Rouge Park Golf Course

Located on the west side, in the heart city, is Detroit's 'best' golf course: Rouge Park Golf. This historic beauty opened in 1923, and the classic design features small undulating greens, hilly terrain, meandering streams and creeks, mature woodlands, and thick bushes. The fairways are narrow on most holes, however there are several holes where the fairways run parallel to one another and a bad shot can still result in par. There is an abundance of wildlife on the course including deer, pheasants, and hawks just to name a few. The Rouge River runs throughout the golf course with water coming into play on 8 holes. Rouge Park Golf Course is popular for league play and a favorite among women.
     This 18 hole championship golf course is a par 72 course, with three sets of tee boxes. The course is short in length measuring only 6325 yds from the back tees with a slope rating of 70.3/ 130. The women's tees measure 5868 in length  with a slope rating of 67.8/ 118. Most men were playing the middle tees which has a slope rating at 6083 yds and 69.3/ 124 in slope. What the course lacks in length it makes up for in difficulty.  It had rained earlier in the day I played Rouge Park Golf Course and had stopped by the time I reached the course. Due to the course being wet, I opted to the middle tees until I reached the first tee box. My pride and handicap dictated that I play the Back tees (I am a 12 hdcp). The course does not have a driving range but there is one right across the street from the course. The pro shop is small and nothing fancy, still it does have most of the basic things you might need for golfing. After checking in I was off to the tenth tee, (we started on the back nine) with no warm up and a straight away 495 yd, par 5. Special note, I grew up in Detroit and Rouge Park Golf Course was a pleasure to play. It's been twenty years since I last played Rouge Park, and I was looking forward my homecoming. Needless to say the course was in bad shape, the grass on the tee box was long and I felt like I was hitting out of the rough. The rough was so long that it required an 8 minute search when the ball was less than 10 feet off the fairway and it was almost impossible to advance your ball more than 100 yards. The greens were slower than what I am used to playing and felt as if they were running about 8 on a stimp meter.  The course had standing water in several spots and did not drain well after several hours. I tried to make the best of my day, but it was painful.
     The course layout is beautiful, there are several signature holes that you will remember and talk about. A good example is hole #11, which is a 442 yd, dogleg right, par 4. The hole is heavily wooded with thich brush on the right side of the fairway and a few trees on the left, with a couple of fairway bunkers. This hole requires a straight 270 yd drive from the back tees just to reach the dogleg. The next shot is over thick brush that drops 70 feet and must a clear narrow Rouge River before hitting the fairway or green. You cannot see the dogleg from the tee box but you will remember it. My favorite hole is #7. It's a short, 125 yd, par 3 with a shot over water and marsh to a 75 ft, elevated green. From the tee box you can see only the flag stick and the marsh on a steep sloping hill fronting the green. Again, the course has lots of character, but it was just in heart breaking condition.
     I notice that Rouge Park Golf Course has a lot of loyal fans and die hard golfers. The atmosphere at the course was lively, but for me it was painful, because I have played several public courses in better condition and more picturesque. I trust that Detroit will restore the aesthetics of this Old Glory, and make Rouge Park Golf Course the pride and joy that it once was. I like the layout of the course, but in its current condition I hesitate to recommend it for play.

Hbell (Golf Enthusiast/ Freelance Writer)

Visited:
14May2018
Detroit, Michigan

I’ve played this course through the years and agree that this course has great potential to improve. The greens were moderately fast and the fairways well maintained. The mosquitoes can be an issue as management failed to address the issue in a timely manner. The service (staff and marshals) were very helpful and that in itself makes me want to come back - The course will continue to improve and they’ll remember to take care of those bugs..

They have done a remarkable job of improving the conditions of this gem.... it keeps getting better each time I play.

The course was in awesome condition. It’s a little confusing to find, and the outside is it marked terribly well as far is finding where to go to the first tee. The course layout was very nice and the course was challenging and I will definitely return to play there again.

I’ve played here twice. This will be my last time. Both times my tee time came and went while waiting for the staff to show up. Didn’t even offer me a discount for teeing off a half hour after my booked tee time (both instances). This is a fun course, however the staffs attitude towards its patrons puts it on my no golf list from here on out.

Great greens. Better shape than ever. Great value! Don’t sleep on Detroit.

Always love playing this course. Have to place your ball strategically on a number of holes in order to score. This is one of a few courses I could play everyday

This course was a pleasure to play. The holes were unique and interesting. The course was very reasonably priced and in terrific shape. My only suggestion for improvement would be some more signs to help find your way around. As a first timer it was tough to find some of the tees. All in all it was a terrific experience and I will play this course again in the future.

Overall cool course. Pretty good condition with paying $23 for a round in Detroit. The staff was really friendly and helpful. Course layout was a tad goofy, as my playing partner and I had to ask couple groups if we were going the right way. The greens were consistent and fun. The hole layouts were my favorite part. Each hole felt like it had some unique quirk to it beyond just a simple "dogleg left". Some of the par 3's, in particular, almost felt absurd but made for an interesting round.

It should be noted that this course has a massive irrigation project underway. The signature 11th hole has a temp green in the middle of the fairway and the tee boxes for one of the holes on the front is completely closed. I am glad they are upgrading but I will avoid it for a bit. It is still very inexpensive, and a great course to gain experience.

Lots of work and upgrades being done. This should improve the overall quality of the course.

Today’s condition of course is so bad due to much rain in this week.it will be recovered a few week after.

Don’t mind the scenery coming into the rouge as the course itself has a great series of holes (numbered wrong but easy to follow) even an interesting adventure in the carts! $8 for 18 compared to all local courses charging $15. Several long par 5s, couple dog legs with large waters to cross, and some cool par 3s that involve some challenging shots. All in all will be golfing again forsure