×

Sage Run blossoms into beauty

Dennis Grall photo Alec Wandahsega, left, and Kevin Hereau fertilize the 15th green at Sage Run Golf Course. The new Island Resort and Casino course located on the 400 road in northern Menominee County is being readied for a June 2018 debut.

Editor’s note: Dennis Grall, former Daily Press Sports Editor and golf enthusiast, recently toured the area’s newest golf course. Here is his report on Sage Run.

By Dennis Grall

For the Daily Press

ESCANABA — Patience is one of the best virtues to possess, but after a recent tour of Sage Run Golf Course, it is even more difficult knowing next spring must arrive before we finally get a chance to play this fantastic new golf course.

Sage Run is undergoing its final development stages this fall, with a soft opening in mid-June. Tree-lined fairways are bright with different fall colors as workers put the final preparations together before winter arrives. The new course is about 80 percent grown in, with final polishing chores in spring.

Dennis Grall photo A bunker near the eighth green at Sage Run Golf Course is typical of those at the course being developed by Island Resort & Casino along the 400 road in northern Menominee County. The rear of most bunkers will have rugged features with thicker grass.

“Next August it will be fully bloomed. You will get the full visual,” Tony Mancilla said during a tour of the course being built by dynamic designer Paul Albanese and his partner, Chris Lutzke. It is eight miles northwest of its’ big brother, Sweetgrass Golf Club, and its parent organization, Island Resort and Casino.

Albanese-Lutzke also created the exceptional Sweetgrass course, nationally renowned Tatanka Golf Course in northeast Nebraska and were involved with award-winning TimberStone Golf Course in Iron Mountain.

“This is a contrast to what we have (at Sweetgrass), but the quality will be very high,” said Mancilla, the general manager at Island Resort & Casino.

Sage Run will have five tee boxes on each hole, playing from 5,117 yards to 7,309 yards. “It is not going to overpower anyone if you play from the right tee box,” said Mancilla.

While Sweetgrass boasts five former highway bridges and water on nine holes, water will not be in play at Sage Run. It will have numerous bunkers, all part of the land that has been a popular area for deer hunting, and the greens will not be as undulating or as large as Sweetgrass, 7,500 square feet compared to 10,000 square feet.

The most obvious feature is a drumlin, a glacial ridge that can reach up to 200 feet high. It will be traversed by 14 miles of black-topped cart paths, with full-scale concrete block restroom facilities every three holes.

“All the distance is downhill at this course,” Mancilla said as we crawled uphill in a cart lacking a good battery charge. “All the uphill holes are in the middle of the course,” he said of a stretch that includes a quartet of par three holes, two of which will be harder and two easier.

As we drove from the new clubhouse to the driving range, Mancilla said a unique component of Sage Run is the fact holes one, nine, 10 and 18 will play downhill.

The clubhouse will be called Wilson Tavern in honor of the former establishment on old U.S. 2-41 that has been closed for 15-20 years.

A bar and grill will be part of the clubhouse, which will also offer apparel. A concrete patio is outside and there will be room to place tents for events.

You won’t find many level surfaces at Sage Run as Albanese craftily made use of the varied terrain, carving fairways out of the forest while also implementing some low-lying areas on both nines.

The tee boxes are large and will also feature different levels. “Find an open spot and put your pegs (tee) down. There are no even tees,” said Mancilla.

The fairways and greens, which are nearly playable after excellent growth the past month, will be excellent. The fairways feature a new seed, low cut bluegrass, prompting Mancilla to note “you will always have a good lie in the fairway. It is made for higher handicaps.”

He said the ball will virtually rest atop the grass and will not be snug into the turf, allowing for better strikes with the club on those vital shots into the bentgrass greens made for colder climates.

The fairways can be cut generously, with several large landing areas that will be receptive to shots pushed right or left. Or the width can be reduced for some tournaments, and Mancilla said Sage Run is hoping to host Upper Peninsula high school finals and perhaps some senior tournaments and a college event.

“Paul really had a game plan put together and well thought out,” said Mancilla. “It will meet expectations. It will be rated very high. It has shot value and length in the right spots and bunkers are in the right spots.”

Having a second course as part of the complex is a win-win, providing flexibility to host numerous events. He does not expect Sage Run to host the Symetra Tour’s Island Resort Championship at Sweetgrass, which has been held there since 2011.

No one will confuse Sage Run with Sweetgrass, which is definitely more wide open and windy in a links style. “This one here (Sweetgrass) you can see more holes. There (Sage Run) each hole is kind of in its own little world,” Mancilla said at Island Resort after ending the tour.

“Sweetgrass is more spectator friendly. It is really a great tourney course. This (Sage Run) will be a relaxing course. High and low handicappers will enjoy this course,” he said. noting only three Sage Run greens will likely be impacted by the wind while 14 Sweetgrass greens are wind areas.

“Someone stronger off the tee will like Sage Run. If you hook or slice off the tee you will like Sweetgrass,” Mancilla said, pointing to the tree lines as we drove around Sage Run. “There will be room out there, but if you get too far right or left you will not have the angle to the green as you will at Sweetgrass.

“The game is different at the two courses.”

He also noted Sweetgrass boasts excellent manicuring with perfect turf while Sage Run “has a more rustic look to it with different terrain up and down with the trees.”

He termed the combination of holes at Sage Run as special, with driveable par fours and a player-friendly layout. “If you play it right, like the designer intended, every hole is playable and scoreable,” said Mancilla. “You have to feel you have a chance at every course you play.”

The new course, named for sage, one of four tribal medicines (sweet grass, cedar and tobacco are the others), will open for golfers on Island Resort package deals in June before it opens to the public in July.

The idea of building a second course was to give golfers and casino guests another option on their visit. Mancilla said there are limited golf/casinos with multiple options that include golf, casino and a hotel with 315 rooms, and expanded office space.

“We wanted to get a resort that has everything and a second course will do that. We have a lot of packages lined up next year,” said Mancilla.

The expansion is part of an $8 million renovation that includes a full-service spa, updated bingo hall and a new sports bar.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today