Rackham is a classic golf course in Huntington Woods, Michigan. Designed by the legendary Donald Ross, it was built in 1924 and donated to the city of Detroit with the understanding that it always would remain a golf course. Unfortunately, Rackham has been under threat recently from developers.

A little African American history month lesson: Rackham is a course with historic significance. It’s one of the few places where African Americans could enjoy the game. Joe Louis was a frequent visitor. And Rackham Pro Ben Davis was one of the first—if not THE first—African American course instructors in the country (Davis, who was still with us at this writing, still plays there frequently at the age of 96.

This photo is from the Flickr collection here. It’s one of the most beautiful golf course photos I’ve ever seen.

A sad note from Michigan. Lloyd Gauss, founder of Gauss’ Green Valley Golf Course has died in a house fire. He was 84, and a decorated WWII veteran. Gauss built the Green Valley Golf course in Napoleon (near Jackson) in the late 1950s. His house was near the second tee of the course.

I love the Green Valley course and am grateful to Lloyd for building it. You can see a review and photos here.

The course, I hope, will continue as a monument to his life.

With the air temperatures hovering around ten degrees, golf on a course really isn’t a possibility right now. Golf on a heated tee isn’t even in the cards. Fortunately, there are several indoor golf simulators in the Detroit area that Michigan golfers can partake of.

There’s Insider’s Golf in Novi, the City of Westland’s municipal golf simulators (how’s that for first—a muni virtual golf course), Golf-O-Rama in Brighton, Par-Fection in Wyandotte, and the Sentient Sports Golf Academy in Saline.

And I’m sure there are a lot of others that I don’t know about.

I just got an email from a southeastern Michigan course called Moose Ridge, suggesting that a gift certificate for a round would be a great Christmas gift for a golfer.

They’re right—and not just about their own track. Giving a course gift certificate is a terrific idea for golfers anywhere. I particularly like certificates to courses that I have yet to play, since it encourages me to try something new

If you’re in Southeastern Michigan, Moose Ridge—as their email suggests—would indeed be a good choice. Located in South Lyon, it’s a beautiful “Up North” style course that is marred only by the fact that it’s unwalkable. Otherwise, it’s a remarkable layout, requiring strategic thinking and the use of every club in the bag.

The email follows:

As far as the weather goes, it’s been a pretty good November here in Michigan. I got out Saturday and played 18 at the Washtenaw Country Club. Here’s a photo from the 16th hole, and then one from the 18th.