Golfing Sweetgrass Golf Club

Sweetgrass Golf Club is an onsite property at the Island Resort and Casino in Harris, MI.  Harris is a small blip of a town located almost on the eastern edge of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  It is about 15 miles west of Escanaba, which does sit on Lake Michigan.

From Minneapolis this is a long day's drive in just over 6 hours.  You do get to pass through some beautiful Wisconsin farm and woodlands.  In Fall, this is an especially stunning drive.

The course is about 2 hours north of Green Bay or 4 hours from Milwaukee.

Sweetgrass opened in 2008. It was designed by a Michigan native, Paul Albanese.  He has worked on a handful of courses, including French Lick Golf Resort in Indiana, which I hear great things about.  Sweetgrass's design is a blend of traditional parkland style with an open links feel, if that makes sense.
The course does not offer much in the way of dramatic elevation changes but there is plenty of hazards to be found, along with some large, inviting fairways.  The greens are particularly challenging, with many offering several tiers and even a biarritz on the par 3 12th.  The 15th, also a par 3, is a true island green.

There is water in play on 6 holes and marshland on several more.  Only a couple of holes are truly carved into trees, the majority of the holes are more wide open.  Open doesn't mean trouble free though.  Stray far from the fairway and you are likely to find very thick fescue.

The pro shop is found at the back of the casino.  Out by the course itself there is a combined starting house and snack bar located adjacent to the driving range and 10th tee.




Green fees include use of the range.  The range features a large putting green, a practice bunker/green complex and a nice target area with several target greens and bunkers cut among a fairway.  It is nice when a course offers visual targets like this rather than just a open field.

In 2018 another new course will be opening at the casino called Sage Run.  This course will be located just south of Sweetgrass.  This course is also being designed and built by Paul Albanese, so I would expect more of the same feel as Sweetgrass, which is a good thing.

Here is a rendering of the new layout:

The reason for my visit up here was to be a part of my friend and fellow golf blogger, Paul Seifert's bachelor party.  Here is Paul playing in on the 18th hole.



Sweetgrass is the annual host for the Island Resort Championship, which is part of the Symetra Tour.  So you know that the course conditions here are top notch.  It can also play with some real teeth with the ability to really stretch things out.  Pin placements can make things even more dicey.  Play the course on a day with an angry superintendent or a windy day and hold on!

The course plays as a par 72 and can top out at 7,275 yards.  There are 5 sets of tees to choose from.  Here are the specs on each of those:

Tees	Yardage	Slope	Rating
Championship	7,275	143	75.2
Back	6,829	137	73.3
Middle	6,439	134	71.3
Forward	5,740	120	67.5
Front	5,075	123	69

Lets get on with the course review!

Hole 1 - Cedar

Par 4
320 | 305 | 282 | 262 | 239 yards

The opening hole of the day is a nice easy warm-up into the round.  Not the longest hole, it is possible to reach this green off the tee.  A pair of large bunkers protect the green, which is tucked up behind these.

This fairway is extremely wide, 70 yards at its widest so getting your tee shot in play should not be a problem.  For long hitters make note that a shot missed out to the left can fly the fairway and find the trees behind.

The fairway is interestingly raised about 5 feet above the level of the teeing grounds.  This should be an issue as it is not far off the tee but it is a design that I have not seen before.  This fairway is elevated up from the rest of the terrain though so if you do manage to miss it off the tee your ball can run off or be on a unfriendly slope.

I played a safe shot off the tee only to discover that the fairways were a little, um soft...

A shot played down the left half of the fairway exposes the green to an accessible approach.  Played up the right side, you have to contend with the bunkers.

When the pin is located up front it is a delicate shot in- if you come up just a little short the slope in front will repel the ball away.  If played too long it is a downhill putt to the pin.

Behind and to the left of the green, there is a large collection depression.  A drive hit to here is much harder approach than one from the middle of the fairway.  This green is turned so that its narrowest side faces your approach.  It is wide- about 35 yards.

Hole 2 - God's Kettle

Par 4
400 | 372 | 361 | 334 | 273 yards

A climb up is required onto the second tee box.  From here your ball must carry a patch of native grasses around 160 yards to the fairway.  The long grasses you find here will be your constant companion throughout the round.  While the course does not have a lot of tree lined holes, hitting into the long grasses could argue to be worse.  In the summer these grasses can be extremely thick and nearly impossible to find balls in, much less hit out of.

Off the tee, the fairway slants diagonally across from you.  A pair of bunkers flank either side of the fairway at around 200 yards out.  In order to not have a 200 yard second shot you must take on these bunkers and land between them with your drive.

A shot played adjacent to the bunkers offers an open, but long approach to this T shaped green.

A trio of bunkers sit on the front left corner of the green, which offers a bit of a punch bowl design on the front half.

The back half of the green falls off away from the fairway into a lower tier.  Make sure you judge your distance on this approach as putting from the wrong half of the green can be a big challenge.  The green is nearly 40 yards deep so take that into your account as well.

Hole 3 - Wolf

Par 3
200 | 173 | 158 | 143 | 127 yards

A tough par 3 that can be made harder with the winds or based on the location of the tees.  The further right you go the more the hole is covered by the hill to the right.  The kidney shaped green wraps around the base of this hill.

Off to the left, a large bunker hugs most of that side of the green.

Just hitting this green is no sure par.  The green is very narrow side to side from the tee but is very deep.  A depression running across the middle of the green increases the difficulty.  Missing onto the fringes of the green will require a delicate downhill pitch into another mild punch bowl.

Of course missing the green altogether you can find yourself in even worse situations.

Hole 4 - Michigami

Par 4

469 | 448 | 425 | 371 | 328 yards

The 4th hole was a tough hole for me.  A dogleg to the right around a hill that blocks your view to the green from the tee.

Your drive should favor the right side of the hole.  You can line up right at the base of the hill but don't go too far right as the hillside continues for some distance down the hole. A carry of nearly 300 yards would be required to safely carry the hill and find the fairway.

Down the left side sits a giant bunker.  It is almost 100 yards long and begins about 200 yards off the tee.

On your second shot, if you found the fairway, the fairway rises all the way to the green.  There is no bunkering around the green, which is good as you'll most likely have a long iron in.

From the left side of the fairway it is hard to tell where the green actually begins on the right side.  In the photo below the green actually starts to the right of that barn in the distance.  The front of the green is protected by a severe slope and is canted diagonally to you from here.   This is a tough second shot.

From the right side of the fairway, your view is a little more open into the green.  Shots hit left will find that front slope but the right side of the green is accessible.  From here you also have the length of the green exposed to you.  This green is about 45 yards from front to back.

Hole 5 - The Serpent and the Flood

Par 4
440 | 417 | 395 | 355 | 312 yards

The hole offers a giant landing area for your drive before bending around the lake that frames the right edge of this hole.  That water runs all the way up to the green on this hole so it is in play the entire way.

A large bunker sits right on the corner of the dogleg.  It is 285 yards to carry that from the back tees.

The safer you play off the tee, away from the water and bunkers, the longer the hole plays.  If you take on that bunker and can carry it then the hole plays very short, with only about 130 yards to the center of the green.

The green is a long kidney shape, wrapped around another big bunker sitting on the left side of the green.

This is an interesting design the rewards a risky tee shot.  If you can pull it off the shot into the green should take the water and sand out of play.  If you play it safer off the tee then you are more likely to have to avoid the sand and water on your approach.

Hole 6 - Sacred White Deer

Par 5
630 | 599 | 573 | 492 | 448

Thie first par 5 you face is a long one that seems to play into the prevailing wind off the tee, you must carry water on your drive  to a fairway running perpendicular to the tee.  To clear the water is only 190 yards from the tee and a drive played straight ahead off the tee will carry the fairway at 280 yards.

Beyond the water, sits a large bunker.  Carrying this bunker is possible if you want to cut off a lot of distance on this hole.  The bunker is about 260 yards to carry from the back tees.  If you do cut that sand trap it is still 330 yards to the green.  Obviously the safer you play off the tee the longer the hole becomes.

Played to the center of the fairway, your second shot looks to be a long ways away.  On my second I thing I was about 360 yards out.  You have a decision to make on your second.  A huge bunker sits down the right side of the hole, and another sits a little further up on the left side, just passed the 150 stake in the picture below.

These 2 bunkers effectively cut the hole in half (there is 15 yard wide gap between them).  You must decide to layup short of these around 150-160 yards by playing down the left or try to carry them.  To carry these, you must be able to land the ball a minimum of 75 yards short of the green.  If you cant get that close then you'll find yourself most likely in one of them.

From the 150 yard mark, the green is straight ahead.  Their is not much of an elevation rise to the green so you can definitely run balls up onto it.  A good thing with the length of this hole.

The green is protected by one small bunker to the right side but in general is very accessible.

Even behind the green their is a pretty generous collection area.  I expect the architect expected a lot of long shots coming in here and they did a good job to make the green one of the more accessible ones on this nine.

On to Part 2: Holes 7-12
On to Part 3: Holes 13-18

Mississippi Dunes Shuts its doors

Mississippi Dunes in Cottage Grove, MN was at one time one of my favorite courses.  I thought it was one of the toughest tests of golf in the metro with several small elevated greens that took skilled approaches to do well on.

A couple of years ago they hiked their rack rate to some ridiculous amount and recent reviews online said that the course was being run into the ground.

Well it was made official a couple days ago- the course is now for sale to either a new owner for golf operations or for single family development.

Its a shame to lose another one.

On a positive note, the demise of Minneapolis' Hiawatha golf course has been postponed for at least 5 years.

Golfing Sand Hollow Part 3 - Back 9

Hole 10 

Par 5
565 | 534 | 513 | 462 | 430 yards

The opening hole on the back awards you with another brilliant vista of the surrounding mountains from an elevated tee box next to the clubhouse.  The fairway here travels diagonally to your left to the green.  The hole splits a vast expanse of scrub brush so keeping the ball in play off the tee is critical.

This hole begins one of the best stretches of golf holes I have played recently.  Actually, It may be one of the best 6 hole stretches of golf I have ever played.

Making your drive more difficult a string of bunkers are scattered down the left side of the hole.  These are probably not in play for long hitters as it is only 230 yards to carry the last of them. The bunker that jumps in from the right is more of a hazard at around 260 yards off the tees.

On your second shot another set of bunkers must be avoided.  One of these bunkers sits in the middle of the fairway about 160 yards from the green.  Slightly further up another bunker sits to the right of the fairway.

There is plenty of room to land your second shot over these bunkers to have a shorter 3rd shot into this relatively large, kidney shaped green.  At its widest it is around 35 yards.  There is room to miss all around this green but it is guarded by a single large bunker sitting short right.

This may be one of the more accessible par 5s to attempt to reach in two with the generous room around the green.  The green is also not really raised up making a run-up onto the putting surface possible.

Hole 11

Par 3
190 | 164 | 154 | 136 | 114 yards

This is a tricky fun hole.  

A longer par 3, this hole does offer a little help to the player via its design.  A large area to miss left is available, which is a good thing because the most obvious feature of this hole are the deep bunkers that wrap around the entire right side of the green.

Behind the green is an immense drop off where the canyon walls come into play.  Before this drop off there is another large bunker, hidden from the tee, that might perhaps save a ball from a deadly plummet to the canyon floor below.

Looking to the right here you get another jaw dropping view.  Over the ridge you can see the next hole running down below.  How can you argue that this isn't one of the greatest views you've seen playing golf?

A mound located just left of the green to kick a ball hit there back onto the green and towards the pin.  This green is canted diagonally to the right of the tee.  It is massively long, though not as much wide.  At its longest this green is in excess of 50 yards so take that into account in your club selection.

Hole 12

Par 4
443 | 432 | 372 | 335 | 294 yards

Leaving the 11th hole you take the path behind the green which snakes around a bend to one of the coolest looking holes I have ever seen.  The path is high above the 12th hole, and you can see its entire length, sandwiched along a ridge line on the canyon walls.

From the tee you have to hit this fairway, which turns away diagonally from the tee.  The walls of the canyon on the right are in play and these soft walls can as easily swallow a ball as kick it back into play.  Down the left is a small ribbon of scrub before the hole plummets off into oblivion.

I had to get another shot of Dale making another stunning drive.  Look at that backdrop!

Another view of the fairway from the forward tee showing the room you have to hit your tee shot.  The first bunker down the right side is only about 65 yards from the green so they should not be in play off the tee.

Depending on the length of your drive your next shot may be pretty severely uphill.  The green is elevated from the fairway at the end, so an extra club is probably the smart move.

I hit a great drive just short of the first bunker, however a great drive must still negotiate both sets of bunkers to reach the green.  There is plenty of room behind this green to miss with a natural backstop offered by the hill.

A look back down the hole shows the ascent of the fairway to the green after the elevated tee shot.

This green is again pretty massive, stretching over 40 yards from front to back.

What a great hole, shown here looking back from the 13th tee.

Hole 13

Par 4
320 | 304 | 261 | 231 | 200 yards

After coming off 12, you might think the next hole wont deliver but the 13th certainly does.  A classic short par 4 that offers a risk-reward opportunity. 

Like the 12th, this hole runs right along the edge if the canyon.  Maybe even more so on this hole.  A large bunker hangs right on the edge of the cliff down the left side.  The cliffs on the right are probably less in play here, as a grassy hillside will likely stop balls hit down that side from getting to them.

The biggest hazard on this hole is the large central fairway bunker that lives about 50 yards short of the green.  Clear this on your drive and you may just find the putting surface.  Lay up short of it and you still only have a short iron in.

One more large bunker sits in the front right corner of this long, narrow green.

Don't miss your approach to the left of this green obviously, but do take into account the green's depth of about 40 yards.

Hole 14

Par 4
525 | 433 | 411 | 396 | 333 yards

After the last 2 holes the 14th is less of a visual adventure.  No cliff hanging designs on this one, just a slow descent from tee to green.  Make no mistake though, this hole is fearsome.  Looking at the card and seeing 525 yards, you'd probably think par 5.  Nope this is one beast of a par 4 from the tips.

The bunker on the left edge of the hole is over 300 yards from the tee.  The hole slopes from right to left so the best play here is down the right half of the hole.  There is plenty of room to rip it on this hole.  For most of its length the fairway is about 50 yards wide.  Hit down the right side you can catch a slope that will rocket your ball downhill gaining valuable yardage on this lengthy hole.

Once you get even with that left bunker you could see off the tee it is only about 100 yards to the green.  If you can't reach this green in 2 (likely), the play here is most likely a shot that carries that first bunker and comes up short of the bunkers that comes in down the right side, as you can see in this photo where a couple of balls are resting.  From here it is just a wedge to the green.  Again you can see how the hole slopes to the left the entire way from tee to green.

The better miss on your approach is definitely down the right side.  A pair of bunkers wrap most of the green on the left side.  A slope down the right can also help to funnel a ball back to toward the green.

This green is yet again another massive oval.  It is about 45 yards deep.  A collection area is offered below and behind the green, should you send a screamer over the green.  This will save you before the ball falls off the hill that sits behind the hole.  As you approach or leave this green make sure to check out that stunning view again!

A look back up the hill shows the elevation rise towards the tee.

Hole 15

Par 3
230 | 191 | 158 | 145 | 113 yards

The string of brilliant holes on the back 9 comes to a finale with this par 3.  Named the Devil's throat you have to try to tee off from the Blue tees on this one.  Here Dale is hitting from this tee box which is situated just in front of a narrow gap between two sets of jutting rock faces.

From here, the hole requires all carry to the green.   A massive valley awaits anything that comes up short.  If you just manage to sneak across you may find the bunker sitting short and below the green.  Anything left is obviously bad but there is room to miss short right.  Long right is also OK with a bank to bring your ball back down onto the green.

A look off to the left again.

This is a view from the forward White tees.  From here the hole looks a lot less daunting, though there is still plenty of hazards between here and the green.

This green canted so that from the back tees you are shooting into its narrowest side but from the forward tees you are offered its longest dimension.  Really good design there. It is still plenty big to land those long shots in.  It is multi tiered as well, as you can see.

Hole 16

Par 4
369 | 355 | 345 | 316 | 266 yards

The 16th brings you back down to earth.  Turning away from those stunning mountains and the cliff-hanging holes, this is a dogleg right hole that requires precision rather than length off the tee.  

The fairway is still plenty wide but a pair of bunkers jump in from either side to pinch down the fairway in the landing zone off the tee.  The left bunker is about 200 yards away from the tees.  The right bunker is maybe 20 yards further up.  Between these bunkers the fairway is still almost 40 yards across so a good straight drive at the bunker further in the distance is a perfect line.

At the right bunker the hole starts to turn to the right.  From just in front of that right bunker it is less than 100 yards into the green.  That bunker complex does stretch all the way to the green, and hugs its right side so a miss to the left is a better option.

On more 40 yard deep green offers plenty of room to miss deep and left.  This green is not elevated at all so missing pretty much anywhere except the bunkers around this green should still be an easy recovery.

Hole 17

Par 5
523 | 493 | 466 | 455 | 415 yards

The 17th is a downhill dogleg left par 5.  This is maybe the only hole on the course with a little bit of that desert "target golf" style feel to it.

Off the tee a large bunker fronts the fairway landing zone.  You can play off to the right of them but that leaves an awful long way in.  The best line is just to the right of the second bunker that sits over the top of those.  Be aware that from the Blue tees the fairway does run out at about 300 yards, when a wash crosses the hole and divides this fairway from the rest of the hole.

Once you land your drive, you may need to lay up if you went too conservative.  A shot played this far back brings that second bunker into play on the second shot.

The wash that separates the fairways is just under 70 yards across so take that into account on your shot selection.  From the other side of the wash you only have about 100 yards to the green.

Awaiting before the green is a single large bunker sitting right in the fairway.  This is about 60 yards from the front of the green.  Unless you hit a great drive, you are likely going to need to figure out the distance to land somewhere over the wash and before that bunker.

Another pair of bunkers sit down the right side off the fairway and short of the green.  There is a ton of room on all sides around this green.  It definitely is designed to encourage attacking this green on your second shot.  Should you avoid that central bunker, short you will likely be very close to the green.

The green is elevated on all sides from the collection area that envelops the hole.  Having to hit from anywhere around the green is not going to be a problem.  This is one of the smaller greens on the course but still around 30 yards in its longest dimension.

Hole 18

Par 4
435 | 425 | 412 | 390 | 357 yards

Similar to the 9th hole, but not playing as much uphill, the 18th heads right back towards the clubhouse which is perched above and the the left of the green.

Off the tee, the fairway bunker down the left side is just over 200 yards.   That is about 50 yards long so to carry it is a tough ask if you hit your tee ball at it.

Another bunker sits down the right edge of the fairway.  That one starts about where the left bunker ends, so around 250ish.

The best play here is to obviously split these bunkers.  Bisecting those two carts in this photo would be position 1A.

A picture of my pops on the 18th with one of the few rare houses in sight.  I wouldn't mind living in that one!

From just passed that left bunker it is around 140 yards to the green.  The hole rises up from those bunkers all the way to the green so an extra club is probably wise.

A giant bunker sits below and to the right of the green.  Hidden from view behind the green sits a trio of bunkers.

Conclusions

This was one of the most enjoyable rounds of golf in a long, long time.  From the get go I loved how the front nine felt very links-y.  That is somewhat of a hard thing to grasp, with it being in Southern Utah, nowhere near a coast.  The large firm fairways and giant greens (along with the myriad of sand around the course) surely helped give that vibe.  

The scenery is just amazing around here to boot.  That certainly helped to make the front nine fun. Now if the back 9 isn't what it is, and it was more of the same as the first 9 I still would have enjoyed the round.  I am sure it would not be as memorable, nor would this course be found where it is as one of the top courses in the state.

For our round our playing partners certainly helped make this a memorable round.  Watching Dale work his magic was so much fun to see.  When I grow up I want to be like him!

But to be honest, what makes this course is the back nine.  Maybe not since Old Head in Ireland have I encountered a string of consecutive holes that just seem to keep getting better.  From hole 10 to hole 15, Sand Hollow offers golfers a world-class experience.  Those cliff-side holes on 12, 13, and 15 are just flat out amazing.

While the front nine gets to you with its fun accessibility and largely wide open spaces, the back nine just sucks you in and doesn't let you go until you have sadly almost come to the the end of your round.

I can't emphasize enough how strongly I recommend playing here.  If you are ever in the area (especially if you are doing the Mesquite area for golf) make the extra drive to Sand Hollow.  You won't regret it, or forget it.

Back to the Introduction...

To the front Nine...

Sand Hollow Golf Resort
5662 West Clubhouse Drive, Hurricane, UT 84737
(435) 656-4653
sandhollowresort.com