The UP offers topography unique in the Eastern U.S.: dramatic elevation, sheer rock cliffs, vistas across hardwood forests and over the seemingly endless expanses of the Great Lakes. And because Michigan is on the bleeding edge of the Eastern time zone, mid-summer light hangs on until nearly 11pm. Golfers unfamiliar with the Great Lakes region may be intimidated by visions of winter blizzards, but the five months from May through September-with maybe a couple bonus weeks on either end-are prime golf season. One characteristic it shares with the rest of the Great Lakes State is spectacular golf. The UP shares many characteristics with the lower peninsula, but also has an atmosphere and ethos all its own. The upper peninsula, aka The UP (usually pronounced “Da Yu-Pee”), is a rugged spike connected to the lower peninsula by the Mackinac Bridge (the 5 th-longest suspension bridge in the world) and to Wisconsin by land. The lower peninsula is the “mitten” most people picture when they think of Michigan. No matter where you are standing in Michigan, you’re on a peninsula. If you don’t happen to read Latin, the English translation is, “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.” And a more apt state motto you will not find. “Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circum spice” is Michigan’s state motto.
