- Details
- By Darren Thompson
On Tuesday, January 25, Sweetgrass Golf Course will be awarded the National Golf Course of the Year by the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) in Orlando, Florida.
Sweetgrass Golf Course is owned and operated by the Hannahville Indian Community, a federally recognized Potawatomi Indian Tribe, and is part of the tribe’s Island Resort & Casino in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
“We were all just speechless,” said Sweetgrass Director of Golf Dave Douglas to the Daily Press. “We are very honored to win that award.”
Want more Native News? Get the free daily newsletter today.
Island Resort & Casino is one of the largest golf, casino, and entertainment resort destinations in the Midwest. According to the Michigan Golf Journal, the Hannahville Indian Community opened the bingo hall in 1981, then expanded to include a casino in 1991. In the late 1990’s, the Tribe expanded the casino, and added a showroom and convention center. The Tribe recently opened a $33 million expansion, which included an 11-story Palm Tower that increased room capacity to 454. The expansion also includes a high-end steakhouse and a family waterpark.
This isn’t the first Tribally-owned golf course’s first award from the NGCOA. Sweetgrass was awarded Michigan’s course of the year for Region 2 last fall by NGCOA, putting it in line for the national award, according to a report by the Daily Press. Club & Resort Business says on its website that the golf course of the year award recognizes a golf course that, “epitomizes exceptional course quality and management excellence, makes important contributions to its communities and the game, and is a model of operations to its peers.”
When the golf course opened, it was recognized as one of “America’s Best New Courses” by Golf Digest in 2009, “Best Casino Courses” by Golfweek in 2009, and continued to win awards over the years including “Michigan Golf Course of the Year 2021” by the Michigan Golf Course Association.
The Native-owned organization Sweetgrass now joins some of America’s most prestigious golf courses.
More Stories Like This
Native Bidaské with Erin Fehr on What Eclipses Mean to Various TribesCalifornia Roundtable Dissects Detriments of Public Law 280 to Tribal Public Safety, Sovereignty
Cherokee Veterans in the Nation’s Capital for 10th Cherokee Warrior Flight
Montana Supreme Court Strikes Down Voting Laws Intended to Disenfranchise Native Voters
Women’s History Month: Elizabeth Peratrovich (Tlingit)
Native Perspective. Native Voices. Native News.
We launched Native News Online because the mainstream media often overlooks news that is important is Native people. We believe that everyone in Indian Country deserves equal access to news and commentary pertaining to them, their relatives and their communities. That's why the story you’ve just finished was free — and we want to keep it that way, for all readers. We hope you'll consider making a donation to support our efforts so that we can continue publishing more stories that make a difference to Native people, whether they live on or off the reservation. Your donation will help us keep producing quality journalism and elevating Indigenous voices. Any contribution of any amount — big or small — gives us a better, stronger future and allows us to remain a force for change. Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous-centered journalism. Thank you.