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A replica of Hole #6 at Seminole Golf Club; North Palm Beach, Florida |
In 2020, the BOYNE Golf team and Michigan-based course designer Ray Hearn renovated the first hole on the Donald Ross Memorial. We removed trees and developed large sand waste areas down the left and right sides of the fairway. The waste area on the right side of the fairway will also extend over the 16th hole (No. 10 Pinehurst) and provide a true post-renovation Pinehurst feel. We then renovated the green area by removing the original green complex, increasing the green size by 40%, and realigning it by nearly 45 degrees while also reshaping the green-side bunkers and extending the fairway cut around the green. These changes not only better replicate Ross’ original Seminole #6 design but will improve approach shots into the green and make it a more enjoyable hole to play.

Hole 1

A replica of Hole #4 at Plainfield Country Club; Plainfield, New Jersey | A delicate par 4 which gains its drama from the interesting and formidable contours in the tee shot landing area. Pine trees play a key role in forming a thick vertical on the left side of the hole, forcing play toward the valley on the right. The small green is well bunkered and slopes to the back, making it difficult to hold the green on the second shot.

In the spring of 2023, we built three new, larger tee boxes that better aligned with the fairway. Select trees were also removed from the left side of the fairway, which improved the view of the pin from the tee box and fairway. In addition, two bunkers were added to better replicate Ross’ original design. A bunker was added to the right side of the fairway, approximately 40 yards from the most forward tee box, and a second was added about 220 yards from the front tee box just inside the fairway on the right side near the top of the knoll.

Hole 2

A replica of Hole #17 at Oakland Hills Country Club; Birmingham, Michigan | Oakland Hills Country Club is one of the country's best-known courses and is on the rotation schedule of the USGA and PGA majors, including the 2004 Ryder Cup & 2008 PGA Championship. This par 3 is one of Oakland Hills' most difficult holes and one of the country's great short holes. The green is 30 feet above the tee, forcing the golfer to carry the tee shot over a crest to a semi-blind pin position. It is protected on all sides by heavy bunkering with only a narrow opening at the front. Pronounced slopes and green undulations make putting an adventure.

Hole 3

A replica of Hole #14 at Pinehurst Country Club, Pinehurst #2; Pinehurst, North Carolina | The hole is pure Rossian. The tee sits atop a high knoll. A bunker is located deceptively about 50 yards in front of the green, partially obscuring it. The green complex is perhaps the most dramatic of the entire Pinehurst course, with a series of rolls and contours to be carefully reckoned with. While long, difficult, and deceiving, it's not tricked up or artificial—a great natural hole where par is well deserved.

Hole 4

A replica of Hole #13 at Oak Hill Country Club, East Course; Rochester, New York | This famous Ross course has been the scene of titanic struggles since 1934. Early winners of major tournaments have included Leo Diegel, Sam Snead, and Ben Hogan. The green itself nestles in a bowl, creating an amphitheater for spectators. The landing zone for the drive is ample, but the narrow landing area for the second shot usually calls for a lay-up, requiring a medium iron for the third shot. The green is not severely contoured but has several difficult pin placements.

Hole 5

A replica of Hole #2 at Scioto Country Club; Columbus, Ohio | This famous Ross course is where Jack Nicklaus learned the game, where legendary Bobby Jones won the 1926 U.S. Open, and where the National Amateur, Senior U.S. Open and other memorable golfing wars have been fought. It doglegs slightly right to a turtleback fairway. Deep bunkers on the right force the golfer to the left on the drive.

Hole 6

A replica of Hole #18 at Inverness Club; Toledo, Ohio | The bunkering and the natural contours of the green make the hole much more difficult than the yardage indicates. In the third and fourth rounds of the 1979 U.S. Open, Bob Tway bogeyed the hole. Seven years later, tied with Greg Norman after 71 holes with the PGA Championship title on the line, Tway again found trouble here, bunkering his second shot. Norman's second hit the green and spun back into the fringe. Then came the historic shot that won the tournament, brought sweet revenge to Tway, and was witnessed by millions of TV viewers. Tway's sand wedge shot went into the hole for birdie and the 1986 PGA Championship was history.

Hole 7

A replica of Hole #11 at Charlotte Country Club; Charlotte, North Carolina | Like most par 3s at Charlotte Country Club, the 11th is relatively short. This is the first hole on The Ross to use water as a design feature. The golfer must carry a small lake to reach the green. Several tees located at different elevations offer many different looks and lengths to this par 3 gem.

Hole 8

A replica of Hole #11 at Bob O'Link Golf Club; Highland Park, Illinois | One of its outstanding features is a beach bunker, a long grassless ribbon of sand that parallels the right side of the green and slopes sharply down to the edge of a lake. (Automatically add a stroke to your card if you fade into this hazard.) Sneaky long players can reach the green in two but must avoid a cloverleaf bunker in front of the green and another at the back. The two bunkers were not included in Ross' original design, being added later to make gamblers think twice before going at the green in two.

Hole 9

A replica of Hole #14 at Royal Dornoch Golf Club; Dornoch, Scotland | Designed by renowned Tom Morris, this hole from Royal Dornoch Golf Club adds a wonderful dimension to The Ross. It was where Ross learned his trade as a club maker and golf professional. And where under the tutelage of Morris and John Southerland, Ross developed many of his ideas about golf course architecture. Not as well known as other British courses that host the British Open, Royal Dornoch Golf Club is ranked by many experts as being among the ten greatest courses in the world.

This hole was closed for much of the 2024 season for a tee-to-green renovation project. The project was completed in the fall, and we look forward to playing this outstanding replication of the original hole in 2025.

Hole 10

A replica of Hole #13 at Salem Country Club; Peabody, Massachusetts | Typical of Ross, the green sits on a knoll — Ross' favorite type of green layout. It is small, severely undulating, well-bunkered, and surrounded by heavy tree cover. Although short for a par 4, reaching and holding the green from the fairway valley calls for a near-perfect second shot.

Hole 11

A replica of Hole #3 at Detroit Golf Club, North Course; Detroit, Michigan | This is a short hole that Ross created from fond memories of a similar par 3 at Royal Dornoch Golf Club and which Boyne has reproduced from the Detroit Golf Club. Built on relatively flat terrain, the hole is nonetheless dramatic and picturesque. The green is ample in size but is elevated about four feet above the fairway, falling off sharply on all sides. A large bunker protects the front of the green.

Hole 12

A replica of Hole #15 at Seminole Golf Club; North Palm Beach, Florida | This dramatic par 5 utilizes several Ross design strategies. The fairway is divided into two distinct landing areas, separated by sand bunkers and pine trees (palm trees at Seminole). The gambler's way to go is to choose the right landing area between the bunkers and the large lake. The golfer then has a chance to reach the green with his second shot but must carry the same lake again, where it necks into the fairway. The safe play is to hit to the left from the tee, avoiding the bunkers and also avoiding the need to carry the water on the second or third shot.

Extensive modifications to the green complex of the Donald Ross Memorial #13 in the fall of 2022. Trees were removed that improved visibility to the green from the tee box and offered improved shot options from the right landing area. The green was reduced in size by 10% and raised approximately 5 feet. The entire green complex, including greenside bunkers, was reshaped, and the fairway cut around the green was extended to replicate Ross’ original design better.

Hole 13

A replica of Hole #2 at Pinehurst Country Club, Pinehurst #2; Pinehurst, North Carolina | Few holes are more demanding than this par 4. It's long by any standard. The terrain is relatively level, but the second shot calls for a strong carry aimed at the right side of the green. A safer play is a shot to the left, a typical Ross escape route, which still makes par a possibility with a good chip and putt.

Hole 14

A replica of Hole #11 at Aronimink Golf Club; Newton Square, Pennsylvania | Aronimink Golf Club is a Ross gem long-listed among "America's Top 100 Courses". Several years ago, Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania determined that the hole had been altered from Ross’ original design, and the club restored the hole to Donald Ross’ plans. We received the original design ourselves and have restored our Donald Ross Memorial hole #15 to its original layout as well. 

A new set of tee boxes has been added, the fairway has been widened, fairway bunkers have been added but reduced in size, and the entire green complex was expanded by 65% and reshaped to replicate Ross’s original design. This included the addition of multiple levels at the front of the green, as well as off-set bunkers located in front of the lower level, creating a challenging illusion on your approach shot. It requires a long second to a very large green that slopes dramatically from back to front. Ross always loved the sand, and the original five bunkers have been updated to count over 20 bunkers,per the original design.

Hole 15

A replica of Hole #10 at Pinehurst Country Club, Pinehurst #2; Pinehurst, North Carolina | The tee shot landing zone is generously wide, supporting Ross' conviction that the longer the shot, the more margin for error the player should be allowed.

Renovations on Hole 16 to better replica Ross’ original design were completed in 2023. We first added a large back tee. The fairway was reshaped and widened to the same width as its replica hole. A grass-covered mound on the left side of the fairway has been removed, and a new mound was added on the right-hand side near the front of the fairway. The bunker on the right side of the fairway was removed, and the remainder of the bunkers were rebuilt. While most were slightly reduced in size, the total number of bunkers has gone from 5 to over 20. The green has been completely redone, increasing the size from 4,100 sq. ft. to its correct size of 8,300 sq. ft., and is very undulating, producing the subtle ball movement that Ross greens often create. The green complex has an additional runoff area on the side and back of the green that is found on many Ross signature holes.

Hole 16

A replica of Hole #8 at Wannamoisett Country Club; Rumford, Rhode Island | Wannamoisett's 8th hole was selected by Boyne for The Ross course. With bunkers located some 20 yards in front of the putting surface, it's a classic example of deception... a Ross trademark that has scalped many a great player in North East Amateurs and other tournaments.

Hole 17

A replica of Hole #16 at Oakland Hills Country Club, South Course; Birmingham, Michigan | The dogleg 16th hole is the most spectacular and most feared hole on the course. In the 1972 PGA Championship, Gary Player hit a nine iron from the rough over the willow trees to within four feet of the pin. This historic shot, which Player said was "one of the best shots of my career," led to victory two holes later.

Hole 18

Donald Ross Memorial 

Two short game areas at the back of the range

Range balls are included for guests prior to their round

Take your game to the next level with TrackMan Range Golf Experience— Geek out over stats to improve your game, or have another hour of fun! 

Ross Golf Center Practice Area

The Donald Ross Memorial takes some of the greatest holes ever designed by one of the sport’s greatest course designers and brings them together to create a bit of a “Greatest Hits” compilation. Beginning with inspiration, and after years of travel, play, and heated deliberation, it has become one of the country’s most satisfying courses. A round of golf here looks, feels, and plays like a true Donald Ross design.

In 2020, the BOYNE Golf team, in conjunction with Michigan-based course designer Ray Hearn, launched a series of renovations to the Donald Ross Memorial. Using today’s technology, Ross’ original designs are better replicated than they were when the Donald Ross Memorial was originally developed in 1989.

The Donald Ross Memorial is like a “Greatest Hits” compilation, bringing together some of the designer’s best-known holes from the most renowned courses in his portfolio—all to create a single unforgettable golf course.

	Yardage	Par	Rating	Slope
Brown	6814	72	73.9	143
Purple	6563	72	72.3	140
Orange	6233	72	71.4	145
Blue	5972	72	69.7	134
Green	5658	72	67.9/74.2	132/139
Silver	4935	72	65.5/69.8	122/129

Donald Ross Memorial

18 Legendary Holes In One

Donald Ross Memorial

Hole 1

Ross Golf Center Practice Area