diff --git a/pmd-java/src/main/resources/rulesets/java/design.xml b/pmd-java/src/main/resources/rulesets/java/design.xml
index cd4cb02a7f..58a7d86781 100644
--- a/pmd-java/src/main/resources/rulesets/java/design.xml
+++ b/pmd-java/src/main/resources/rulesets/java/design.xml
@@ -1289,7 +1289,11 @@ Non-thread safe singletons can result in bad state changes. Eliminate
 static singletons if possible by instantiating the object directly. Static
 singletons are usually not needed as only a single instance exists anyway.
 Other possible fixes are to synchronize the entire method or to use an
-initialize-on-demand holder class (do not use the double-check idiom).
+[initialize-on-demand holder class](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initialization-on-demand_holder_idiom).
+
+Refrain from using the double-checked locking pattern. The Java Memory Model doesn't
+guarantee it to work unless the variable is declared as `volatile`, adding an uneeded
+performance penalty. [Reference](http://www.cs.umd.edu/~pugh/java/memoryModel/DoubleCheckedLocking.html)
 
 See Effective Java, item 48.
         </description>