Since arriving at Detroit Golf Club in 2019, the Rocket Classic has built a reputation as one of the circuit’s premier scoring opportunities, where aggressive play was rewarded and winning totals routinely pushed beyond 20-under par.
When players arrive for the eighth, and final, Rocket Classic at Detroit Golf Club, they will face a dramatically restored North Course that has undergone a $16.1 million renovation designed to bring more strategy, more punishment for errant shots and a truer reflection of Donald Ross’ original vision.
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While low scores will still be possible, the days of treating Detroit Golf Club as one of the easiest venues on the PGA Tour appear to be over.
A Course Designed to Challenge the Best
According to Golfweek, the Detroit Golf Club will play as a par 70 (7,328 yards this year, down from 7,370 last year) for the Rocket Classic after operating as a par 72 throughout the tournament’s first seven editions.
Two reachable par 5s that routinely surrendered birdies and eagles have been converted into demanding par 4s, fundamentally changing how players attack the golf course.
The seventh hole has been stretched into a 505-yard par 4, while the 17th now measures 537 yards. Those holes previously ranked among the easiest on the course every year of the tournament, producing hundreds of birdies and dozens of eagles.
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“To see some final videos and pictures, and see the progression of kind of everything in, I mean, the golf course visually, I think, looks a lot better,” Rickie Fowler, 2023 Rocket Classic winner, said in June.
“They did a great job of giving it some more character.”
Strategy Replaces Simplicity
Architect Tyler Rae’s restoration introduced deeper, more dramatic bunkering, expanded greens capable of hosting more challenging pin locations and the return of historic cross-ditches that force players to think carefully about positioning from the tee.
Fairway placement now matters considerably more than it did during previous Rocket Classics, when many of the PGA Tour’s longest hitters could overpower the layout.
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The removal of the pond guarding the 14th green is perhaps the most visually surprising change. Rather than replacing one hazard with easier conditions, the area has been transformed with expansive native fescue that blends into restored bunkering and strategic contours. It creates a more natural appearance while still demanding precision on approach shots.
Throughout the property, wispy fescue and reshaped hazards also provide a more distinctive visual identity, giving television viewers a course that better reflects the character of a classic Donald Ross design.
Expect Winning Scores to Rise
Winning scores have consistently fallen between 18-under and 26-under par, with players regularly threatening course records throughout tournament week. In 2025 alone, multiple players rewrote the record books before Aldrich Potgieter eventually captured his first PGA Tour victory after a playoff.
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Although the course now measures slightly shorter overall because of the reduction to two par 5s, the effective difficulty has increased substantially. The Rocket Classic now features four par 4s exceeding 500 yards, tougher driving corridors and more demanding recovery shots around the greens.
The emphasis shifts away from pure birdie-making toward consistency, patience and course management.
Built for the Future, Not Just the PGA Tour
Detroit Golf Club members approved the restoration with long-term goals in mind, including modernizing aging infrastructure, improving drainage and irrigation systems and restoring architectural features that had gradually disappeared over decades of alterations.
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The work returns many of Ross’ strategic concepts while creating a more enjoyable and sustainable course for everyday member play.
That broader vision has become even more significant following the announcement that 2026 will mark Rocket’s final year as title sponsor. Although the PGA Tour has expressed interest in maintaining a presence in the Detroit market, there is no guarantee professional golf will return to Detroit Golf Club in the immediate future.
“We are incredibly proud of what this tournament has meant to the city, from creating unforgettable moments for fans to raising more than $10 million for local organizations,” Mark Hollis, Rocket Classic tournament director, said in June.
“When we launched the Rocket Classic, our mission was to shine a national spotlight on Detroit. That mission has been accomplished.”
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