Sweetgrass Golf Club
Today, let’s take a tour of the Sweetgrass Golf Course in Harris, Michigan. We’re about 15 minutes west of Escanaba, a quiet lake town and great destination for boaters and beachgoers located on the northern end of Lake Michigan. It’s a part of the Island Resort & Casino. Escanaba’s pretty remote – at least 1.5 hours from bigger towns like Marquette, Mackinac, or Green Bay so it’s kind of surprising to see what a cool facility they have there. There’s a great casino (with my personal favorite – Flip Blackjack!!) with a variety of restaurants, a spa, and a concert and convention center. It’s always busy, and a top notch place to visit.
In 2008, the resort added the Sweetgrass Golf Course as an amenity, and it quickly became a destination in its own right. This modern track was designed by Michigan based architects Paul Albanese and Chris Lutzke. It quickly gained the attention of the Symetra Tour and hosts the Island Resort Championship each June. The community has really embraced it and the players consider it one of their favorite stops on tour.
Sweetgrass’s Commitment to the Community
Speaking of community, the resort has made a wonderful effort to highlight the Native American heritage of the area. The name Sweetgrass itself is a reference to a sweet, aromatic plant that is native to the area. It’s known to be found on the course, so try and find some! You’ll even notice that each hole has been given a name that pays homage to different native legends. My favorite has to be the 12th – Maple Sugar (Zi za ba kwet).
You’ll find another tie in to the region with the reclaimed bridges scattered across the course. The Upper Peninsula has hundreds of miles of rail lines and not-so-easy land to cross, so you’ll encounter tons of bridges as you travel through, some dating to the early 1900’s.
The Holes
Out of all the courses I’ll profile on our tour this week, Sweetgrass would be the one I’d say you can pick up and drop off in many different areas of the country. It slopes gently around marsh and prairie land and certainly will fit the “championship course” category. Sweetgrass plays stout at 7,275 yards, has a pristine practice facility, and might be among the best manicured courses in Michigan.
The Front 9
It’s fun to pass through the casino and resort parking lot, through a few winding mounds that cleverly separate the two worlds, then you’re on the first tee with an inviting fairway ready to calm your jitters. The first hole presents a nice warm up and will give you a birdie look to start your day. Take note that the carpet-like fairways will run fast, so you’ll see some roll on your drives.
Moving to the second, we’ll see the first of many reclaimed bridges Albanese and Lutzke added. These are great local touches that help bring out the personality and community tie of Sweetgrass.
The next standout hole we see will be the third. A mid-length par three with a deep green and some awesome swales.
By the way, I was first off the tee the day I took these pics. Absolutely love dew-sweeping, pace-setting, early morning golf!
Next up is maybe my favorite hole on the course, the long par-4 fourth. 469 yards up the hill where you hit a half-blind left to right drive that asks you to land a tough long iron up the ridge.
The fifth represents a typical challenge here at Sweetgrass. Not too short at 440 yards, you start to realize the key here will be angles. Unless you’re some Trackman legend that can overpower courses, you’ll see you need to find out how much of this slight dogleg you can take on.
Check out how pristine this place is! This view is off to the left of #5 green.
Here’s a quick snap of the par-5 sixth, from way off the left side. This hole will angle out and to the right. It’s going to take two big whacks to get home, so you’ll need to decide how far down the fairway you want to take on. You’ll find a big green with plenty of room to run it up.
Let’s move to the long par-3 seventh. A 230 yard elevated Redan hole, where you need to shape your long iron or hybrid right to left. The green will be well guarded, but will offer up some forgiveness if you hit a decent shot.
The eighth gives you a breather – an overly wide fairway with usually no more than a mid iron in. You may want to turn right and take your first look at the signature island green … (named Turtle “Mshike”)
So as we finish our first nine, we’ll see a feature that architect, Chris Lutzke, has used before at one of my mid-Michigan favorites – Eagle Eye (Bath, MI near Lansing). You’ve got two nearly symmetrical long par-5 holes curved around a lake (and a waterfall – the place is a resort after all), ending in a huge double green.
The Back 9
The tenth gets you off to a good start on the back nine and features a heavily bunkered, narrowing fairway, and the eleventh is a mid length par 5 that dares you to carry a cross-fairway bunker or bail safely to the right. Aggressive plays here let you attack the green in two, mishits force layups. A great strategic hole.
Hole twelve gets you into some of the more daring and unique parts of Sweetgrass with its phenomenal Biarritz template hole. This hole plays 214 yards with water left and danger on the right. The swale here may be more drastic than any holes of this type, and in typical fashion will reward a great shot while causing you a lot of trouble if you don’t.
Sweetgrass really, really rewards the left-to-right player (Slicer Friendly, woo!), but not the thirteenth. This plays long at 489 yards and you’ll feel great if you save your one snap hook of the day for this hole. Take note of the outstanding eagle carving watching over the green.
Ok, now be aggressive! Take aim at the drivable fourteenth. You can close your eyes and swing hard here.
A ha! Here’s the fifteenth – the Island Resort’s island hole. Turn around and enjoy the panorama, as you’ll get great views of the twelfth and a number of other holes. This hole honors the wise turtle of Potawatomi legend. It’s a forgiving golf hole, but you’ve probably had the anticipation building the last hour or so, so… not so easy now!
Holes sixteen and seventeen are sweeping dogleg right holes, and well played with a little fade if you’re a righty.
We head back up to the casino with another long par 5 for the finisher. Hit a good drive and you can gamble (ugh, casino pun intended…) with getting home in two. It’s a long blast up the hill but you’ll have to carry the waterfall/pond. Last time up there I finished off my round with about a 60 footer for bird. From off the green. Keeps you coming back!
Final Thoughts
Sweetgrass has many memorable holes that will appeal to folks that love perfectly crisp, well conditioned courses, and it lays wonderfully over a natural, sweeping plot of land. In the last ten years, it’s matured into a lush, colorful, textured playing field. Albanese & Lutzke created a course that can challenge professionals but give the long-weekend hacker a chance to put up a good number. Even though many of the holes flow to the right, you have to hit a variety of shots to make your way around. The course is a destination on its own, but its popularity has led the Island Resort to build a second – Sage Run (check back tomorrow!).
Sweetgrass and several of the courses that we’ll feature here this week have come up with some great stay-and-play packages. They offer some outstanding accommodations and it’s a pretty easy drive – max 1.5 hours (which is considered nothing in the Upper!) to travel between each location. Click HERE for some ideas, and make sure to stop visit the Perfect Foursome booth at the Midwest golf shows during our dreaded winters…
