Sweetgrass Golf Club - Hole #15

Island Resort & Casino - 2023 Golf Packages Now Available

Pre-bookings have already begun, on pace to pass 2022

By Brian Weis

While golf season is over six months away, now is the perfect time for golfers to start locking in summer golf vacations. Home to award-winning Sweetgrass and Sage Run golf courses and located just outside of Escanaba in Michigan's breathtaking Upper Peninsula, Island Resort & Casino announces 2023 golf packages are now available.

The newly expanded Island Resort & Casino is coming off a record-breaking year in golf rounds. And with the sport's continued rise in popularity, the resort is experiencing high demand for hotel rooms and golf, which has put golf package pre-sales on pace to surpass 2022's sales.

"During a normal golf season pre-pandemic, people would start booking packages in February," said Tony Mancilla, General Manager of the resort. "This was about 2,000 rounds that would pick up through the spring."

Mancilla went on to say that recent accolades for the two golf courses and the positive impact of resort renovations and other Island Resort & Casino efforts have increased demand from 2,000 pre-bookings by the end of February 2021 to 16,000 by the same time in 2022.

"By late April, it was 30,000 rounds, and we will end up doing over 36,000 rounds in 2022, our best summer for a five-month season," he said.

The Island Resort & Casino golf packages have soared in popularity, in no small part due to the accolades bestowed on its two championship courses, both designed by architect Paul Albanese. Sweetgrass Golf Club was awarded 2021 Michigan Golf Course of the Year and 2022 National Golf Course of the Year, and Sage Run was named a 2019 Golf Digest Best New Course.

Island Resort & Casino golf packages combine the best golf in the region
Whether it's a buddy trip or couple's golf getaway, fully customizable golf packages can be booked featuring 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-night lodging options with up to four rounds of golf. Package prices range from $95 - $758, depending on the time of year and single or double occupancy.

The hugely popular Perfect 4-Some package is a great way for Golfers to expand on their golf options. The combination of Island Resort & Casino's Sweetgrass and Sage Run courses, together with the acclaimed Greywalls course in Marquette and TimberStone course in Iron Mountain make the region a top golf destination. Perfect 4-Some packages include 3, 4, and 5-night lodging options at Island Resort with four rounds of golf.

$30 Million Expansion Spurs Demand
The increased demand for golf packages was the driving force behind the resort's recent $30 million expansion. Renovations featured the new 11-story Palm Tower, with 138 guest rooms and golf suites, bringing the property's guest room total to 454. Also included in the expansion are Horizons Steakhouse, located on the top floor of the Palm Tower and featuring the best views in the region, and Splash Island, a new family pool with waterpark features.

Golfers seeking to escape the stress of the big city and experience one of the most scenic golf destinations in the country won't want to pass up a trip to Island Resort & Casino. Set amidst the peaceful beauty of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Island Resort & Casino is easily accessible via regional airports in nearby Escanaba and Marquette, connecting through Detroit, Saginaw, Lansing, or Grand Rapids.

For more information on booking 2023 Island Resort & Casino golf packages visit: http://www.islandresortgolf.com/

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Revised: 02/06/2023 - Article Viewed 6,597 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.