Detailed description of Sweetgrass Golf Club
Sweetgrass Golf Course is a Public 18-hole golf course located at the Island Resort & Casino in Harris' Michigan. Owned and operated by the Hannahville Indian Community, a band of the Potawatomi Nation, Sweetgrass Golf Club, and the Island Resort & Casino are located in the unspoiled beauty of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Sweetgrass Golf Course opened for play in 2008. The course was designed by Paul Albanese.
"Sweetgrass is a golf course that was designed in a way that would provide golfers an opportunity to test their skills, without being overly penalizing," says Albanese. "The idea was to locate features, such as bunkers, water features, rock, and grasses, so golfers would have to contemplate how much risk they wanted to undertake, in exchange for a commensurate reward."
The name Sweetgrass refers to an aromatic herb, a sacred plant used in Indian peace and healing rituals, and is found along the course. Holes are named after, and pay homage to, Indian legend. Hole #15 Island Green, the signature hole, matches with the casino's name and fits within the parameters of the land's dedicated design and meshes with Potawatomi legend, which holds the turtle and its wisdom in high esteem. The challenging par-3 Island green is surrounded by a bed of rock outcroppings and resembles a turtle. Water comes into play on seven holes, and the challenging back nine incorporates several recovered classic DOT bridges. This par 3 is a true island with a historic bridge connecting it to land. While the green is of extremely generous size, the water, and prevailing breezes can play on a golfer's mind.
The course plays from approximately 7,300 to 5,000 yards and features multiple teeing areas to accommodate every player's unique skill level. It was named a Top 20 Courses You Can Play in Michigan by GOLF Magazine in 2010, and Best New Course by Golfweek magazine in 2009.
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Guest (cart included), played on Sunday, June 2023 at 12:00 PM
Ask anyone that’s familiar with golf in Michigan where you can find the best courses in the state, and you may be surprised at the answers you get. Gaylord is always near the top of the list as is Kalamazoo – home to Gull Lakeview Resort and its six courses. But if you really want to play the best Michigan has to offer, you’ll have to go north, past Gaylord and Traverse City, over the Mackinac Bridge. Once you go over the bridge, take Route 2 West until you hit Harris, MI. Follow the signs to The Island Resort & Casino and you’re at the home of two golf courses you won’t soon forget: Sweetgrass and Sage Run.
The Island Resort and Casino is part of the Hannahville Indian Community. Both Sweetgrass and Sage Run were designed by Michigan native Paul Albanese and are constantly ranked among Golfweek’s Best Courses and recognized by GOLF Magazine and Golf Digest as a part of their Best in State ranking. In 2021, Sweetgrass was named Michigan’s Golf Course of the Year by the Michigan Golf Course Association.
If Sweetgrass was located on the ocean, it could be considered a links course. Since there is no significant amount of water nearby, we’ll call it a parkland-style layout. The course is as visually stunning as it is challenging. Beautifully manicured tee boxes and fairways lead to well-undulated greens. A lot of the long rough is wispy fescue grass; easy to find your ball but tricky to hit from.
Water or marshland comes into play on ten holes and four holes are tree-lined although the trees only come into play on one or two of them — 16 and maybe 17.
All of the holes at Sweetgrass are named, and as you play your way around the layout, you may learn something! The names are part of the rich history of the Hannahville Indian Community and come from traditional Potawatomi clans, villages, allies, medicines, and symbols.
The practice facility at Sweetgrass is located just a short walk from the first tee. There’s a full-length driving range where you can hit every club in your bag and a large practice green that offers a lot of different breaks and gets you ready for what you’re about to encounter.
Most greens are surrounded by bunkers and rough; many times, the shape and contours of these greens make hitting the ball close seemingly impossible.
Two of my favorite holes at Sweetgrass are Numbers 15 and 17. Number 15 is undoubtedly the signature hole. It’s a short par 3 that plays 141 yards from the White Tees over water to an island green that is a lot wider than it is deep. Rocks front the left side of the green. it's about the same length as #17 at Sawgrass with no bunker but lots of rocks around the front of the green. Par is a good score here.
Number 17 is named “Wisdom,” and if you use a little bit, you can score well! It’s another pretty hole at Sweetgrass, and from the White, Blue, and Black Tees, you’ll play over a marshland. Avoid the ornamental rock and fairway bunkers on either side of the landing area and you’re well on your way. A tee shot down the right side and left of the large fairway bunker will leave a short pitch shot into the green which is very elevated with a couple of bunkers front left.
The Island Resort and Casino had already made a name for itself with the opening of Sweetgrass Golf Course, which is located directly behind the casino and hotel. With the opening of Sage Run in 2019, Islands has established itself as a premiere golf destination for those looking for a great golf experience.