The Detroit Golf Club (abbreviated to DGC) is a private golf club located in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Wayne County, Michigan Wayne County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of 2020, the United States Census placed its population at 1,793,561, making it the 19th-most populous county in the United States. The county seat is Detroit. The cou ...

in the middle of a neighborhood area on north side of the city near the

University of Detroit Mercy The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Roman Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catholic univers ...

and Palmer Woods Historic District.

Bert Way William Herbert "Bert" Way (23 August 1873 – 11 August 1963) was an English professional golfer and golf course designer. Way tied for second place in the 1899 U.S. Open, held 14–15 September 1899, at Baltimore Country Club in Baltimore, Ma ...

designed the original 6-hole course. It was expanded to 9 holes, and finally Donald Ross built the current 36-hole course. The club grounds crew maintains two courses, the North and the South Course. The head pro is Josh Upson. Starting in 2019, Detroit Golf Club began hosting the Rocket Mortgage Classic, a new annual

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...

event.

History

The Detroit Golf Club was founded in 1899 by

William R. Farrand William Raynolds Farrand (September 9, 1853 – August 15, 1930) was an American businessman, industrial designer, and manufacturer of pianos and organs. He was president of the Farrand Organ Company that specialized in manufacturing reed organs ...

and several of his friends. Originally the Club was limited to 100 members. They rented a plot of farmland at 6 Mile and Woodward, and a 6-hole course layout was created. In 1900 the course added 3 holes, making it a 9-hole course. The membership was increased to 200 in 1902. At that time of land were purchased at 6 Mile and Hamilton, and an 18-hole course was developed. In 1906 the Club was formally opened, and membership fees were raised to $250. In 1913 additional property was bought, and Donald Ross was asked to survey the property. Ross determined that two courses of 18 holes could be built on the land.

Horace Rackham Horace H. Rackham (June 27, 1858 – June 12, 1933) was one of the original stockholders in the Ford Motor Company and a noted philanthropist. Early life Rackham was born in Harrison, Michigan.Ross, Robert Budd; Catlin; George Byron, and Burt ...

paid $100,000 for the 36-hole course to be built to the DGC at a cost. In 1916 Albert Kahn started construction on a new clubhouse, which was completed in 1918. The brother of Donald Ross,

Alec Ross Alexander Ross (15 September 1879 – 25 June 1952) was a Scottish professional golfer. He was a native of Dornoch and learned his golf in his home country, but like many British professional golfers of his era he spent many years working a ...

, became Club Professional, a position he held until 1945, a total of 31 years. In 1922 club membership was increased to 650, and they decided to stay open year round. In 1929 the Fred Wardell Caddy House was built, at a cost around $40,000. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Club activities were limited due to gas rationing, and in 1945, Alex Ross retired as Club Professional. Golf star

Horton Smith Horton Smith (May 22, 1908 – October 15, 1963) was an American professional golfer, best known as the winner of the first and third Masters Tournaments. Tournament career Born in Springfield, Missouri, Smith turned professional in 1926 and w ...

was hired as the Club Pro, and in 1959 was elected into the Professional Golfers Association Hall of Fame. In 1963 Smith died, and

Walter Burkemo Walter E. Burkemo (October 9, 1918 – October 8, 1986) was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the PGA Championship in 1953. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Burkemo was the youngest of 13 children of Norwegian immigrants ...

was hired. The club added new amenities: tennis courts, a cart garage, and a crystal dining room. Burkemo was succeeded by

George Bayer George Bayer (September 15, 1925 – March 16, 2003) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour. Bayer was born in Bremerton, Washington. He attended the University of Washington and was a member o ...

. The current club pro is Josh Upson. The club also contains a pool for members, and sponsors a swim team.

Location

The Club, located on the North side of

, near such landmarks as Palmer Park and the

, is separated from the former Palmer Park Golf Course by Pontchartrain Blvd. on the East, and Fairway Drive on the West. It shares a small border with 7 Mile on the North, and a large border with McNichols (6 Mile) on the South.

Major tournaments

*1911

Western Amateur The Western Amateur is a leading annual golf tournament in the United States for male amateur golfers. It is organized by the Western Golf Association. The Western Amateur features an international field of top-ranked amateur golfers. It was first ...

*1992

U.S. Mid-Amateur The U.S. Mid-Amateur, often called the Mid-Am for short, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for post-college amateur golfers, organized by the USGA. It was first played in at Bellerive Country Club in Creve Coeur, Missouri, ...

*2019 Rocket Mortgage Classic *2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic *2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic

Club Tournaments

Men's * Men's Golf League * Men's Ringer Board * Men's Golf Fund * Men's Opening Day * Men's Old Pal * President's Cup * Horton Smith Tournament * Men's Spring Medal Play * The Whistler * The Hummer * Men's Club Championship * Men's Senior Club Championship * Men's Member-Member * Men's Closing Day * Junior Boys Club Championship Women's * Women's Corkscrew Opener * Women's 18-Hole League * Girls Night Out * Women's Detroit Metro League * Four Girl Team * Ladies' Cup * Women's Medal Play * Women's Texas Scramble I & II * Sundancer Invitational * Grandmother-Senior Event * Women's Club Championship * Women's Member-Member * Women's Ryder Cup * Women's Closing Day- 2Tall/2Small Couple's * Nine and Dine * Couple's Golf League * Memorial Day Scramble * DGC Caddie Scholarship Event * Patriot Day * Labor Day Scramble * Husband-Wife Championship Family Golf Events * Mother's Day Tournament * Father's Day Tournament * Junior Golf Changes for the PGA Tour Event On October 11, 2010, the Detroit Golf Club bid for the Rocket Mortgage Classic on the

. The event has been hosted on the North course from 2019 through 2022. To prepare several of the holes were lengthened, and trees around the greens and tee boxes have also been removed. Parking is made available in the adjacent Palmer Park and the surrounding area, with the

and the Michigan State Fairgrounds serving as other possible parking locations. In 2022, Detroit Golf Club announced golf architect Tyler Rae would look at drainage improvements.

Courses

Both courses have a snack shack next to a combined tee. The 13th for the South and the 14th for the North. Water hazards can be found on the North and South. Both courses are also bordered by beautiful houses that belong to many notable residents such as

Jerome Bettis Jerome Abram Bettis Sr. (born February 16, 1972) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nicknamed "the Bus" for his large size and runn ...

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in '' Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Wit ...

John Conyers John James Conyers Jr. (May 16, 1929October 27, 2019) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as a U.S. representative from Michigan from 1965 to 2017. The districts he represented always included part of western Detroit ...

. and many more.

North Course

The North Course is longer than the South by 870 yards. According to the original Donald Ross design, the 8th tee should be the 1st tee, and the 7th tee should be the 9th. Distinctive features include the bent tree between the 7th and 8th hole. As a sapling, Native Americans bent the tree to serve as a marker for the original Indian Trail between Detroit and

Pontiac Pontiac may refer to: *Pontiac (automobile), a car brand *Pontiac (Ottawa leader) ( – 1769), a Native American war chief Places and jurisdictions Canada *Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac, now the Roman Catholic D ...

. The original clubhouse was situated where the 12th green is today, pipes can still be seen a distance behind the green.

South Course

The South Course has two combined tees. The 3rd and 9th, and the 5th and the 8th. The 10th tee is the most elevated at the DGC. In the early 1980s, the 13th tee was combined with the 14th tee on the North in front of the shack.

Miscellaneous

* The Club has a free membership for the Mayor of Detroit. * Many Detroit stars such as

Justin Verlander Justin Brooks Verlander ( ; born February 20, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros. From Manakin-Sabot, ...

Gerald Laird Gerald Lee Laird III (born November 13, 1979) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, and Arizona Diamondbacks. C ...

Jim Leyland James Richard Leyland (born December 15, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player, coach and manager. He serves as a special assistant to the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Leyland led the Florida Marlins to the ...

Jim Schwartz James J. Schwartz (born June 2, 1966) is an American football coach who is a Senior Defensive Assistant for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He was head coach of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) ...

, and many others have or still do play there. * The Club has tennis courts and a pool, for the tennis and swimming teams, respectively. * The Club has a caddie program that participates in The Evans Scholars Foundation * The Club became racially integrated in 1986.

References

External links

Golf Club websiteNorth Course InformationSouth Course Information
{{Detroit Golf clubs and courses in Michigan Clubs and societies in Michigan Sports venues in Detroit Organizations based in Detroit Golf clubs and courses designed by Donald Ross Event venues established in 1899 1899 establishments in Michigan