Rackham Golf Course

01 / The story of this place

Make time for these

Horace and Mary Rackham bought a large tract in Huntington Woods in 1923, gave part of it to start the Detroit Zoo, and had the rest turned into a golf course. They handed the finished course and its Arts and Crafts clubhouse to the City of Detroit in 1924, with one condition: it had to stay open to the public forever. Golf architect Donald Ross laid out the tight, well-bunkered course, which opened in 1925 and is still ranked among his best public designs. Heavyweight champion Joe Louis played rounds here regularly in his prime, and Ben Davis, one of the first Black golf professionals in the country, worked out of the course for decades. Rackham has hosted the U.S. Amateur Public Links championship twice, in 1940 and 1961. Nearly a century later, the course the Rackhams gave away is still a working municipal course a few blocks from the zoo.

1. Built on land Horace and Mary Rackham donated to Detroit in the 1920s
2. Designed by golf architect Donald Ross, opened in 1925
3. Joe Louis played the course regularly during his boxing career
4. Hosted the U.S. Amateur Public Links championship in 1940 and 1961
5. Still a public course today, right next to the Detroit Zoo