Located in Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood on the former Grew estate, this golf course is surrounded by residential neighborhoods. Designed by golf course architect Donald Ross and opened in 1938, the course was named for George Wright, one of the original members of the Cincinnati Red Stockings professional baseball team. A group of Boston citizens acquired the land in the late 1920s with the intent of having the City of Boston construct a golf course which would in reality be a private club. Ross was commissioned to design the course, but the project was abandoned in 1929 due to the stock market crash. Walter Irving Johnson, a former associate of Ross, took on the project as an engineer for the Massachusetts District Commission (MDC) in 1932. The land was initially a combination of ledge and swamp, requiring the use of infill and dynamite. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) provided the funds to build the course at an estimated cost of $1,000,000. Upon completion, the design featured 18 holes, many offering spectacular views of the site’s rugged terrain. A nearly three-mile-long stone wall was constructed around the entire 156-acre site, and a large Romanesque-style clubhouse was built along its western edge.
After World War II the course began to fall into disrepair due to neglect and lack of funds. The City considered closing the course in the early 1950s, but it remained open and continued to deteriorate until it was finally closed in the early 1970s. The City leased the course to golf course manager Bill Flynn in the early 1980s. Flynn renovated the course, operating it through the 1980s and into the 1990s. However, lack of investment by subsequent lessees resulted in its deterioration. The City took over operational control of the golf course in 2004. Since that time, George Wright has gradually returned to prominence as evidenced by numerous national accolades, including becoming a Top 10 Golf Course in Massachusetts and the Top 30 Best Municipal Golf Course in the United States annually (as rated by Golfweek).
