Rackham Golf Course

Living in the Royal Oak area, I don't have the greatest public golfing options in the immediate vicinity. Detroit courses are all falling apart and the good courses in Rochester and Oxford are a hike. Luckily, Rackham is right in our backyard. Don't come here expecting anything amazing, but if you are looking for an affordable round of golf on a well groomed track, then Rackham is a good bet.

Rackham Golf Course is a classic Donald Ross Course right by the Zoo & I-696. At $22.95 it's a pretty good deal. The is a typical Donald Ross design with the the holes right in front of you and without much trickery. The greens are less undulated than other Ross Courses which makes it more playable. A few more doglegs than usual, but that's probably dictated by the land. The course needs a little TLC as there's a few crab grass in the fairways, but the greens are in good shape, bunkers OK. From the back tees, a few long Par 3's. All in all, fun to play.

Course definitely needs more irrigation, they made the attempt to water but during play and was kinda tough to putt with the sprinkler on. Greens were extremely slow like molasses. I liked the lay out but was very dry and rock hard.

Playing was fun and challenging. A bit slow on front nine but got through in 4 hours. I like this course

The course was in fair condition. I have played Rackham on several other occasions. On prior rounds the course has varied from poorly maintained to very well maintained. This round was better than the last time, a couple years ago, as far as course maintenance.

The biggest complaint would be the slow greens; must have been about a 5 on the stint meter. Quite slow!

Full disclosure, I had a horrible experience here a year ago, and almost passed on the hot deal despite the deep discount. But because of where it's located and how easy and quick it was to get to, I decided to give it another shot and I'm very glad I did. I approached my round with a very skeptical, hyper aware look and I came to the conclusion that my previous experiences were not as bad as I had remembered.

If you're in the Royal Oak, Madison Heights, Oak Park, Berkley, Huntington Woods/Ferndale area, this is probably one of the top results when you search for nearby golf courses. It's easy to get to from the expressway or Woodward Ave, and right next to the Detroit Zoo. Because it's a public course in such a densely populated area, they are going to command a premium price and be filled with people willing to pay the location tax.

The course itself is pretty basic. There are no water hazards on the course, and only a few spots of dense vegetation where you could lose a ball. If you have a 90 degree hook or slice, chances are you'll still be able to find your ball--though a hole or two over. Speaking of hole density, it's pretty tightly packed, which you tend to find in these early 20th century designed courses. Several of the holes have some good bunker placement around the greens and on dog legs that will really make you evaluate the risk/reward.

I pass by this course quite often if there is the slightest spot of grass showing through the snow during the winter months, it seems there are people out playing. Spots of the course seem to show this constantly use. The fairways are pockmarked in certain spots from people not replacing their divots, but I feel that the conditions were much better than when I golfed it last year. The greens were exceptionally well taken care of and role smooth and slow, even during the hot midday sun. Some of the blue tee placement seems like an afterthought, but with as dense of a course as it is, I imagine it's a difficult task to do. Some of the hole amenities (ball washers, trash cans, signs for the hole, etc) need some TLC.

Staff was exceptionally friendly. From the guy who checked me in at the club house to the gentleman at the first tee checking off names.

Overall I say this is a decent course, but not worth the $30+ rate they charge regularly. For that much money you might find better value driving out a little further. If you're feeling spontaneous and see a hot deal that's $20 or less, it's pretty good, though!

I wrote a review last year on this course, it is listed here....

I played again recently and the course was much better than last year. The porta johns are back and the clubhouse is completely open. The staff was friendly and helpful. The course conditions were very good. putts rolled true and fast. Tee boxes could have been cut, but that's minor stuff. Fairways were good.

This is such a classic golf course. It's really a shame that the clubhouse couldn't be utilized more.

All in all, go play

First tee was a zoo. Showed up half hour before tee time. Checked in with starter. When it was our tee time I checked with the starter again. He told my group we still had 4 groups ahead of us. Got a refund and won't be back.

Overall, couldn't beat the price for 18 holes. The fairways have a lot of areas that still need to grow in. The rough is patchy and doesn't hurt you if you're in it. The greens actually rolled pretty well for this early in the year. I was playing as a single and didn't catch anyone until hole 14. Was able to play first 13 holes in an hour and a half. The last 5 holes took another hour and 45 minutes. Would play the course again for the same price. The clubhouse doesn't have much to choose from and they don't sell beer, which can be a deterrent.

They didn't have enough carts for the amount of people that were there. We had to wait a half hour past our tee time for a cart.

The course has not yet put out their ball washers or sand trap rakes. A lot of recent rain has left large ponds and muddy areas in fairways, and sand traps were filled with water.

The freeway noise on the first four holes is really horrible. After that you can settle in and enjoy the course.

I'd love to see a stronger effort to plant some new trees and add some othe more defining features to the holes.

Lets face it... we played on February 23rd in 65degree sunshine!!! Although the greens haven't been touched in months we could still putt and the ball rolled VERY well. Fantastic Afternoon!!!

Rackham is a very standard municipal style golf course. Playing 6500+ from the Tips, it is a shorter layout but one that does require solid ball striking to score well. The classic Donald Ross Design features small, well guarded greens that require precise distances to hold. Any ball that in on the green in regulation has a fair chance for a birdie. The course is very friendly for mid-teen handicappers and above... it is nearly impossible to lose a ball here, something some of my friends thoroughly enjoy about the place. For the better player, many holes require strategy off the tee, (iron/hybrid to the middle of fairway with a longer approach, or take on doglegs with driver) is a welcome challenge. Overall it is a very servicable and friendly golf course that deserves the amount of play it receives on a yearly basis

Such a nice golf course in desperate need of TLC. Greens are in decent shape, fairways are neglected. Ridiculous rough, bring extra balls. Par 3 tee box grass is so tall it's hard to see your teeded up ball. Lawn mowers don't appear to be getting much use. Have played here with a group of friends several times every spring and fall for several years, no more, we're done. Biggest insult, paying $24 to walk 9 holes. Such poor maintenance with top dollar green fees it seems like management is purposely discouraging play. Much better value to be had elsewhere. Staff is freindly, feel bad for them, probably listening to constant complaining from customers about the course condition and green fees. What an insult to a great historical golf course.