A Perfect Golf Journey to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
The journey feels different as soon as you cross the Mackinac Bridge.
The wind sharpens. The air smells of pine and freshwater.
The road stretches west across U.S. 2, a ribbon of highway skirting the top side of Lake Michigan’s shoreline. It’s an open invitation to slow down and breathe. Here, on the wild edge of the Upper Peninsula, lies one of the Midwest’s most surprising golf meccas: Island Resort & Casino in Harris, Michigan.
The Island Resort & Casino is more than a place to play—it’s a golf destination where every fairway, every breeze through the fescue, carries the culture of the Hannahville Indian Community. The resort’s two celebrated courses—Sweetgrass and Sage Run—and a third now under construction, Cedar (Kishki), form a trilogy of golf experiences tied together by heritage and the sacred medicines of the tribe: sweetgrass for healing, sage for wisdom, and cedar for protection.
When the Sweetgrass golf course opened in 2008, it sparked a renaissance of destination golf in Michigan’s north woods. Designed by Paul Albanese, the prairie links-style Sweetgrass layout meanders to a wide-open vista where many greens and flags can be seen in the distance. The highlight of this course are the most fun green complexes you will ever putt on. For course architecture geeks, you have a Redan, Biarritz, Island, and Double-green complexes. The par-three 15th hole has become a regional icon.
In 2022, Sweetgrass was honored as National Golf Course of the Year by the NGCOA, and it hosts the Island Resort Championship on the EPSON Tour, the proving ground for future LPGA stars.
The resort’s second course, Sage Run, also designed by Albanese, was inspired by the “rough and rugged” appeal of Northern Ireland’s Royal County Down. The course, which was named to Golf Digest’s prestigious list of “Best New Courses, 2019,” climbs and dives along a natural drumlin ridge with scenic views that stretch for miles.
Albanese shaped Sage Run to showcase contrast – long carries over native fescue, fairways that tumble like waves, and green sites tucked into the hillside as if nature placed them there herself.
It’s a theme that fits this corner of Michigan perfectly. The Upper Peninsula is a place of edges—where pine forests meet granite cliffs and freshwater meets sky. Sage Run captures that raw, untamed beauty and challenges you to meet it head-on.
The Cedar Course (Kishki), another Albanese creation, will open for preview play in 2026.
Built on rolling land beside Sage Run, the nine-hole layout is inspired by the Golden Age of Architecture, borrowing design notes from C.B. Macdonald’s National Golf Links and classic holes overseas. Expect a Punchbowl, a Double Plateau, and even a short par 4 inspired by Riviera’s 10th.
The Perfect 4-Some: Four Courses, One Epic Adventure
For those who crave variety, the Island serves as the hub of the “Perfect 4-Some” Michigan’s next great golfing adventure is a bucket-list golf loop that also includes Greywalls Golf Course in Marquette and Timberstone Golf Course in Iron Mountain.
Greywalls feels like golf carved from the mountains, with holes framed by massive granite outcroppings and views that stretch over Lake Superior. Timberstone, by contrast, winds peacefully through the pines—classic north-woods golf where solitude reigns. Add Sweetgrass and Sage Run to the mix, and you have four courses that capture the full soul of the U.P.: rugged, serene, and unforgettable.
Packages for 2026 are now available, and range from one to four nights with flexible lodging and tee-time options, priced seasonally from $140 to $743. Fly into Escanaba or Marquette or make the road trip across the Bridge and along U.S. 2, one of America’s great coastal drives. Either way, the journey is part of the magic.
Visit https://islandresortgolf.com or call 877-475-4733.
