The Island Resort
Looking for a peaceful, incredibly scenic golf vacation with cool summer temperatures? Then you can check out what the Upper Peninsula of Michigan has to offer.
No, not Northern Michigan. That’s farther south, and, yes, the golf there is some of the best in the country, especially in the summer.
The UP is north of Northern Michigan, above the state of Wisconsin, northwest of Green Bay. You’re most likely going to need a pullover early in the morning when you tee it up in mid-summer, which is oh so welcome for those of us coming from the deep South or Florida that time of year. And you can play well past 10 p.m. in midsummer.
UP golf is unique. And so are the people. A more down-to-earth lot is hard to find. Perhaps because they spend the winter, hunkering down, getting around in snowshoes, snowmobiles, or ice fishing. They can put this summertime thing into perspective. And the golf offerings are expanding, starting with the Island Resort, located in Harris, Michigan.
The Island Resort
Getting started in the UP
A great spot to start is the Island Resort & Casino, located in Harris, Mich. The host site of the Epson Tour’s Island Resort Championship, the resort features 36 holes of championship golf and will soon open an additional nine holes.
The ladies’ event, which is played each summer as part of the LPGA’s junior tour, is contested on the Sweetgrass Golf Club Course, a par-72, 7,275-yard prairie links-style layout with wide fairways, large greens, and some water features, with a beautiful windswept look. The course, which opened in 2008, is ranked among the top 20 public courses in Michigan (which is saying a lot since Michigan has a wealth of great public courses).
Sweetgrass was designed by Paul Albanese, who also designed the newer and more difficult championship course at the resort, Sage Run (par-72, 7,375 yards), which runs through hardwoods and open spaces. Albanese said Sage Run was inspired by the “rough and rugged” appeal of Northern Ireland’s Royal County Down (which many consider the greatest golf course in the world). The course was named to Golf Digest’s list of Best New Courses in 2019.
The resort, which is owned by the Hannahville Band of the Potawatomi Nation, is one of the largest in the Midwest with 450 guest rooms, more than 1,200 slots, table games, sports book, a spa, an RV park, waterpark, and a wide variety of excellent restaurants.
The newest course at Island Resort, scheduled to open in 2026, is the Cedar Course, another design by Albanese. It’s a nine-hole layout that draws inspiration from the golden age of golf course architecture. One of the reasons Island Resort is building the Cedar Course is that the other two tend to be very busy. The new Cedar nine, which is its own course (not an addition to be played in combination with the other nines), is perfect for an early morning round on getaway day. It’s routed on rolling topography adjacent to the front nine of the Sage Run course.
“The course will feature some of the game’s most popular green templates like the Punchbowl, Double Plateau, and even a Juniper hole like the famous sixth hole at Augusta National. Many Midwesterners have not experienced this kind of architecture, so we wanted to give them a flavor of what it would be like to play overseas or from that era.”
In addition, the Sweetgrass Golf Club is getting a new golf shop that overlooks the scenic ninth and 18th holes, which share the same double green complex.
Sweetgrass Golf Club
More great golf in the UP
While Island Resort & Casino can serve as a great anchor to this emerging golf destination, there’s more, and it’s pretty spectacular.
Not too far from Island Resort are a couple of pretty good tracks. Gladstone Golf Club is a solid choice that goes back to 1936. Escanaba Country Club (semiprivate) is a Tom Bendelow design that’s even older (1915). And Highland Golf Club, also in Escanaba, opened its first nine holes in 1930.
A couple of hours north is the Mike DeVries-designed Greywalls Course at Marquette (Mich.) Golf Club. It is truly one of the most memorable and fun experiences you can have with a set of clubs.
Set on the hills above Lake Superior, this might be the most difficult 6,000 yards or so you will ever play. (The starter recommends that the vast majority of players not exceed this length, though this par-71 can play to more than 6,800 yards.)
There’s lots of elevation change, difficult table-top greens, and rock outcroppings that can redirect your golf ball to bad places if you lack accuracy.
But best of all, the views are simply sensational, from the opening elevated tee shot to the last elevated tee shot.
And if you have time, be sure to play the other course at Marquette Golf Club – the Heritage Course, which has nine holes designed by the legendary William Langford.
Another fantastic golf option is Timberstone Golf Club, located at the fun Pine Mountain Resort in Iron Mountain. At nearly 7,000 yards, it’s a good test to be sure, but play it from the right set of tees, and it’s most enjoyable. The course is routed through a rolling, tree-lined topography that demands a lot of accuracy and a little creativity.
The Timberstone Resort also houses the UP Sports Hall of Fame at its Famer’s Restaurant. Not only is this a chance to enjoy some cheese curds and a draft beer, but you can also learn about the great athletes that came from the region. Among the inductees are Olympic gold medalist Nick Baumgartner (snowboarding), Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo, and former NFL coach Steve Mariucci, just to name a few.
Gladstone Golf Club
Getting to the UP
If you’re coming up from Michigan, this golf adventure will take you up I-75 and over the scenic Mackinac Bridge to this sliver of land that runs above the mitten along Lake Superior, connecting Wisconsin on one end and Canada on the other.
Then, you take a beautiful drive across US-2, which will bring you west of Escanaba to Island Resort & Casino.
If you’re flying in from other parts of the country, however, there are a couple of options. One would be to fly right to Delta County Airport (ESC) in Escanaba, which is about 12 miles from Island Resort. The airport offers Delta/Skywest connections from Detroit or Minneapolis.
Or you could fly into Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay, Wisc. From there, you’re looking at a drive of just under two hours to Island Resort, or three hours to Marquette, Mich. The bonus would be if you could land some tickets to a Green Bay Packers game.
If you’re a football fan and have never been to Lambeau Field, it would be the perfect combination. Of course, if you’re planning on seeing a Packers’ game during a golf trip, you’ll want to go in the preseason or early in the regular season, since the golf season in the UP is spectacular, but rather short.