Construction is underway in Downtown Detroit for the Par 3 in the D, a one-of-a-kind event in Downtown Detroit that will be part of Rocket Classic week.
You can watch the Par 3 in the D live on Channel 7 at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 28
The event will put some of the world's best golfers on the roof of the five-story UBS Building on Woodward Ave., hitting to a green in Nick Gilbert Way between the Hudson's Detroit buildings.
See the full story from Simon Shaykhet in the video below
“If you are standing where we are right now, you’re going to be adjacent to a green that’s going to be built right here. Players taking shots from just over 100 yards," Rocket Classic Tournament Director Mark Hollis told me. “Folks that are playing in the pro-am the following day will be down here to see a lot of the action and be part of it.”
“How did this idea come about to move something this spectacular into downtown?" I asked.
"I have a great team and great minds," he said. "You take six of the top players on the PGA tour, you bring them downtown and let them take some shots. I think the visuals of what goes on is going to be spectacular.”
For fans, caddies and players, it's a chance to pull off something seen around the world on Tuesday, July 28, just days before the Rocket Classic plays at Detroit Golf Club. WXYZ will air the event live on air and online.
Apart from all the excitement, Hollis acknowledged this is a special tribute to Nick Gilbert, the late son of Detroit businessman and philanthropic leader, Dan Gilbert.
“Nick Gilbert. I was blessed to work with him. Dan’s son who passed away. Couldn’t be a more fitting place. He will be smiling ear to ear looking down on this event," Hollis said.
With a larger green, lots of netting, a blocked-off area and precise attention to detail, Hollis said inclement weather could be the only factor impacting play.
“It’s been a ton of constant communication. A lot of coordination. Ultimately, all hands on deck with a lot of teamwork," Dean Bokuniewicz, the marketing director for the tournament, said.
“It’s not everyday you get to do something that nobody else has ever done, this is beyond anything I even imagined we could do," John Forrester, the CEO of Rhino Recreational Construction, added.
The Rocket Classic will be the final event, but it's attracting some of the biggest names in golf.
“We have number 3, number 5 in the world and we’ve added another great name in Brooks Koepka, who informed us just before today he’s coming to the Rocket Classic," Hollis said.
“At the end, we’re going to have First Tee Greater Detroit and Midnight Golf, which is college career and beyond, kids from those two organizations are going to come down and help putt out. Kind of put the conclusion on the night," Hollis added.
