New York-based lifestyle golf brand Eastside Golf is bringing its Community Golf Days program to Detroit and three other cities hosting PGA Tour events, including the Rocket Mortgage Classic, which this year will be played at the Detroit Golf Club June 25-30.
Community Golf Days is a collaboration between Eastside Golf and the PGA Tour. It is designed to drive grassroots community engagement and outreach to new golf players and fans of the game.
This is the program’s second year of focusing on diversifying the sport and bringing fans of the brand together at local courses to experience the fun of golf without the financial barriers commonly found in the game.
In addition to Detroit, Eastside Golf’s Community Golf Days already has visited Jacksonville, Fla., home of The Players Championship. Other stops will include Memphis, Tenn., home of the FedEx St. Jude Championship; and Atlanta, host city of the Tour Championship.
The dates for the Community Golf Days have yet to be announced.
The event will feature free tee times for 72 players, food and entertainment, and the chance to win tickets to the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Eastside Golf co-founders Earl Cooper and Olajuwon Ajanaku are expected to attend.
Also, when fans stop at the gift shop at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, they will be able to, for the first time, purchase products from Eastside Golf.
“Eastside Golf is using fashion to change the cultural conversation around golf,” says Kenyatta Ramsey, vice president of player development for the PGA Tour. “As a more diverse fanbase has come to the game, golf is evolving to engage all who play it and what it actually means to be a fan.
“The PGA Tour is committed to supporting organizations that welcome everyone who wants to be a part of golf, and we look forward to working with Eastside Golf to create more meaningful opportunities to invite new fans and players to the game.”
Earl Cooper, co-founder of Eastside Golf, says: “Our goal at Eastside Golf is to show people that you don’t need to look or dress a certain way to participate. Golf is and should be a game for everyone who wants to play, and you can be comfortable bringing your whole self to the course no matter who you are.”
The 2024 edition of the Rocket Mortgage Classic will be the sixth at the Donald Ross-designed Detroit Golf Club course. Rocket Mortgage brand ambassador Rickie Fowler will be on hand to defend his 2023 championship.
With the pro-am, celebrity scramble, and other adjacent events, the Detroit Golf Club will be active from Monday, June 24 through Sunday, June 30 when a new champion is crowned.
Detroit’s only PGA Tour event comes after the Travelers Championship in Crowell, Conn., and before the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Ill. It’s uncertain how that will affect the number and quality of the players who elect to play in the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic. As the Detroit event has matured, more upper echelon players have come to the Motor City tournament.
In related Rocket Mortgage Classic news, members of the Detroit Golf Club currently are voting on a proposed $16.1 million renovation of its two courses, a combination of which are used for the annual PGA Tour stop.
The membership at the Detroit Golf Club is getting set to vote on a proposed and significant renovation of its two courses, including the 18 holes that host the PGA Tour’s annual Rocket Mortgage Classic.
The first phase of the project would address the holes on which the RMC plays, and would begin following the 2025 Rocket Mortgage Classic and be completed before the 2026 tournament.
