
Rackham Course
Rackham Golf Course
About this course
Rackham Golf Course is a Donald Ross design located in Huntington Woods, a small residential city in Oakland County, Michigan, just north of Detroit. Opened in the 1920s during Ross's prolific period of municipal and public course design, the layout reflects his characteristic approach to accessible golf: strategic bunkering, subtly contoured greens, and routing that works with the property's natural terrain. The course serves the northern Detroit suburbs and has functioned as a public facility for nearly a century. The property occupies relatively flat terrain typical of southeastern Michigan, with mature tree-lined corridors that define individual holes and frame the playing experience. Ross's design philosophy emphasized ground game options and thoughtful placement over length, and Rackham retains these principles despite modern equipment advances. The greens feature the gentle rolls and false fronts associated with Ross's work, rewarding approach shots that account for pin position and green contour. As a municipal course in a densely populated suburban area, Rackham serves a diverse golfing population and provides an accessible entry point to Ross's design work. The course has undergone various maintenance and restoration efforts over the decades to preserve playability while respecting the original routing. It represents an example of Ross's commitment to bringing strategic, enjoyable golf to everyday players, a mission that defined much of his extensive portfolio beyond his more celebrated private club designs.
Rankings
Ranked by CV ratings from golfers who've played this course. Positions are shown worldwide, by country, and by state; the Public column compares courses anyone can play.
Best in World
Best in USA
Best in MI
Quick facts
- Location
- Huntington Woods, MI, USA
- Access
- Public
- Year built
- 1923
- Designer
- Donald Ross
- Holes
- 18
- Par
- 71
- Length
- 6,555 yards
- Course Vaults score
- 6.6
Getting there
Rackham Golf Course lies just north of Detroit's city limits in the quiet suburb of Huntington Woods, most easily accessed via Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), roughly a thirty-minute drive to the northwest. The route traces I-94 and the Lodge Freeway through the city's northern corridors before slipping into the tree-lined residential streets of Oakland County, where the urban grid softens into a more pastoral rhythm. This is classic Detroit parkland golf - a Donald Ross design tucked into a neighborhood setting, where the arrival feels less like a destination resort and more like discovering a hidden gem woven into the fabric of the metropolitan landscape.

FAQ
Common questions about Rackham
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
Rackham has a Course Vaults score of 6.6 out of 10 based on 28 logged golfers.
Rackham was designed by Donald Ross.
Yes. Rackham is listed as welcoming public or guest play on Course Vaults.
Par at Rackham is 71.
Rackham plays 6,555 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
Rackham is a 18-hole course.





