Island Resort & Casino Doubles Down on Golfweek's Best in State By Brian Weis

Island Resort & Casino Doubles Down on Golfweek's Best in State

Resort's bold, new Sage Run joins Michigan's top courses, including Sweetgrass in recognition from magazine's expert panelists

By Brian Weis

The newest golf course in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Sage Run at Island Resort & Casino, has been named to Golfweek's list of "Best in State" courses. Sage Run, ranked 20th on the list, is the resort's second course and Paul Albanese's follow-up to his popular Sweetgrass design, the resort's first course.

Golfweek's course ratings panel continually evaluates courses and rates them based on 10 criteria, then files a single, overall rating on each course. The overall ratings for each course are then averaged together and then ranked against other courses in its state, to produce the final rankings. All the list's courses allow public access in some fashion.

"Michigan is known for having some of America's best public golf courses and our state rankings by Golfweek showcase that," says Tony Mancilla, Island Resort's General Manager. "To make that list and be alongside these other great layouts is a testament to the dramatic, bold and contrasting designs that Albanese created, and the standards to which our superintendents maintain the courses to bring an amazing golf experience."

Sage Run is built around a natural scenic ridge, where golfers must find the fairways -- and their correct side avoiding the fescue rough -- to set up ideal angles and scoring opportunities into the greens. The course showcases exceptional variety, including holes like the significantly uphill par-3 5th or the short par-4 16th that dares you to take on an uphill shot to a blind landing area. Albanese said the renowned Royal County Down in Northern Ireland served as inspiration for Sage Run's bunkering and overall "rough and rugged" aesthetic. The course also hosts the Island Resort Collegiate Championship, a two-day, 54-hole stroke-play invitational featuring some of the top college teams and players in the country.

"It's a great honor to have Sage Run recognized among the best courses in Michigan, especially considering the quality and depth of top architects and designs Michigan offers," Albanese says. "It was my goal with Sage Run to create a completely different golfing experience for resort guests. The rugged land, with the ridge running through it, was completely different from Sweetgrass, allowing us to be bold and creative with some fun and exciting shot options."

Prior to Sage Run, Sweetgrass was the Island Resort & Casino's first course, opening in 2007 to rave reviews. Currently ranked No. 10 among Golfweek's Best in State Courses in Michigan and recognized by GOLF Magazine and Golf Digest Best in State rankings, Sweetgrass is a prairie links-style course that meanders to a wide-open vista where many greens and flags can be seen in the distance. Golfers also experience some of the game's most fun greens to putt (Redan, Biarritz, Island, and Double-green). Located adjacent to the resort, rooms high up in the hotel tower have panoramic views of the spectacular finishing holes, the par-5 9th and 18th holes that are divided by a scenic and strategic pond and waterfall.

New renovations, suites and packages catering to golfers

Golfers booking a golf vacation in 2022 will love the new hotel addition and renovations. An expanded tower, connected to the south end of the resort's Palm Tower, features 138 guest rooms and suites, with some special attention for golfers who visit -- fresh, expansive golf suites. The spacious 675-square-foot suites are complete with a king, double queen, and common area, all with breathtaking views of the Sweetgrass -- perfect for foursomes seeking added space and a fun environment.

Now is the time for golfers to book 2022 golf packages. Led by Sweetgrass and Sage Run, the resort's fully customized packages offer 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-night lodging options with up to four golf rounds that may include two neighboring courses. Package prices range from $95-$758, depending on time of year and single/double occupancy.

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Revised: 06/08/2022 - Article Viewed 5,518 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.