By Mike May
As you travel around the country, three destinations that cater to golfers include, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Alabama’s Gulf Coast, and North Carolina’s Brunswick Islands .
Public-access golf is in bountiful supply at all three locations with readily available tee times, as well as affordable greens fees. Each destination ranks high on the ‘fun-factor scale.’
Escanaba, in Michigan’s U.P., includes a casino, plus an indoor water park, while both Gulf Shores and Brunswick Isles have miles and miles of pristine sandy beaches along the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, plus deep-sea fishing offers a refreshing change of pace.
When you make plans to visit any of those three destinations, each location has must-play courses.
Sweetgrass Golf Club, adjacent to the Island Resort & Casino, is an annual stop on the LPGA’s EPSON Tour. If it’s good enough for the lady pros, it’s certainly good enough for you. Three other attractive courses in the Upper Peninsula are Greywalls, Timberstone, and Sage Run. A one-day 36-hole Sweetgrass-Sage Run experience will make a lasting memory. Island Resort and Casino has also announced plans to add a third course.
When you travel to Alabama’s Gulf Coast, make it a priority to play Kiva Dunes. This Jerry Pate creation is one of the best designs in the state of Alabama. Make sure to include Peninsula and Craft Farms on your Gulf Shores itinerary. We recommend the Turquoise Resort by Spectrum Resorts and the Kiva Dunes Golf & Beach Resort for your lodging. Both resorts are a joy to visit, but it’s tough leaving the paradise-like existence.
At Brunswick Islands, I have a two-way tie for my favorite, Rivers Edge Golf Club, an Arnold Palmer classic and Carolina National, where two of the course’s marketing phrases encourage you to ‘Embrace the Experience’ and ‘Admire the Adventure.’ Both courses are so alluring that you might be tempted to move to the Brunswick Islands and play both courses all year. Other great designs nearby are the Thistle Golf Club, Pearl Golf Links, Crow Creek, and the Sea Trail Resort. Both Thistle and Sea Trail have 27 holes.
For your golfing pleasure, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Alabama’s Gulf Coast, and North Carolina’s Brunswick Islands await your arrival.
