There is no shortage of great golf destinations across the country, especially here in the Midwest during the summer months. While Minnesota has its share of great places, our neighbor to the east, where we share a shoreline with Lake Superior, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, has often been referred to as America’s Summer Golf Capital. The area is also well known for its meat pies called pasties.

This beautiful region, a 5.5-hour ride east of the Twin Cities, offers a short summer golf season (May-September) but top-ranked quality golf experiences. Golfers can head out of Minneapolis on I-94 and make the journey east across Wisconsin into Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to Harris, Michigan, a laid-back setting that’s just 15 minutes west of Escanaba, enveloped by towering pines and unspoiled by development. You can also find non-stop flights from Minneapolis to Escanaba on Delta.

The base for this four-day golf adventure would be the Island Resort & Casino, one of the Midwest’s largest golf, casino, and entertainment resort destinations spanning 408,000 square feet featuring a top casino, spa, and a variety of dining options. The resort is the anchor to this evolving golf destination. With Greywalls Golf Club in Marquette and Timberstone golf course in nearby Iron Mountain, the “Perfect 4-Some” has become one of the country’s best value golf buddy trips.

With the continued growth and increased demand for golf at this leading destination, Island Resort & Casino is adding a fifth golf course. Construction has begun on this new nine-hole course adjacent to Sage Run, which will open in 2026. The Cedar Course (Kishki), designed by Paul Albanese, who also designed Sweetgrass and Sage Run, will be inspired by the golden age architecture of C.B. Macdonald. Can we now expect “The Perfect Fivesome”? In addition to the golf expansion, the resort is adding a new golf clubhouse and expanding its convention center, featuring 16,900 square feet of new space accommodating up to 1,200 guests.

Island Resort’s original course, the exceptional Sweetgrass, opened in 2008 and consistently ranks among the top 10 courses in the state. It was also named the 2022 National Golf Course of the Year by the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA), and is home to the Island Resort Championship, one of the premier stops on the EPSON Tour – the official “Road to the LPGA.”

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 is the fantastic green complexes. For course architecture geeks, you have a Redan, Biarritz, Island, and Double-green. The back nine also included arguably two of the best par-3s. The 12th featuring one of the coolest Biarritz holes and the par-3 15^th requires an accurate shot with a short iron into an island green. 

The resort’s second course, Sage Run, opened in 2018 and is a bold contrast to Sweetgrass. Selected by Golf Digest as one the “Best New” courses in America in 2019 and ranked among the best in Michigan by Golfweek, Sage Run offers a more rugged experience with hardwoods, open areas, and a massive ridge that Albanese likened to Royal County Down in Northern Ireland.

Golfers will love the variety of golf courses on this rugged and beautiful topography experienced along the “Perfect Foursome,” from popular template greens found at Sweetgrass to the rugged modern neo-classic designs of Sage Run and Greywalls Golf Club, at Marquette Country Club. Greywalls is a unique golf experience combining views of Lake Superior with several natural rock outcroppings that emerge from its wide fescue fairways, which play firm and fast to large fun contoured greens. Located west of Escanaba, Timberstone, in Iron Mountain, meanders up and down a mountainside, showcasing scenic vistas, wetlands, and tall pines.

Island Resort & Casino offers fully customizable packages with 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-night lodging options including up to four golf rounds. The very competitive package price options range from $110-$788, depending on time of year. You can also experience the “Perfect 4-Some” package that includes rounds at the nearby Greywalls and Timberstone courses. Compare these rates with those from other noteworthy golf destinations and you’ll have yet another convincing reason to choose this destination.

Plan your trip now – whether it be for this summer, the fall or next year. You won’t be disappointed. Book now to save on your out-of-this-world golf experience today.

For more information about Island Resort and Casino and its golf packages, visit www.islandresortgolf.com or call 877-475-4733.