Detroit ― Detroit Golf Club will get modestly longer in 2026, with construction set to begin this week on a $16.1-million restoration project that is set to be completed before next year’s Rocket Classic.
But the par might actually drop.
Tyler Rae, architect of the restoration project, told The Detroit News on Saturday that there is a possibility that the course will play to a par 70 for the PGA Tour setup in the future.
“Two par 5s might become par 4s next year,” Rae said. “I would love to see it play a par 70.
“For these guys, it’s like four birdies.”
Rae said the target par 5s to become par 4s would be the seventh and the 17th holes. The seventh hole, which played 552 yards this week, was the easiest hole in the 2025 Rocket, and the 17th hole, which played 577, played second-easiest.
The four par 5s at Detroit Golf Club traditionally play as the four easiest holes during the Rocket Classic.
No. 7 played to an average score of 4.388 over the last week, with more eagles (24) than scores over par (21). The 17th hole, meanwhile, played to an average score of 4.423, also with more eagles (16) than scores over par (15).
Rae, based in Delaware and an expert in restoring Donald Ross golf courses, has been in contact with the PGA Tour during the planning process for the restoration. The biggest changes will be to the greens, which will be expanded, and the bunkers, many of which will be deeper. There also will be fescue planted throughout the golf course, especially where the pond currently sits on the par-5 14th. The pond is coming out.
Rae also said there will be about 300 yards added to the course, which could make it play in the 7,700-yard range. Extra yardage could come at the par-5 14th, which has become an easy tee shot with so much tree removal.
“Fourteen, we could go way back there,” Rae said of a hole that played third-easiest this week, to a 4.603 score average, from about 555 yards.
Much of the construction will be completed by this fall at DGC, but the PGA Tour and Rocket agreed to move next year’s tournament back a month, to July 29 through Aug. 2 to give the new greens more time to mature.
It’ll be the first time the Rocket Classic has spilled into August.
LIV life
This week’s Rocket had 11 players in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking, but the OWGR isn’t the gospel these days, because points aren’t awarded for LIV Golf events ― where the tournaments are only three rounds, instead of the traditional four.
Only two LIV Golf players are in the top 50 ― Bryson DeChambeau at No. 15 and Tyrell Hatton at No. 21.
LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil said this month, during a Q&A at The Cardinal at Saint John’s in Plymouth, where LIV Golf will hold its team championship in August, that he’s had productive discussions about getting the rival tour to be awarded OWGR points. He has talked with Trevor Immelman, chair of the OWGR.
We asked James Piot, the Canton native and LIV Golf alum, his thoughts, and he wasn’t biting.
“That’s for the big boys to say,” said Piot, who shot 7 under at the Rocket Classic this week. “You go look at my world ranking … and see where I’m at … I’m at a zillion. You can see that. This guy doesn’t have room to speak.
“I’m a firm believer, the better you play, the bigger you are, the more you can speak about certain things, those hot topics. For me right now, I’m gonna keep my head down and keep grinding.”
For the record, Piot’s world ranking entering this week was 1,647th.
Mallet move
The caddie wasn’t the only big change for world No. 5 Collin Morikawa this week.
He also switched putters between Round 1, when he said he putted like a “blind man,” and Round 2. Morikawa switched from a blade putter in Round 1 to a mallet in Round 2.
It made a big difference, as he went from last in the field in strokes gained putting in his opening-round 69 to 11th in his second-round 64. He was just so-so on the greens in his third- and fourth-round 68s. Morikawa was 61st for the week in strokes gained putting.
“I’ve been asking TaylorMade. It actually was a project to build over the fall and they were able to come through. Every time I was going to try and use it and put it in, the week before leading up, the blade felt really good,” Morikawa said this week. “After Thursday, it was just time.
“It’s finally nice to put it in and see some results with it.”
The putter bit him early in the final round. He started 2 under through three, but then three-putted from 26 feet for a bogey on the easy par-4 fourth hole to halt his momentum. He finished 19 under, tied for eighth.
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
