SWEETGRASS GOLF CLUB (906-723-2251)
Michigan golf course review
Located in Harris Michigan, 13 miles west of Escanaba and about 40 miles east of Iron Mountain, Sweetgrass Golf Club is a wonderful championship design that is the
centerpiece of the Island Resort & Casino Resort complex. The property features a variety of accommodations, full scale casino, various dining opportunities, indoor pool and
small gym, meeting, event and entertainment venues and more. For information on stay and play packages for accommodations plus golf on Sweetgrass and two other award
-winning U.P. courses, visit the property's website by clicking on this link www.islandresortandcasino.com
The practice facilities at Sweetgrass are very comprehensive and include a beautiful, targeted grass range plus short game area with greens for chipping and for practice out of
sand bunkers. Stacks of complimentary balls are available for green fee paying visitors. The golf shop is located inside the resort complex and visitors have several dining options
from which to choose. There is a snack shop near the practice area and first/tenth tees, with hot and cold sandwiches, snacks and beverages available
On course 150 yard stakes are measured to the center of the green on all par fours and fives, and a cart mounted GPS provides accurate information from tee to the front, middle
and center of the green. A pin placement chart on the carts indicates the day's hole locations. There are 5 sets of tee boxes which play to distances and slopes measuring 7275
yards/143 slope, 6829 yards/137 slope, 6439 yards/134 slope, 5740 yards/120 slope, and 5075 yards with a slope of 123 for golfers playing from the forward tees.
Wind is an important factor here, as the terrain on this links inspired layout is open and Lake Michigan is just miles away. The fairways are rolling and well bunkered, and tall
native grasses and mounding form the boundaries on most holes. The greens are large and very quick - some of the best conditioned putting surfaces we have encountered. In
fact, this course is meticulously manicured from tee to green! There are 60 sand bunkers situated near the landing zones or greenside, and water hazards in the form of ponds or
wetlands come into play on 9 holes.
The design allows golfers to get off to a good start, as the opening holes on both sides are the easiest holes on the course - fairly short par fours that are the 17th and 18th
handicaps. Golfers have lots of room to work with on the fairways, and should be able to reach many greens in regulation. It is important to land on the correct portion however, or
the result can mean long, sloping lag putts. The par three 12th is an extreme example - the Biarritz green is a veritable roller coaster. If the pin is back on the top shelf and your tee
shot is short, a three putt (or more) is very likely.
This is a beautiful course that present both challenge and beauty to all levels of players. We highly recommend a round here. Stay at the Island's Casino Resort on a stay and play
and you also have several other nice courses in the area to choose from. For more info, visit our page for Sweetgrass with direct link to their website by clicking here.
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