Highland Links

Highland Links was founded around 1892 by Isaac Small in North Truro on Cape Cod's outer arm — making it the oldest golf course on Cape Cod, the oldest public course in Massachusetts, and the oldest links course in America. Brian Silva later restored the routing, preserving the genuine links character: deep natural rough, Scotch broom, heath, and Atlantic ocean views perched on windswept bluffs next to the Highland Light. Francis Ouimet — the legendary 1913 USGA Open champion — played an exhibition round here after the course's original sand greens were converted to grass. The Truro Highlands Historic District (which includes the course) was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. Public muni-tier pricing keeps the course in the $ band, which is the primary draw alongside the historical pedigree. For Cape Cod trips, this is the round you book for the experience and the views, not for tournament-grade conditions.