Golden Age-inspired layout welcomes golfers for exclusive 2026 preview season ahead of full 2027 debut

HARRIS, Mich. (August 4, 2026) — Island Resort & Casino, one of the Midwest’s premier golf destinations, will officially open its highly anticipated Cedar Course (Kishki) for limited preview play beginning Friday, August 7. The nine-hole layout marks the resort’s third golf course, joining the award-winning Sweetgrass and Sage Run courses while giving golfers an exclusive opportunity to experience one of the country’s newest Golden Age-inspired designs before its full opening in 2027.

The course also carries cultural significance. Its Potawatomi name, Kishki, means “cedar,” one of the four sacred medicines representing protection and purification. Together, Sweetgrass, Sage Run, and Cedar complete a meaningful trilogy that reflects the heritage, landscape, and cultural story of the property.

Throughout the remainder of the 2026 golf season, Cedar will operate as a preview experience, with limited tee times available exclusively through online booking. Preview rounds will be offered at $45 per player, providing golfers with an early look at architect Paul Albanese’s newest creation. Guests staying on golf packages this year may also reserve Cedar tee times online separately from their package. Beginning in 2027, the course will be fully integrated into Island Resort & Casino’s golf package offerings.

“We’re excited to open our third golf course and give guests the opportunity to experience something truly special,” says Tony Mancilla, general manager of Island Resort & Casino. “With its Golden Age-inspired architecture, Cedar offers a style of golf unlike anything else on property, and I believe it has the potential to be our finest course. It’s an authentic, strategic golf experience that further establishes Island Resort & Casino as one of the Midwest’s premier golf destinations.”

Designed by renowned golf course architect Paul Albanese, the Cedar Course is rooted in the principles of Golden Age golf architecture, blending strategic design with a natural, land-driven routing. Built across gentler terrain adjacent to Sage Run, the course offers an experience that is less dramatic than Sage Run’s elevation changes yet more contoured than the rolling landscape of Sweetgrass, creating a distinctive and highly playable round.

“This may be my favorite site of all three courses we’ve done up here,” says Albanese. “It just sets up really well for some great golf. Cedar gives players a chance to experience the strategy, creativity, and fun that defined the Golden Age—without it ever feeling forced.”

Inspired by legendary venues including National Golf Links and Prestwick, Cedar features bold green complexes, strategic bunkering, and classic design concepts that reward imagination and thoughtful shot-making. Signature holes include the opening “Bottle” hole, inspired by National Golf Links, the memorable par-5 sixth with its Sahara-style bunker and a boomerang green inspired by Alister Mackenzie, and the drivable eighth hole inspired by Riviera Country Club’s iconic 10th. Other design inspirations include the short Double Plateau 3^rd hole and a Punchbowl green and Church Pew bunkers at the 9^th, further reinforcing the timeless architectural character found throughout the course.

Now offering 45 holes of championship golf, Island Resort & Casino features Sweetgrass, Sage Run, and the new Cedar Course, along with 454 guest rooms and suites, a luxury spa, multiple dining venues, live entertainment, and one of the Midwest’s premier casino destinations. Golf packages currently include Sweetgrass, Sage Run, Greywalls, and Timberstone, with Cedar joining package offerings beginning in 2027. The resort is conveniently accessible through nearby Escanaba, Iron Mountain, and Marquette airports.

For more information, visit https://islandresortgolf.com or call 877-475-4733.

Midwest Golf Magazine

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