The hardest golf courses in Detroit, Michigan
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Detroit, Michigan, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 22 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Northville, Bloomfield Hills, Shelby Township, Oakland Township, Clarkston and 17 more nearby towns.
TPC of Michigan
Dearborn, MI, USASlope rating 147, 74.7 course rating, TPC tees, 7,057 yds
PrivateJack Nicklaus
- 4.5Conditions
- 4.5Layout
- 4.0Scenery
- NRFacilities
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Pristine
Fieldstone Golf Club of Auburn Hills
Auburn Hills, MI, USASlope rating 147, 74.6 course rating, Black tees, 7,184 yds
PublicArthur Hills
- 4.0Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 1.0Value
- 3.0Scenery
- 1.0Facilities
South
Oakland Hills Country Club
Bloomfield Hills, MI, USASlope rating 145, 79.9 course rating, Black tees, 7,400 yds
PrivateDonald Ross & Rees Jones
- 4.9Conditions
- 4.7Layout
- 4.3Scenery
- 4.7Facilities
The Ross design / Hanse renovation is quite a 1-2 punch. I played right after the US Junior Am, boy was that course playing tough! Rough was beyond intense, and there was no easing into the rough… no first cut green-side, just a change from wicked quick greens to a disheartening rough.
Written by
@notaburner105
- Must play
- Pristine
- Challenging
Cherry Creek Golf Club
Shelby Township, MI, USASlope rating 142, 73.3 course rating, Black tees, 6,833 yds
PublicLanny Wadkins
- 4.0Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 3.0Value
- 3.0Scenery
- 3.0Facilities
- Driving range
Westwynd Golf
Oakland Township, MI, USASlope rating 140, 72.7 course rating, Gold tees, 6,972 yds
PublicCraig Schreiner
- 4.0Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 4.0Value
- 3.5Scenery
- 4.0Facilities
Birmingham Country Club
Birmingham, MI, USA
Slope rating 138, 73.3 course rating, Black tees, 6,764 yds
(Golden Fox) Fox Hills Golf and Banquet Center
Plymouth, MI, USA
Slope rating 137, 73.6 course rating, Gold tees, 6,783 yds
Northville Hills Golf Club
Northville, MI, USA
Slope rating 137, 72.0 course rating, Gold tees, 7,003 yds
The Orchards Golf Club
Washington, MI, USA
Slope rating 136, 74.5 course rating, Championship tees, 7,026 yds
(Regulation) Country Club of Detroit
Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, USA
Slope rating 136, 74.3 course rating, Black tees, 7,100 yds
Pine Lake Country Club
Orchard Lake, MI, USA
Slope rating 135, 72.4 course rating, Blue tees, 6,623 yds
Meadowbrook Country Club
Northville, MI, USA
Slope rating 134, 73.1 course rating, Black tees, 6,808 yds
Sanctuary Lake Golf Course
Troy, MI, USA
Slope rating 133, 71.9 course rating, Black tees, 6,554 yds
Orchard Lake Country Club
Orchard Lake, MI, USA
Slope rating 131, 73.4 course rating, Gold tees, 6,919 yds
Plum Hollow Country Club
Southfield, MI, USA
Slope rating 131, 73.2 course rating, Blue tees, 6,755 yds
Grosse Ile Golf & Country Club
Grosse Ile, MI, USA
Slope rating 131, 72.9 course rating, Black tees, 6,828 yds
(North) Detroit Golf Club
Detroit, MI, USA
Slope rating 130, 73.6 course rating, Black tees, 6,627 yds
(North) Oakland Hills Country Club
Bloomfield Hills, MI, USA
Slope rating 130, 71.1 course rating, Blue tees, 6,660 yds
Franklin Hills Country Club
Franklin, MI, USA
Slope rating 128, 73.0 course rating, Black tees, 6,923 yds
Bloomfield Hills Country Club
Bloomfield Hills, MI, USA
Slope rating 127, 72.2 course rating, Black tees, 6,711 yds
(South) Detroit Golf Club
Detroit, MI, USA
Slope rating 117, 68.7 course rating, Black tees, 5,967 yds
(North) Maple Lane Golf Club
Sterling Heights, MI, USA
Slope rating 107, 66.7 course rating, Blue tees, 5,733 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Detroit, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
TPC of Michigan is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Detroit, Michigan at Slope 147 (74.7 course rating · TPC tees · 7,057 yds). 22 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Detroit, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Detroit, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 3:53 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
