In 1913 Detroit Golf Club acquired additional land and asked Donald Ross to survey the expanded property. Ross advised that two full courses could be laid out, and by 1916 the club reports that both 18-hole Ross courses were completed, preceding the completion of the Kahn clubhouse in 1918. The South Course has functioned since as the shorter of the pair, its par-68 identity shaped by the unusual count of six one-shot holes. Public, documentable references to Ross returning later for revisions on the South were not located; the club’s timeline treats 1916 as the year both courses reached completion and does not note a Ross-era second phase.
Subsequent work has focused on preservation and light renovation. Club communications and outside directories identify Bruce Hepner as the consulting architect during the mid-2010s, with a South Course bunker renovation in 2016 and broader Ross-focused touch-ups rather than wholesale rebuild. Separate PGA TOUR-driven tweaks around 2018 accommodated the Rocket Mortgage Classic (primarily on the North), though that event’s composite routing now incorporates the South’s 1st as the tournament’s 3rd hole. In 2024–25 the club approved a comprehensive restorative master plan by Tyler Rae (work scheduled 2025–26), covering both courses and explicitly aiming to recapture Ross greens and bunker forms.
Unique Design Characteristics
The South Course’s par-68 composition is its most distinctive structural feature: six par-3s distributed at 3, 5, 9, 12, 14, and 17. The club’s hole-by-hole guide catalogs several green sites with strong interior slopes or crowns. Hole 2 is introduced as an “elevated putting surface” with a “severely sloped surface,” a theme that recurs at 10 (“two mounds on the putting surface”) and 18 (“the most severely sloped green on the South”). Hole 5 features “a spine [that] runs through this green from back to front,” while 14 plays to a “forgiving bowl-shaped green” that has yielded more aces than any other at the club. On 8 the club highlights that “a ball can be rolled onto the green,” and 11 asks for “a perfect carry over the fairway cross bunker,” indicating the presence of Ross-era fore-hazards that influence angle and club selection. This internal vocabulary—spines, bowls, small targets and fore-bunkering—defines how the South defends par at under 6,100 yards.
Routing on the South leans into modest land movement and corridor strategy more than water. The club’s descriptions repeatedly warn of corridor-narrowing bunkers (e.g., 7 “fairway bunkers right,” 8 bunkers right and left) and of greens best approached from one side to avoid fall-offs (e.g., 8 “green that falls off to the left”). The South also bookends each nine with a par-3 (9 and 17) before finishing on a par-5 (18), a cadence that creates scoring volatility late in the round despite the course’s compact length.
Among the clearest surviving examples of Ross’s hand—pending archival plan comparison—are holes where the club itself invokes “classic” Ross play patterns. The 8th, with its encouraged ground-entry, mirrors the course’s overall preference for run-up approaches when the line is correctly chosen; 5 and 2 illustrate the South’s reliance on internal green slopes rather than hazards at the green edge; and 11 retains a cross-bunker carry that dictates tee-shot height and shape.
Historical Significance
Within Ross’s Detroit portfolio, the South Course matters in three ways. First, it completes a 36-hole Ross complex conceived and built as a pair in 1916, a relatively early and integrated two-course commission in his career. Second, the South’s par-68 setup (about 870–1,000 yards shorter than the North) has long framed how members distribute play and competitions across the property, and it gives the club an uncommon, Ross-authored study in contrasting scale on the same site. Third, modern tournament use has kept the South in the public eye: since 2019 the PGA TOUR has staged the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club using a composite routing of 17 North + 1 South (South #1), a decision that acknowledges the South’s opening hole as a worthy fit in the tournament sequence.
Notable championships at Detroit Golf Club—such as the 1992 U.S. Mid-Amateur and every edition of the Rocket Mortgage Classic—have centered on the North Course, but the South’s contribution to the event routing ensures that its architecture remains part of the televised narrative of the club.
Current Condition / Integrity
Extent of Ross fabric. The South’s corridors, par distribution, and many green pads reflect the 1916 Ross build, but a century of tree growth and course set-up has narrowed numerous playing lines. The club’s own hole notes identify several green sites with pronounced internal slope (2, 5, 10, 18) and retained fore- or cross-bunkers (11), consistent with long-standing Ross traits at Detroit. However, detailed plan overlays have not been published; the club and outside observers characterize Hepner’s mid-2010s work as a retouch—not a redesign—on the South, primarily focused on bunker renovation in 2016.
Recent and planned work. In addition to 2016 bunker work and tournament-support tweaks nearby in 2018, Detroit Golf Club has approved a $16 million restorative master plan for both courses, with construction staged 2025–26 under Tyler Rae. The club describes the intent as restoring Ross’s original greens and bunkers where practical, while updating infrastructure. While master-plan materials publicly emphasize the North (host course for the TOUR), the approval covers the South as well; the “Through the Years” timeline presents the effort as a two-course restoration that will “honor the legacy of Donald Ross.” As work progresses, it should become possible to document precisely which South greens and bunkers are returned to historic footprints.
What has been preserved vs. altered. Preserved elements include the South’s par-68 structure, six par-3s, and numerous green pads with distinct internal slopes. Alterations include bunker forms refreshed in 2016 and vegetation that has tightened corridors well beyond 1920s norms; club texts also reference modern “penalty areas” (e.g., left of 12), features that are not a large theme on the South compared to the North. Pending restoration, some greens (e.g., 14’s bowl, 18’s severe slope) present exaggerated modern expressions that the club intends to reconcile with period Ross character.
Sources & Notes
Detroit Golf Club — “Through the Years.” Club history timeline noting two Ross courses completed by 1916 and member-approved 2025–26 restoration.
Detroit Golf Club — “Course Tour” (South). Official hole descriptions and South Course scorecard (par distribution; 6,098 yards; six par-3s; hole-specific notes).
PGA TOUR — “Five things to know: Detroit Golf Club.” Notes origins and North/South comparison, including par-68 South and relative yardage difference.
On Tap Sports Net — “Rocket Classic 2025: Course & Field Preview.” Documents composite routing using the South’s 1st as the tournament’s 3rd hole. (Secondary outlet; consistent with other coverage.)
Top100GolfCourses — “Detroit (South).” Notes South “retouched by Bruce Hepner rather than rebuilt.” (Secondary commentary; date not specified.)
Golf Course Architecture (Richard Humphreys), May 8, 2024. “Tyler Rae to begin Ross-inspired renovation of Detroit’s North Course in 2025.” (Confirms club approval of Rae’s master plan and schedule; overall restoration encompasses both courses per club.)