(WXYZ) — Sweetgrass Golf Club in Michigan's Upper Peninsula has been named the 2022 Golf Course of the Year by the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA).
The golf club, in Harris, is the original course for Island Resort & Casino. The announcement was made last week at the NGCOA Golf Business Conference in Orlando.
They select the winner based on the quality of golf course, quality of ownership and management, outstanding contributions to the local community and significant contributions to the game of golf.
Sweetgrass was designed by Paul Albanese and opened in 2008. It hosts the Symetra Tour's Island Resort Championship every year.
The course has an open layout with double-greens, Redan greens and more, and a famous island hole.
Island Resort & Casino is about 13 miles west of Escanaba and is owned and operated by the Hannahville Indian Community, which is a recognized Potawatomi Indian Tribe. Holes on the course are named after traditional Potawatomi clans, villages, allies, medicines and symbols.
“When we received the Michigan Golf Course of the Year award back in October, we were very excited," said Tony Mancilla, general manager of Island Resort & Casino. "Michigan has a lot of great courses, so just winning our state was huge. Now to earn the national award and recognition is the cherry on top. I recently talked with other courses owners about how this is a big deal, because it’s more than just about having a great golf course. You have to do more things for the game and help promote golf, and we’re doing that on a lot of different levels."
