Andy Johnson, Fried Egg/Courtesy of the club
Andy Johnson, Fried Egg/Courtesy of the club
Andy Johnson, Fried Egg/Courtesy of the club
Overview
Franklin Hills’ eminent neighbors Oakland Hills, Bloomfield Hills, and Birmingham Country Club loom large, yet the course rises to their level. Opened in 1927, this is a very private club, and the Albert Kahn clubhouse adds a touch of elegance. Donald Ross’s greens rank with some of his best with plenty of slope and undulation, and the design is refreshingly pure for not having been tampered with through the decades. The par threes are striking in their variety of length, green setting and shot requirements, and the memorable 301-yard “Volcano” hole at 13 requires just a short iron or wedge to a 3000 square foot green sitting 30 above the fairway, but it is the scariest 75 yards in Detroit.
About
Awards
Best in State: Ranked inside the top 5, 1997. Ranked inside the top 10, 1989-'95, 1999-2001. Ranked 13th, 2013-'14, 2017-'18. Ranked 14th, 2021-'22. Ranked 15th, 2015-'16. Ranked inside the top 15, 2003, 2009. Ranked 16th, 2019-'20. Ranked 18th, 2011-'12. Ranked inside the top 25, 2005-'07.
Current ranking: 26th.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Great old club -- tough one to get on. If you get the invite, don't pass it up. Seems to have preserved Ross' work well -- the 13th is a fantastic short par four!"
Read More2023
Review
“An outstanding collection of putting surfaces, with good variety in size, shape, and style. They also create some fun and challenging putting situations. Holes like #2, and #13 really stand out and unique, fun, and challenging. Some of the top-shot and/or aiming bunkers seemed unnecessary, though they did add to aesthetics. Conditioning was very impressive, given the early time of year and recent rain--the course still played firm and relatively fast and greens definitely rolled fast and true, even with a fairly recent aeration. The club recently changed #15 from a short par 5 to a long par 4--in a way, this results in less variety, since it's just another long par four when the course already has several. Odd saying it impacts variety when the club changed nothing except a number of a scorecard, but I think it's fair to say so? Based on a couple odd holes that stand out (particularly #17, though I'm not a huge fan of #7 or #18 either), I wouldn't consider this quite worthy of Top 100, but it is definitely a Top 200 course. Some polishing by Andrew Green could result in a Top 100 course."
Read More2022
Review
“This course's famous neighbor, Oakland Hills, gets more press, but Franklin Hills is almost as good. It might be the best conditioned course I have played. The firm and fast fairways are tight but the ball sits up because the grass is so tight. The greens are large and undulating and very fast. It is a very private club."
Read More2022
Review
“Absolutely beautiful property, some really good holes, slight elevation changes, greens are always perfect!"
Read More2022
Review
“Franklin Hills is one of the best in Michigan! The original Ross uses amazing topography to provide an outstanding selection of holes. The design can be enjoyed by all."
Read More2022
Review
“Solid course, but possibly overhyped a tad given that it is a Donald Ross course. Clearly not his best effort."
Read More2018
Readers
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