What was your first “Wow” moment of the 2025 golf season?

For me, a particularly striking memory came at the outset of summer, the first time I ever stepped foot on Sweetgrass Golf Club, the original course at Island Resort and Casino in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Tired and haggard after a late night at the onsite casino, I trudged across the hotel parking lot to the resort’s home course (a short walk normally, but this one felt endless) to take drone photography at 5:30 AM, merely a few hours removed from the blackjack table.

Heavy fatigue was quickly replaced by jubilation as I walked down the 18th fairway, a majestic carpet of flawlessly manicured bentgrass. Not a divot was in sight – it was simply a perfect fairway.

Did I take a wrong turn into an elite private club? Was I still dreaming?

No, this was all very real, and I was at the right place – a fabulous, upscale public resort course, one that can stand toe-to-toe in terms of conditioning with America’s most iconic destinations at only a fraction of the greens fees.

With both nines concluding on a double-green fronted by water and backed by fescue-draped mounds with the hotel looming in the background, I was particularly excited to witness this signature spot on the property firsthand, and it did not disappoint. Quite the opposite – it reinvigorated my golfing spirit.

Right on cue, my group had a tee time on the books just a couple hours later, and not even poor lighting for photography that morning could keep my enthusiasm from bubbling.

I eagerly texted my buddies who were, of course, still sleeping: “You guys are in for a treat – this course is mint!”

Best-in-Class Conditions

Maybe I was so taken by the level of Sweetgrass’s conditioning because it was early in the season, and I had yet to experience truly dialed-in turf after a particularly suboptimal Midwest winter. Mild temps and lack of snow cover last offseason left turf dormant or even dead well into spring, and golf operations across the region were scrambling to bring their properties up to mid-season form.

Under these circumstances, the fact that Sweetgrass was so perfect by early June speaks to the incredible skill and execution of Head Superintendent John Holberton and his crew, with substantial support from a management team that makes premium conditions the utmost priority.

“When I used to play Sweetgrass more often, I’d find a dead piece of grass on the edge of the fairway and I’d tell John, ‘look at this,’ and he’d explain something happened and somebody spilled something, and he’d clean it up, refix it and put in a new piece of sod. John’s always on it and it looks perfect all the time – it’s a source of pride here.”

– Tony Mancilla, General Manager of The Island Resort & Casino

You’ll find similarly pure conditions at the resort’s second course, Sage Run, but unlike its more rugged sibling, Sweetgrass feels like an ultra-exclusive private club that spares no expense with its maintenance budget.

After a rich season filled with bucket list golf experiences, Sweetgrass remains one of the best-conditioned properties I’ve seen this year. Every element of its greenskeeping is handled with meticulous care, from tightly-cut fairways to pure, blazing fast greens, to impeccable rough and fescue on the margins.

It’s all so good, and at this property you’re unlikely to encounter a bad lie that you didn’t deserve.

When I returned to the U.P. in late August with the WiscoGolfAddict team for a second helping, I confirmed that none of this was a fluke – if anything, the course conditions were even more exceptional late in the summer, with peak fescue wondrously contrasting against the emerald fairways.

A Pioneer of Supreme Value

To make matters even better, you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to experience these phenomenal conditions – $300+ greens fees or six-digit initiation fees are nowhere to be found at The Island Resort and Casino.

Affordability has been the pride and joy of this destination, ever since Sweetgrass blazed the trail in the late 2000’s with the allure of budget-friendly, yet still top-tier, golf – a value proposition I haven’t seen matched anywhere else.

The numbers don’t lie – the Stay & Play rate for a 2-night, 3-round trip currently runs as low as $432 in peak season. Factor in the lodging and you’re looking at a sub-$100 cost per round for a level of quality that would normally command north of $200.

The Island Resort and Casino has developed a business model that allows for significant investment into its golf operation while still keeping prices low, opening the door for the budget-conscious golfer to experience a bucket list-caliber trip.

As it turns out, this caters to a large swath of the golfing population, and it’s resulted in near-endless demand for their product.

“You can offer cheap golf, but it has to be good golf. People can play cheap golf anywhere, but we’re in the value game here.”

– Tony Mancilla

Sweetgrass laid the foundation for The Island Resort and Casino to evolve into a golf-first destination that countless Midwest golf enthusiasts visit time and time again without burning through their annual golf budgets.

After experiencing this place for myself twice this season, I’m hooked. It took me awhile to finally make my first golf trip to the U.P., but now it’s hard to imagine a full season without returning for another adventure, especially given its affordability.

A Dramatic, Memorable Layout

Superb playing conditions and low greens fees can only go so far – if the golf course itself is uninteresting or gimmicky, it’s still not an experience worth traveling for.

In that regard, Sweetgrass knocks it out of the park with a distinctive, challenging and unforgettable design.

Architect Paul Albanese established what would become a thriving relationship with The Island Resort and Casino when he designed Sweetgrass in 2008. After extensive experience working under Pete Dye, he came into the project knowing a thing or two about dramatic resort-style architecture.

These principles certainly manifest themselves in a big way at Sweetgrass, where severe mounding and bunkering are used to manufacture intimidating sight lines, when in fact the landing zones are much more lenient than they appear.

This sleight of hand strikes apt comparisons with some of Dye’s most famous layouts. As the late architect demonstrated time and time again, the illusion of a bunker edge or water hazard covering more of the playing line than it actually does is exactly the kind of magic that conjures vivid memories and keeps golfers coming back for more.

“Signature hole” might be an overplayed concept, but Sweetgrass has several that meet the mark, setting the stage for a memorable round:

• The Redan 7th carved out of the prairie
• The dual risk/reward par fives at 9 and 18 sharing a vast double-green with approach shots over water
• The Biarritz 12th
• The island green 15th
• The gorgeous par four 17th adjacent to wetlands and woods

Off the tee, the playing corridors are generously wide, tumbling across a tree-light property that invites players to relax and swing with confidence. Approaches are more tightly guarded, though, with gaping bunkers and water hazards stalking the edges.

Sweetgrass boasts tremendous variety, particularly on its par threes and fours, with a wide mix of long and short holes and impressive versatility in their designs. Every opportunity to play aggressively is matched with a grind-it-out challenge elsewhere.

This diversity of design favors the well-rounded player who can work the ball both ways, bomb a drive when opportunity arises and call upon a tidy short game when needed.

Even for less accomplished players there are numerous scoring opportunities throughout the round.

Take, for example, me – a shorter hitter who hits a reliable fade and possesses a decent short game, but struggles with long iron play and can’t work the ball right-to-left. In my second round this season at Sweetgrass, I was able to card four birdies and walk off with a 76!

Sweetgrass will bite hard if you prod it in the wrong places and don’t execute to your spots, but if you know where to hit it and commit to a sound game plan, you can go really low here.

At first glance, the topography on this site seems flat compared to most Michigan layouts I’ve seen, but once you’re on the course, it feels less benign. The prevalence of mounds and a routing that optimizes the gently rolling terrain yield moderate elevation change that will complicate club selection.

Another nice touch you’ll find here is a nod to the heritage and values of the property owners – the Hannahville Indian Community of the Potawatomi Indian Tribe. Holes are named after traditional Potawatomi groups and symbols, serving as a reminder of the importance of this land to its original inhabitants and presenting a deeper meaning of the golf course.

On the scorecard, you’ll learn about the meaning of “Sweetgrass” itself – “Sweetgrass was the first plant to grow on mother earth … (and is) one of the four traditional medicines used in traditional Potawatomi ceremonies … (it’s) a reminder to respect the earth and all things it provides … Sweetgrass is found in the low lying areas that surround this golf course.”

The themes attributed to the property’s natural setting tie in cleverly to the challenges you’ll find on the course, and the resort website’s course tour describes the backstory of each symbol – it’s definitely worth a read before teeing it up!

Course Overview

Sweetgrass Golf Club

Harris, Michigan

Architect: Paul Albanese (2008)

Par 72, 7230/6790/6400/5711 Yards

Course/Slope Rating: 75.6/145, 73.5/140, 71.5/136, 68.0/126

Featured Holes

While Sweetgrass possesses a great set of par fours, the threes and fives onsite steal the show with strategic designs and nuanced green complexes. A mix of classic and modern templates make appearances across the property, like the Biarritz and Island greens, giving the course a multitude of architectural themes while maintaining its own genuine character.

#3 – Par 3, 200/173/158/143 Yards – “Wolf (Me Ing Gen)”

After two rather gentle handshakes to start the round, the third presents a challenging tee shot, living up to its moniker “Wolf” with a collection of trouble encircling the green. To the front and left, a large bunker sits at the bottom of a collection area and right-to-left sloping will push short misses in its direction.

Carved into an enclave of mounds, the green complex is partially concealed from the tee, making course knowledge critical. Once safely on board, you’ll be able to visualize the extreme depth of the surface and the network of contours sprinkled across its reach. Finding the correct section of the green is essential as many long putts will face double-breaking lines.

The rear of the green slopes toward a sharp dropoff at its edge, making it wise to play to the center if the pin is in the back half.

#5 – Par 4, 439/417/395/355 Yards – “The Serpent and the Flood”

Skirting the southern border of the property, the fifth is a stout par four that demands two well-executed shots from tee to green to secure a par.

Wetlands and sand line the right side, and while it may seem wise to favor the left side to avoid “the flood”, the optimal playing line will challenge the trouble to yield a more favorable angle into the green.

Elevated and shallow, the two-tiered green complex is quite tough to hold, especially with contours running front to back.

#7 – Par 3, 228/205/192/180 Yards – “Rabbit”

Beautifully carved from the surrounding prairie, the 7th offers a modern take on the Redan template with a well-bunkered greensite divided into left and right sections by a center spine.

As is the case with many Redans, it’s visually tempting to bail out to the right, particularly for players like me who will have hybrid or long-iron in hand. Make no mistake, though – if the pin’s placed to the left, recovery from the right side is no picnic.

#9 – Par 5, 547/518/493/436 Yards – “Trailing Arbutus”

The closing holes on each nine are near-mirror images of each other, flanked on opposite sides by a long, three-tiered pond.

At the ninth you can hit it past the first section of the pond (only about a 200-yard carry) where the fairway opens up generously, granting plenty of room to avoid the water.

After finding safety off the tee, it might be tempting to go for the green in two, but the pond borders the green closely and is hidden from view on approach.

Unless you can hit a high fairway wood or hybrid with a carry of 225+, laying up short of the centerline fairway bunker might be the most ideal play.

#12 – Par 3, 214/193/173/148 Yards – “Maple Sugar (Zi Za Ba Kwet)”

Sweetgrass’s take on the Biarritz is one of the more dramatic, extreme versions I’ve seen of this template.

This version features an extremely deep putting surface (vs. some Biarritz designs that cut to fairway height on their short sides), with bold slopes dividing the three sections.

The 12th also plays the shortest of any Biarritz I’ve seen thanks to its downhill orientation, with mid-to-short iron in play for front or center pin placements. It also features water up the left side, a particularly troublesome hazard when the pin is back and you’re hitting a long iron.

The genius of the Biarritz is its versatility in setup – it can play as three distinct holes depending on pin placement. In June, I played to a back pin and had to fight hard for bogey, while in August the pin was center and set up for a prime birdie opportunity.

#14 – Par 4, 346/326/294/264 Yards – “Legend of the Snowbirds”

The 14th is a masterclass of short par four design that maximizes risk/reward principles. Bending to the right around open prairie, the sightline from the tee begs for an aggressive drive towards the green.

This bold route comes with plenty of risk, though, as sand and fescue line the entire right side, so you’ll need to really pop your drive to carry the trouble.

The safer route up the left has plenty of width and can be attacked strategically to set up a short lob approach. I took this path in both of my rounds and came away with a birdie and a par (while some of my playing partners toiled in the fescue), so I’d highly recommend doing the same if you’re feeling really confident with the driver.

#15 – Par 3, 168/152/141/125 Yards – “Turtle (Mshike)”

The island green is the ultimate feast-or-famine template of modern golf architecture. It’s love it or hate it – many don’t like the prospect of water stalking every side of the green, but my relationship with island greens is a bit more complicated.

Give me a wedge or short iron to an island green, and I’ll find dry land more than 80% of the time. In those cases, I love it!

It gets a bit dicier once the shot gets into mid-iron range, though – with a 7-iron in hand, for example, I’ll find the drink about half the time.

So to me, it simply comes down to playability – no golfer should be penalized more than half the time they play a hole.

At Sweetgrass’ 15th, this problem was solved with a lengthy tee box that snakes around the pond to create a multitude of teeing options. Ranging from 107 to 168 yards, there are options available for all calibers of players to make this a fun experience.

Just make sure you pick the correct set of tees here!

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#17 – Par 4, 412/380/364/337 Yards – “Wisdom (Bwakawen)”

Elegant and strategic, the mid-length 17th is a dramatic spot tucked away into a corner of the property, playing over wetlands to one of the more wooded corridors on site.

While the marsh only demands a short carry, well-placed fairway traps frame the tee shot. The largest one sits just over 200 yards down the left side, but there’s plenty of room to operate to the right of it. The bigger issue, in most cases, is a tiny pot bunker sitting in the center line at driver distance. Take great care to be short of it, lest you’ll face a nightmarish second shot over a high lip.

The green is elevated with two small bunkers bordering its left half, and contours running hard right make a back-left pin position particularly daunting.

#18 – Par 5 – 536/516/492/420 Yards – “Seven Grandfathers (Noeg Gmeshomsenanek)”

Sister to the 9th, the closer at Sweetgrass is a similarly reachable par five with water lining the entire hole. The hazard is to the right in this case and infringes on the playing lines more abruptly than its counterpart.

Layups can bite off as much distance as one dares, but beware a pair of pot bunkers through the fairway.

This is a dramatic conclusion to the round, and the WiscoGolfAddict team had a particularly tension-filled finish to our skins game, with Paul leading but everyone else still alive entering the final hole.

Paul, Dario and I all had good birdie looks, and after Paul’s bid grazed the edge, I sunk my 12-footer to put the pressure on Dario. With ice in his veins, he sent his 10-foot putt into the back of the cup, but that ironically gave Paul the win since we pushed the hole.

I’m sure many other matches have concluded in exciting fashion here.

Closing Thoughts

We’ve already covered the supreme value of this golf destination, but there’s far more to The Island Resort and Casino than affordability alone.

At its core, Sweetgrass succeeds because it delivers exactly what so many golf trips promise but few actually achieve – exceptional conditions, a dramatic and thoughtful layout, and an overall experience that feels far more elevated than its price point would suggest. From the moment it arrived in the late 2000s, Sweetgrass set a new standard for what value-oriented destination golf in the Midwest could look like, pairing pristine turf with bold architecture and memorable visuals at every turn.

That success inevitably fueled growth. The addition of Sage Run in 2018 expanded the resort’s architectural range, and the forthcoming nine-hole Cedar Course (Kishki), slated to open in 2026, signals that the evolution is far from complete. When paired with regional standouts like TimberStone and Marquette Golf Club (Greywalls) through the Perfect Foursome stay-and-play package, the result is one of the most compelling public-golf values anywhere in the country.

Still, Sweetgrass remains the heart of the operation. Situated at the resort’s home base and framed by some of the Upper Peninsula’s most recognizable golf scenery, it’s the course that welcomes you in and often leaves the strongest impression on the way out. After experiencing it twice in a single season, I’m confident this won’t be my last visit – and for many who make the trip, Sweetgrass is the reason returning to the U.P. becomes a yearly tradition.

For much more on The Island Resort & Casino and its elite stay-and-play value, be sure to check out Paul’s destination overview, linked below:

Photography by Paul Seifert, Brian Murphy and Rich Bauer for WiscoGolfaddict.com

The Island Resort & Casino Website