Granite Links: Milton/Quincy
Granite Links: Milton/Quincy
100 Quarry Hills Dr.
Quincy, MA 02169
United States
Overview
The semi-private, 27-hole facility is truly a part of the fabric of the city. As part of the 15-year, $24 billion road infrastructure project, nearly 900,000 truckloads of excavated dirt were deposited here. That afforded architect John Sanford the ability to use the 13 million tons of material to cap the site and mold some dramatic topography with the soil. With land sitting as high as 298 feet above sea level, the Milton, Quincy and Granite nines offer terrific views of downtown with impeccable conditions. The practice facilities are top-notch, and the tavern at Granite Links was named as one of Golf Digest’s best 19th holes.
About
Awards
100 Greatest Public: Ranked 73rd, 2009-'10 (Granite/Milton nines).
Best in State: Ranked 18th, 2017-'18. Ranked inside the top 20, 2009. Not ranked 2019-'22.
Current ranking: 30th.
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
“Granite Links is a semi-private 27-hole golf course in Quincy, Massachusetts. Designed by John Sanford, the 3 nines are situated on top of old granite quarries and municipal landfills with excavated dirt from Boston’s Big Dig tunnels used to fill the open areas. Begun in the early 2000’s, the Milton and Granite 9s were completed in 2004 and the final Quincy 9 in 2006. At only 6,873 yards, the Milton to Quincy 9s play to a par 71 but are a stout 142 slope and 73.9 rating. The approach to Granite Links is not very impressive, driving through a bustling parking area for the course, clubhouse, and public driving range/outdoor bar. Frankly, it looks like your run-of-the-mill, slightly upscale, muni but once you step on the first tee, the golf course shines. Located on rolling hills with some dramatic elevation changes, Granite Links offers some scenic views of the nearby Boston skyline. Several holes wrap around the immense driving range and its netting which detract from the aesthetic appeal and character but for an urban setting, it presents well. Many of the holes are target golf with blind shots rendering misses unplayable. A yardage book or local knowledge would come in very handy as familiarity would enhance the enjoyability and fun of a round. There is a good variety of holes with the majority offering some form of elevation change and a nice mix of doglegs with 4 lefts and 6 rights, slightly favoring the fader of the ball. Although not a long 18, there are plenty of long holes scattered about, particularly the 242-yard par 3 Quincy 2nd, 499-yard par 4 Quincy 4th and 239-yard par 3 Quincy 8th. Not to be outdone, the Milton 9 also boasts the 483-yard and 457-yard par 4 1st and 3rd and the 219-yard par 3 6th. With open tee boxes, all shot shapes are available, although the fader will fare slightly better with a few more dogleg rights. Many greens are well-protected with either hazards, waste areas, or copious bunkers so a lofted ball flight is preferred. Missed greens generally end in moderate rough so pitches or chips will usually be required rather than a putting option. The conditioning at Granite Links is very good. Fairways were firm and well-grassed so there were always good lies rewarding a hit fairway. Greens were quick but not overly so and rolled very true. Bunkers were consistent and very playable. Granite Links, with its preponderance of elevated tee boxes, can be exposed to stiff winds. Combined with blind shots, copious penal areas off the fairways and around the greens, the breezy conditions help make the round quite challenging. It is a fair course that will reward well-struck shots, but misses are amplified by the wind and frequently lead to the dreaded reload, especially for higher handicaps. Based on my initial impressions, I did not expect to enjoy Granite Links, but I was happily proven wrong. Yes, there are some quirky holes, the intrusive range, and perhaps a bit too much target golf without being a target golf course, but it was a fun round. Good conditions, great views of downtown Boston more than compensate for Granite Links’ foibles and it is a deserved candidate course."
Read More2025
Review
“In a state lacking great public golf options, Granite Links fills a need, although I don't think it fills it particularly well for the golfer seeking interesting architecture. The Milton/Quincy combination is not without its merits. I think a couple short par 4s on Milton - the 5th and 7th - feature strong risk/reward options that reward the player who challenges the fairway bunkers with a much shorter, easier approach to well-angled greens. These are the kind of holes one would expect to find on a candidate course. A couple longer holes on Quincy - the 4th and 5th - offer a great contrast: The 4th features a blind drive and plays downhill, while the 5th goes parallel up the same hill and has a well-placed fairway bunker that the player must avoid to capitalize on this brute of a hole. These holes help with the layout variety score. But unfortunately, I found the majority of the holes at Granite Links lacking in much strategic merit, asking the golfer to play target golf. When that target is missed, recovery shots are rarely required - instead a player is reaching for his bag and a new golf ball. For this reason, shot options are very low, even though the layout variety is ok. It's the kind of course that punishes the bogey golfer, while not being overly challenging for the scratch player. While the course is walkable, it's certainly meant for carts, and I found several green-to-tee walks outright offensive. For these reasons, the challenge and fun scores are diminished. For an urban setting, the aesthetics are - at times - quite nice. The further one gets from the clubhouse, the better they are. The holes around the clubhouse are dominated by the view of the giant driving range net and entry road, which certainly detracts from holes that on the ground are very nice to look at. It's very clearly a manufactured site, and although it's a unique feature that thousands of tons of soil from the Big Dig were used to build the course, I wouldn't say it exudes much character compared to so many of the charming courses in the Bay State. The course's best feature was probably its conditioning. Although fairways were relatively soft, they were still somewhat bouncy. Greens were moderately firm and receptive, and putts rolled true. If there was one thing I'd like to see presented differently, the chipping areas around the greens were quite shaggy, limiting the options for chip shots, and making putting from off the green a very difficult proposition."
Read More2025
Review
“The golf course boasts a great view of the city of Boston, but really lacks much character beyond that amazing view. The facility is nice and built on the top of a hill making the course exposed to extreme winds. Many of the holes on the Milton and Quincy nines do not offer many options off the tee besides hitting a 3 iron multiple times and does not give a fair risk/reward for players. A few of the par 4 holes look exactly alike and does not offer strong enough layout design. It seems like the designer did not have a lot of options especially building this course within a quarry. The facility is nice and driving range/practice facility are strong as well. The course did run firm and fast and conditioning was strong. "
Read More2021
Review
“Granite Links is always in good shape with beautiful views of Boston’s skyline. Unfortunately, there is too much “target golf” to be considered a top MA golf course."
Read More2020
Review
“A joy to play- very unusual holes with numerous rock formations, deep quarries on couple of holes, many elevation changes, large greens."
Read More2019
Review
“The Boston skyline offers one of the great first-tee views you'll find."
Read More2019
Review
“The Milton and Quincy course has a nice variety of holes and the views of downtown Boston are one of the best you can get. Some of the holes have a dramatic dogleg and poor shot options, while there are many blind shots that a player would not know where to go without a GPS or yardage book. This course is also not walkable, as the tee boxes are far from each other and one of the nines is located on the other side of the property. The greens were in excellent shape and the fairways and rough were lush with the recent rain. "
Read More2019
Review
“Course wins yearly awards for track layout, scenic views of Boston and Harbor islands. The outdoor practice facility had a major upgrade with 15 additional hitting bays and multiple bar areas for patrons. The club house and course amenities are first rate and 19th hole - Tavern rated top 50th list in US."
Read More2018
