Overview
Brae Burn Country Club in West Newton, Massachusetts, was founded in 1897 and is one of the clubs that shaped golf in the United States. It sits on about 200 acres around 10 miles from downtown Boston, and its main course is an 18-hole Donald Ross championship layout, alongside a separate nine-hole course called the Highland.
The championship course is very much Ross’s style: a gentle opening hole that lets you find your swing, raised and tiered greens where finishing on the same level as the pin matters, and small mounds and hollows that make putts hard to read. The club’s own hole guide singles out the 3rd green as the trickiest to read and the uphill, dogleg-right 7th as the toughest tee shot. The 5th, a long par 5 over a hillcrest to a green that slopes hard from back to front, is stroke index 1.
Away from the golf, Brae Burn is a full family club: a large golf shop, a golf simulator building, Har-Tru and platform tennis courts, a pool complex, and a clubhouse with the Grille Room, a ballroom and a big outdoor patio.
Facilities
Good to know
Brae Burn is private. Golf is for members and their accompanied guests, and members are expected to brief their guests on the club’s rules before the visit.
A strict, traditional dress code. Jeans of any colour are not allowed anywhere on club property, and on the course cargo shorts, T-shirts and short shorts are out too. Shirts stay tucked in, hats face forward and come off indoors. White denim trousers are allowed only from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend.
The club’s MGA-rated speed of play is 4:03 for 18 holes. Metal spikes are not permitted, and carts cannot be driven across Fuller Street into the parking lots.
326 Fuller Street, West Newton, about 10 miles from downtown Boston. From I-95/Route 128, take Route 16, then turn onto Commonwealth Avenue (Route 30) and follow it up the hill to the club. Drop your bag in front of the golf shop before you park across the street.
History & highlights
The club opened on May 29, 1897 with a nine-hole course and took its Scottish name at a founding-day suggestion: brae for a hillside, burn for a stream. Donald Ross redesigned the 18-hole course in 1912 and again in 1928. His brother Alex was Brae Burn’s professional when he won the U.S. Open in 1907.
Brae Burn has hosted four USGA championships: Walter Hagen won the 1919 U.S. Open here in a playoff, Bobby Jones won the 1928 U.S. Amateur, and U.S. Women’s Amateurs were played here in 1906, 1975 and 1997. In 1936 a member, Edward Stimpson Jr., invented the Stimpmeter, the device still used to measure green speed; the original is on display in the clubhouse lobby.
Member Edward Stimpson Jr. invented the green-speed gauge in 1936. It is displayed in the club lobby.
A par 3 of about 160 yards, usually into the wind, so take an extra club, then read a green full of small mounds and hollows.
Long hitters can drive the green, but the smart tee shot finds the plateau left of centre.
- U.S. Women’s Amateur: 1906 (Harriot Curtis), 1975 (Beth Daniel), 1997 (Silvia Cavalleri)
- U.S. Open, 1919: Walter Hagen won in a playoff
- U.S. Amateur, 1928: won by Bobby Jones
- Curtis Cup: 1958 and 1970
- MGA Amateur: 1914 (Francis Ouimet) and 1935
Tips for first-timers
- Ask your host for the dress code beforehand: jeans of any kind are not allowed on club property.
- On the 2nd, play to the level of the pin on the two-tier green.
- Aim for the middle of the 3rd green whatever the pin position.
- On the 6th, the wind is usually in your face: add a club.
- Reach the range by the stone walkway behind the 18th green, and don’t cut across fairways.
Map & location
Woodland Golf Club is about 1 km away, and the public Leo J. Martin Memorial course is a short drive further.
FAQ
Is Brae Burn Country Club open to the public?
No. It is a private club, so you play as a member or as a member’s guest.
Who designed Brae Burn?
Donald Ross, who redesigned the club’s 18-hole course in 1912 and again in 1928.
Has Brae Burn hosted the U.S. Open?
Yes. Walter Hagen won the 1919 U.S. Open at Brae Burn in a playoff. The club has also hosted the 1928 U.S. Amateur and three U.S. Women’s Amateurs.
How many holes are there?
An 18-hole championship course plus the nine-hole Highland course.
What is the dress code?
Traditional golf attire: collared shirts tucked in and Bermuda-length or longer shorts. No jeans of any style, cargo shorts or T-shirts. Metal spikes are not allowed.
Where is Brae Burn?
326 Fuller Street, West Newton, Massachusetts, about 10 miles from downtown Boston.
Sources
Facts checked 21 October 2026. We only list details we could confirm on the sources above; anything else is left out.