A novel nongrafting route has been developed to anchor Au nanoparticles (NPs) onto titanium oxide rods. These rods have been synthesized through a process involving a glycolate precursor. A facile solid-state transformation allows anatase and rutile phases to be formed without the overall rod-like morphology being altered. Importantly, the sizes of the rods can be controlled through varying reflux time and temperature only, and hence the procedure does not necessitate the use of additives. These rods have then been used as supports to deposit Au NPs through a simple method that relies on hydrophobic interactions.