Mike Casey/CaseyPhotography.net
Mike Casey/CaseyPhotography.net
Mike Casey/CaseyPhotography.net
Mike Casey/CaseyPhotography.net
Mike Casey/CaseyPhotography.net
Mike Casey/CaseyPhotography.net
Mike Casey/CaseyPhotography.net
Mike Casey/CaseyPhotography.net
Charles River Country Club
Charles River Country Club
483 Dedham St
Newton, MA 02459-2905
United States
About
Awards
ranking history:
Best in State: Ranked inside the top 5, 2007. Ranked inside the top 10, 1991-'93, 2005. Ranked 14th, 2013-'14. Ranked 15th, 2025-'26. Ranked inside the top 15, 2003, 2009. Ranked 16th, 2011-'12, 2015-'16. Ranked 17th, 2017-'18. Ranked 19th, 2019-'20, 2023-'24. Ranked 20th, 2021-'22.
Previous ranking: 19th.
2025-'26 ranking: 15th.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“A perfectly challenging and enjoyable course--Only a few of the holes standout as unique (the 11th and 15th come to mind), a couple of the holes are very forgettable (the 3rd and 4th), and the course attempts to compensate for some of its mediocrities with conditioning, which to be honest, was more green and lush than it was firm, fast, receptive and true."
Read More2026
Review
“One of my favorite Donald Ross designs! So much risk reward! Very undulating greens with many false fronts. Definitely top 5 in the state"
Read More2025
Review
“Solid Ross track with significant shot option value off the tee requiring many different club choices. Par 5 holes have not quite stood up to the modern game and, especially with five of them, the challenge of the layout is diluted somewhat."
Read More2025
Review
“Charles River Golf Club offers a challenging and well-maintained playing experience, with consistently strong course conditions throughout. The front nine feels more straightforward, while the back nine introduces greater variety and a touch more uniqueness with changes in elevation, though it still lacks many true standout holes. Overall, it’s a quality course that values conditioning and subtle challenge more than bold design flair."
Read More2025
Review
“Charles River may be the most exemplary antidote to the modern game that I’ve seen. It puts doubt into the best players minds right from the start and never lets up. The question “What do I hit off 1?” is no longer a common phase asked to a caddy. Often giving a good player too many options can confuse and bewilder; 12 of the 14 tee shots at Charles River are blind or obscured from the tee leading to uncertainty the first time, and second guessing each time after that. The amount of Shot Options presented can beguile the better player and can play right into the hand of a shorter more precise golfer condensing the field. The third hole, a downhill par 4, can result in anything from a birdie to double without needing driver off the tee. Same thing on the sixth and seventh, precision over distance. Like its more famous neighbor, Charles River is home to astounding land movement, rock outcroppings, and long grasses framing the holes. Number eight stands out as a great comparison, a long tough hole at the right part of the round requires a long accurate tee shot with right and left both dead. The left half of the fairway is blocked by a large rock formation making the second shot blind to an uphill benched green with a large false front that the front half of the green supports. Adds Challenge, and Variety to the offering, and leads the golfer to the next hole which ends the front with a severely sloping green on a mid-length par 3. Charles River gives hints of White Bear Yacht Club in Minnesota, another Donald Ross gem, with his use of undulation to affect play. Both allow the weather to dictate the conditions, and a dry summer produced lively turf. A par-72, Charles River offers an interesting combination of five par 3s and five par 5s, including back-to-back 5s on the back-nine but even those two differ substantially using large undulation to dictate how best to play. Number 14, a precise drive to the edge of a cliff offers the golfer to try to hit the green in two, laying back means the green is out of view with a pond down below. For the best golfers, trying to score, this type of three-shot hole can irritate, which is precisely the hope, while the higher-handicap playing three sensible shots can match a birdie or par. Overall, Charles River is a fun, classic New England Ross which punches above its weight class. Not a top-10 in a rich golf state like Massachusetts but certainly one to enjoy if you get the invitation."
Read More2024
Review
“Terrific Donald Ross Gem with five par 5s and five par 3s. Challenging greens and wonderful land movement."
Read More2024
Review
“Charles River has a great variety of hole shapes and lengths, including par 3's ranging from 150-260 yards. The conditions are great (even in wet season), albeit fairly lush. The course is a challenging and fair test from back tees (plays at par 70 for competition). The greens are large and undulating as you'd expect from a Donald Ross design."
Read More2024
Review
“Charles River CC is one of the flagship Donald Ross courses in the Boston area, and contains everything that made Ross a master router of courses, builder of greens, and judicial planner of hazards. The level of variety here places "The River" among Ross's best courses, even if the pace of today's greens slightly decreases the playability level on some holes. Charles River was the secondary course when TCC hosted the US Amateur in 2013."
Read More2022
Review
“A really good golf course with great conditions and a variety of holes. Par threes range from 150 yards (front pin on the 9th) to 260 yards (11th)!"
Read More2018
Review
“Very nice Ross course at a first class club."
Read More2018
