The Perfect Foursome

By Tom Lang

Golf in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula doesn’t get nearly the attention it should in most golf circles, thus one reason I try to talk about it on these pages often.

Additionally, one of the best values in all of golf is what’s called the Perfect Foursome – a combination of four award-winning courses in the Escanaba/ Iron Mountain/ Marquette regions of the western half of the U.P. that banded together for many years to give golfers one very special experience. They are:

Sweetgrass.

Sage Run.

Greywalls.

TimberStone.

Each course in their own right are delightfully fun but can be very challenging. They are beautifully diverse from each other. A golfer could never get bored playing these marvelous layouts again and again. Which is where the ‘Perfect Foursome’ comes in.  You can play a lot for a little cash, especially compared to other destination options.

The home base is the Island Resort Casino and Hotel, just west of Escanaba. The resort’s multiple hotel towers total 454 rooms, the most in the Upper Peninsula and the Wisconsin region north of Milwaukee. The newest tower was not designed over the top to keep pricing reasonable, but it’s all very nice and modern and fresh. New golf suites with two queens and one king bed, plus more than enough open space in between to host a foursome of men or women, so that all remain comfortable and rested as they chase a little white ball each day.

Sweetgrass Golf Club at Island Resort remains relatively fresh off its award in 2022 as the National Golf Course of the Year from the National Golf Course Owners Association. The course also is an annual host to the EPSON Tour and the female winning golfer gets an exemption into the LPGA tour major, the Evion Championship. Most of the pros sing the praises of the event here each year, and that could be in part the fact the Island Resort rolls out the red carpet for the players, more than most Tour stops – and they can for you too.

Sweetgrass:

Going into its 16th year of play, Sweetgrass remains a good mix of wide fairways and challenging green complexes. Many different tee boxes are utilized to handle the variety of individual golfer driving distances. The entire experience is elevated by the historical story of each hole tied into the design, and is a reminder to golfers you are playing on Native American land where you get to learn parts of their classic history, which the Hannahville Indian Community are very proud of. 

Hole 12 is still my favorite par 3 at Sweetgrass, regardless of the fact it’s my only career hole-in-one location. My attraction is the green being unique with its front and back tiers, and a small valley running through the middle of the green in-between tiers.  It’s a very deep green front to back about 50 yards or more, allowing for all types of pin placement variety.

Sage Run:

This newer course in the rotation is another exceptional experience, where in the past few years with the grass growing in more each summer, makes it much more plush from previous visits a couple years ago. 

All in all, Sage Run is a wonderful parkland/prairie style course combo that is simply fun for many levels of skill, but definitely on the harder side compared to the average golf course. So, ask yourself, do you want average, especially at a destination resort. Many prairie land holes combined with many up and down elevation holes add variety and long views of the surrounding countryside. Your score might not turn out the way you want, but you’d never call a day at Sage Run boring and it’s a course you’ll be glad to say you played that is nothing like your local muni back home. 

TimberStone at Pine Mountain:

This location has very beautiful aesthetics all around – even the cart ride from one hole to the next is attractive and fun because you never know what’s coming around the next bend... and this observation came on a cold, wet day in the fall. Imagine when golfers get the chance to play on a sunny U.P. summer day, especially on the many holes that play downhill with beautiful elevation views.

Lag putting is recommended. The day we played the greens were very fast, expanding opportunities for the ball to slide right by the hole and catch a ridge and keep going. Most greens have a ridge running through them at some point, so use caution there. Otherwise, just enjoy the views, make some great shots now and then and store away some vivid photographic memories. 

Before you leave, if you are a sports history lover make sure you grab some food at the local pub onsite that also houses the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame. Some great hockey history, plus the hometown duo of Tom Izzo and State Mariucci have hallowed places in the Hall.

Greywalls:

Greywalls has received national acclaim, and for good reason. Perched high above Lake Superior near the shores of Marquette – a great, historic mining town for those who love such history – Greywalls will test any game to its maximum. But good day or bad day on the scorecard, it’s hard for any golfer to walk away unimpressed. It’s that special of a piece of ground filled with forest, open areas and rock outcroppings everywhere – including the tall rock walls that surround the 5th green, 6th tee and elsewhere.

Really nice Lake Superior views from the first tee, the 7th fairway and the 9th green/10th tee.

Right off the bat, Hole No. 1 could be the toughest. There is a deep valley to cross from the tee, then trouble along the way to the par 5 green, which is difficult to hold approach shots on, despite its large size. Even a bogey is an okay way to begin the round. 

The antithesis of the opening hole is 18, possibly the easiest chance at a birdie. It’s a downhill par 5 that even medium hitters can catch the speed slot down the middle of the fairway to more easily earn their longest drive of the day and placement inside of 200 yards for a possible second shot reaching the huge green.  What better way to end the round with par or better. In the not-too-distant future a new clubhouse in the trees behind the green will greet golfers as they finish the round.

Before or after your round, sneak over to the original Marquette Golf Club course that’s almost 100 years old – a William Langford and Theodore Moreau design created in 1926. A second nine were added by David Gill in 1969. The front nine has a classic flow, is very walkable, with a Belvedere-like feeling brought to you by a similar design era.

Do not delay setting up your buddy’s trip. Many weekends in 2024 are already filled, but more mid-week options remain available. More details at:  https://islandresortgolf.com/packages-stay-and-play/