Western Golf & Country Club emerged from B.E. Taylor’s 1926 “Golf & Country Club District” development west of Telegraph Road. Club records state that clubhouse construction and Ross’s field work proceeded simultaneously in 1926, with a grand opening on June 4, 1927 and the “unofficial” opening for play on June 9. These dates align with the creation of a 170-plus-acre club centered on a “Donald Ross-designed Championship golf course.”
The available public documentation does not include surviving Ross drawings or correspondence for Western, but the club’s narrative indicates an original routing that capitalized on rolling terrain and the Middle Rouge River. The club asserts that “the footprint of Ross’s design remains as it was when he built it in 1927,” a claim that reflects routing continuity even as bunkering, tree cover and hazards evolved.
By the early 1960s, E. Lawrence (Larry) Packard was engaged for remodeling work documented in Michigan State University’s Packard archive as “Western Country Club, Redford, Michigan, 1961.” Contemporary summaries of the course also attribute later changes to Roger Packard, who—along with his father—introduced lakes and additional bunkering during modernization efforts typical of that era.
Further alterations have been attributed in secondary sources to Arthur Hills and possibly Bruce Matthews III, consistent with the long maintenance history of Detroit-area Ross courses; however, specific scopes and dates for Hills and Matthews at Western are not detailed in primary club materials accessible online.
In 2018 a fire destroyed the historic clubhouse; the golf course was unharmed. The new clubhouse opened in 2021. In 2023 the club approved a multi-million-dollar restoration master plan led by Andrew Green, with tree work and green/fairway expansion trials beginning in 2023, pump house installation in fall 2024, mainline irrigation in 2025, and bunker/tee/drainage work and irrigation hole-by-hole in late 2025. The plan is scheduled to support hosting the Michigan Amateur in summer 2026.
Unique Design Characteristics
Western’s original strategic identity is inseparable from the Middle Rouge. Multiple holes run beside or cross the watercourse, and corridors bend with the river’s meanders. A contemporary on-site review highlights how Ross’s routing leverages elevation change and river proximity, particularly across the par-3 set: the third plays from an elevated tee into a valley setting; the ninth (approximately 186 yards from back tees) is defended by elevation and angle; and the twelfth reprises the elevated-tee motif with carry and angle control emphasized. These descriptions, coupled with the club’s own depiction of “several elevated tees and greens,” point to a design where stance and trajectory selection are dictated by topography more than raw length.
Small, subtly contoured greens are repeatedly referenced in the club narrative and modern reviews; their scale intensifies the effect of diagonal approach angles and of bunkers set to influence line and length decisions rather than simply guard fronts. The river’s diagonal influence is most evident on holes that skirt or cross the Rouge, introducing side-hill lies and flanking hazards that can turn conservative placement into the correct play. While the club has not published a hole-by-hole architectural catalog, reports of 14 of 18 holes routing “along the banks of the River Rouge” underscore how the watercourse was integrated rather than ornamented.
Based on available evidence, the clearest surviving examples of Ross’s original intent are the par-3 third, ninth, and twelfth: each uses elevation to create optical compression and trajectory tests in the 160–190-yard band rather than relying on extreme length, consistent with period Ross practice and with the site’s natural fall lines. The fairway-width/fade-bias tee shots into river-adjacent par-4 corridors also suggest original strategic lines that Green’s current fairway expansion trials aim to recover.
Historical Significance
Western figures in Ross’s Detroit-area chronology as a purpose-built course within a master-planned residential “District,” a model of interwar suburban development. Its tournament record is unusually rich for a suburban club: an early exhibition in 1928 saw reigning U.S. Open champion Johnny Farrell face British Open champion Walter Hagen; the club hosted the Michigan Open in 1939 and 1951; and it later served as a venue in the PGA Tour’s Motor City Open (1956). Western also appears as the 1960 host of the Western Open, with Stan Leonard defeating Art Wall Jr. in a playoff—an event administered by the Western Golf Association that rotated venues in that era. These milestones place Western among a handful of Ross-designed (or Ross-era) Detroit clubs that consistently attracted top competition through the mid-20th century.
Current Condition / Integrity
Routing integrity appears strong: the club emphasizes that “the footprint of Ross’s design remains as it was when he built it in 1927.” However, mid- and late-20th-century renovations—most notably the Packard work of 1961 and subsequent Packard-family efforts—added lakes, additional bunkering, and modern hazard placements that altered green-to-tee relationships and the course’s ground-game options. The current Andrew Green program is explicitly framed as a “restoration” with a comprehensive master plan and new irrigation, tree work, and fairway/green expansions—measures typically used to recapture width, recover original green perimeters, re-establish period bunker positions and sightlines, and re-balance agronomy (though the club’s public materials stop short of publishing exact bunker or green-edge plans). The phased schedule is designed to maintain daily play, with temporary routing accommodations such as a short par-3 by the ninth to ensure 18 holes remain open.
A precise inventory of surviving Ross bunkers or exact green pad extents cannot yet be documented from public records. Secondary testimony and modern photography suggest the greens remain compact relative to modern standards; from that baseline, Green’s fairway/green expansion trials indicate an intent to reintroduce Ross’s preferred angles into approach play.
Sources & Notes
Western Golf & Country Club, “History” (club website). Includes 1926–27 build chronology and early club narrative.
Western Golf & Country Club, “About WGCC” (club website). Confirms member-owned status, amenities, rebuilt clubhouse, and references a $4.7M golf course restoration by Andrew Green.
Western Golf & Country Club, “2023 WGCC Membership Information” (PDF). Provides restoration overview, phased schedule (2023–26), and 2026 Michigan Amateur hosting; repeats 1926–27 timeline.
Hometown Life (Gannett/Detroit Free Press network), “Blaze destroys main building at Western Golf and Country Club,” June 1, 2018; and “Rebuild plans taking shape,” Aug. 29, 2018. Confirms 2018 fire and rebuild.
Michigan State University Libraries, “E. Lawrence Packard Courses Remodeled by Year.” Lists “Western Country Club, Redford, Michigan, 1961.”
Western Golf Association (Western Junior) site, “The Course.” Notes renovations by Larry and Roger Packard introducing lakes and new bunkers (course overview line used here as corroboration of Packard-family work).
Top100GolfCourses.com, “Western (Redford).” Secondary profile noting Ross’s engagement for the club and development context.
GolfBlogger.com, “Western Golf & Country Club Review,” Sept. 19, 2011 (updated 2023). On-site review describing par-3 3rd/9th/12th characteristics and extensive river influence on routing.
Wikipedia, “Western Open” (venue list shows 1960 Western Open at Western G&CC) and “Motor City Open” (1956 edition at Western G&CC). Used only to corroborate tournament hosting alongside club records.
GolfCompendium.com, “Motor City Open Golf Tournament.” Summarizes host venues including Western G&CC.