Island Resort Championship At Sweetgrass Ready For Lpga, Spectators

Sweetgrass Golf Club in Escanaba, Michigan will welcome 150 LPGA Futures Tour professional golfers for the inaugural Island Resort Championship at Sweetgrass, with opening rounds beginning at 7:45 a.m. next Friday, June 24.

Three-day ticket passes are still on sale for $10 for the inaugural event in the Upper Peninsula, which are being sold at the Island Resort & Casino, at the event entrance gate, and via 87 regional non-profit organizations (see http://www.sweetgrassgolfclub.com/championship for a complete list.). Tickets can also be purchased via phone by calling 877-ISL-SHOW.

Children ages 15 and under will enter the championship for free with a paying adult.

Ticketholders will be automatically entered to win over $2,000 in prizes upon entering the championship gate. Daily door prize drawings will take place at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and will be announced via the championship main scoreboard; you must be present to win.

Parking and Transportation

Spectators will be guided from Rts. 2 & 41 to Gate A, the main parking area, located at the Island Resort & Casino. Parking is free and within walking distance to the championship gate.

The Island Resort & Casino will be open and fully operational during tournament week.

Suggested Items to Bring/Prohibited Items

Cell phones, pagers and cameras (still and video) are prohibited and cannot be taken into the event venue. Spectators will be permitted to bring portable chairs and are welcome to bring pens/markers to request a signature of their favorite golfers following their rounds.

Entrance Gate

Gates will open one hour prior to the first tee time each day. Upon arrival, spectators will find free daily pairing sheets and maps to guide them to stationed bleachers on the course, first aid station, restrooms, food/beverage outlets and a course map.

Nearly 300 volunteers, wearing blue shirts, will be available to answer questions and guide spectators each day.

The Spectator Experience

There will be eight spectator bleacher locations on the course; one near the first tee of Sweetgrass Golf Club, one near the driving range/practice area, two large bleachers at the 9th and 18th greens, and four on-course grandstands with views of several holes. Spectators are welcome to bring small "bag" chairs to watch the event throughout the venue, outside of the championship playing areas.

A map of the course can be found at http://www.sweetgrassgolfclub.com.

Spectators should refrain from requesting autographs until a player completes her round.

Beverage carts will be stationed throughout the course; guests are also welcome to visit the Island Resort & Casino's dining venues on property.

The Island Resort Championship is a stroke-play event with play beginning at 7:45 a.m. each day. The first wave of tee times will start on Friday and Saturday at 7:45 am on the first and tenth tee boxes with groups of three going off every ten minutes. A second wave of tee times will start at 12:45 pm. On Championship Sunday, the top 70 players will start teeing off at 7:45 am on the first hole with the leaders teeing off last.