA | 121 | — | Black |
| 50 | Dennis Highlands Golf Course | Dennis, MA | 120 | 70.9 | Blue |
| 51 | Franconia Golf Course | Springfield, MA | 120 | 70.0 | Blue |
| 52 | Pine Ridge | North Oxford, MA | 120 | 69.7 | Blue |
| 53 | Worthington Golf Club | Worthington, MA | 120 | — | White |
| 54 | Wyndhurst Golf and Club | Lenox, MA | 119 | 69.7 | Black |
| 55 | Shaker Farms Country Club | Westfield, MA | 119 | 69.4 | Blue |
| 56 | Cape Ann Golf Course | Essex, MA | 119 | — | Blue |
| 57 | Hopedale Country Club | Hopedale, MA | 119 | — | Red |
| 58 | Brookmeadow Country Club | Canton, MA | 118 | 70.1 | White |
| 59 | East Mountain Country Club | Westfield, MA | 118 | 68.0 | Gold |
| 60 | Amherst Golf Club | Amherst, MA | 117 | — | White |
| 61 | Northfield Golf Club | Northfield, MA | 115 | 67.1 | White/Blue |
| 62 | Southborough Golf Club | Southborough, MA | 115 | — | Blue |
| 63 | Sassamon Trace Golf Course | Natick, MA | 114 | — | Blue |
| 64 | Norwood Country Club | Norwood, MA | 112 | 67.1 | Gold |
| 65 | Presidents Golf Course | Quincy, MA | 110 | 65.0 | Front |
| 66 | Chelmsford Country Club | Chelmsford, MA | 109 | 66.1 | red/white |
| 67 | Chatham Seaside Links | Chatham, MA | 107 | — | White |
| 68 | Pinecrest Golf Club | Holliston, MA | 103 | 63.2 | Blue |
| 69 | Blue Rock Golf Course | South Yarmouth, MA | 83 | 56.4 | Blue |
| 70 | Little Harbor Country Club | Wareham, MA | 79 | — | White |
How we ranked them
Slope rating measures how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer; 113 is average and 155 is the maximum. Each course is ranked by the highest men's slope on its own scorecard, from whichever tees carry it. Ties go to the higher course rating.
The list covers courses with a free maps.golf guide whose scorecard we’ve published, and it updates on its own as new guides go live. Numbers are as printed on each course’s card; courses re-rate and re-tee, so check the course’s own scorecard before you play. Running one of these courses and see a wrong number? Tell us.
You’re welcome to cite or link this ranking; please credit maps.golf.