Motor City Golf Club Champs Team
Do you think that you can be an MCGC CHAMP??!!
Compete to make the Motor City Golf Club Champs team!
While our pros will be representing Motor City Golf Club in TGL and WTGL, we know that there are tons of golfers across and beyond the 313 who would love a shot to prove they have what it takes to represent the Motor City.
That’s why we’re creating the Motor City Golf Club Champs – a real competition for any golfer to compete and earn a title and be etched into the Club record books. This will be a year-round local competition built to allow the best amateur teams of three golfers to compete and win, and then defend, the title of MCGC Champs.
First, we need to crown our inaugural Champs team –at an Open Tryout to be held at the Cardinal at Saint John’s Resort and Carl’s Golfland in Plymouth, MI on September 12th, 2026. The contest is open to all golfers, male or female. The best golfers on the day will make the first team.
We are opening registration for anyone to come and claim their spot on the team. Entry is free, but success is not guaranteed!
If you think that you have what it takes, register below – there are a limited number of slots available, so secure yours now.
This won’t be the last chance ever to be a Champ. Once crowned, the team will be on the clock to defend their title in regular Challenge the Champs nine-hole match play events. But first - we need to find our inaugural team!
How does the Tryout work?
There are two stages to the Try Out – the Skills Challenge and the Knockout Competition.
Tryouts will take place:
September 12th, 2026
Saint John’s Resort & Carl’s Golfland
44045 Five Mile Road
Plymouth, MI 48170
Skills Challenge
The Skills Challenge will run from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
All competitors will go through three challenges and be scored on each. An MCGC volunteer will record the official results for each challenge on the participant’s scorecard.
Driving
On the Carl’s Golfland driving range, each player will have three minutes to complete three drives. Driving distance will be measured using the in-bay monitors, based on total distance including roll. The players longest drive will then be scored:
Approach
Again on the Carl’s Golfland driving range, each player will have three minutes to hit three shots and get as close to the pin as possible, approx. 120 yards. Distance from the pin will be measured using the in-bay monitoring. The players closest shot will then be scored:
Putting
Players will head to the Saint John’s Putting Green and have three different challenge putts – 6 ft, 15 ft and 30 ft. Players will go to each station, be checked in, and then a 30 second timer will start to take each putt. Each putt will count towards the score, as follows for either men or women:
Knockout Competition
The Knockout Competition will plan to start at 1:30 p.m.
The players with the top 12 cumulative scores in the Skills Challenge will progress to the Knockout competition. Where there are ties, the tied players will proceed to a sudden death challenge on the Par 3 course until there are 12 total players left.
The 12 qualifiers will then proceed to a shotgun start of three foursomes playing on three par 3 holes on the Little Cardinal at Saint John’s. The six low scores in this three-hole challenge, will then continue to the next phase. Again, ties will be settled with sudden death on the Little Cardinal.
The final six will then move to a six-hole low stroke play challenge on the Cardinal. Two threesomes will tee on of hole 1, and at the end of the sixth hole, the low three scores will be crowned our inaugural MCGC Champs team! Again, any ties will be settled in a sudden death playoff.
The Knockout Competition will be run under the official USGA and R&A rules of golf and administered in the competition the Golf Association of Michigan.
At the end of the day, we’ll have an awards ceremony and share some drinks.
Prizes
More than just the pride in the title, there will be prizes for the winning players on the day, including a trophy, gift certificates and others to be announced as we get closer to the event.
Trust us that they will be worth fighting for!
Preparation
You may want to practice ahead of time to get used to how the Skills Challenge will be setup. The settings for the two challenges on the Carl’s Golfland driving range monitors are as follows:
Driving Challenge
- Open “Range Practice”
- Select target line (Middle furthest flag)
- Select driver as the club
- Select “Premium Ball’ setting turned ON
- Select and display “Carry” and “Total” in the Trackman data box
- The “Total” yards will be the measurement used in the competition
Approach Shot Challenge
- Open “Range Practice”
- Select target line (the target on the day will be between 120 and 130 yards)
- Select the club you are using
- Select “Premium Ball’ setting turned OFF
- Select and display “From Pin Total” and the Trackman data box
- The "From Pin Total" in yards will be the measurement used in the competition
Location
Our partners at Saint John’s Resort and Carl’s Golfland have an incredible facility in Plymouth, MI that will make it easy on everyone to get around the Skills Challenge and on to the course in the Knockout Competition.
You’ll be able to warm-up at the Cardinal practice range and on the putting green before your Skills Challenge starts and before the Knockout Competition if you make it.
For location: click here.
What do you need to do to Tryout?
Anyone can enter, and entry is free. REGISTER HERE and put in your information. You’ll become a member of Motor City Golf Club, and you’ll be in the competition.
Please see participation release form here.
We’ll aim to send you a clear one-hour slot when you will need to be there to run the qualifier. The driving range at Saint John’s will be available to practice and warm-up, as well as a large area of the putting green. In addition, we’ll have hospitality going throughout the day, with some fun activities for friends and family to have fun.
If you do make the team, then you are committing to be on the clock to defend your title at some point later in the year. Your new team will be the first, but maybe not the only Champs team for long! Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
More than anything, we don’t want anyone to think that they shouldn’t take a shot, and we want everyone to have fun!
- MCGC