The name of the new golf course currently under construction at the Island Resort & Casino in Harris, Michigan, has been revealed.
‘Sage Run’ is being built by the Hannahville Indian Community, who have hired Paul Albanese of Albanese & Lutzke Golf Course Architecture and Construction Management to lead the design and construction of the course.
“We selected sage because we wanted to highlight another of our four traditional tribal medicines – along with cedar, tobacco and sweet grass,” said Tony Mancilla, Island Resort and Casino general manager and a tribal member. “The word ‘run’ in the name references the ten holes that traverse significantly downhill on the course.”
The 18-hole course is being built on a hilly site some six miles from the main resort facility, which is home to another Albanese-design – Sweetgrass Golf Club.
Nine fairways at Sage Run are to be planted in mid-August, with the other nine following in spring 2017.
The Sage Run design consists of a number a short par four holes, some with blind shots to greens that can be reached by tee shots carrying past the rise in front of them. Other features include a number of furry-edged bunkers, and single-row irrigation, which draws out changing turf as it nears fairway edges.
Albanese previously commented that a drumlin – a long, sloping ridge – was the site’s most interesting feature.
“Our goal was to use the drumlin so that golfers interact with it throughout their round,” he elaborated. “We’ve been able to do that by routing down the drumlin in a number of places, and they'll be really dramatic holes we believe players will enjoy immensely. When we discussed what style and character we wanted to create at Sage Run, we used Royal County Down as our original inspiration. Sage Run will have that kind of rough and tumble appearance, with lots of earth tones, browns and tans – it’s what the landscape calls for.”
It is hoped that a soft opening will take place in the autumn of 2017, with a grand opening of the course has been provisionally scheduled for 2018.