Whistling Dixie in St. George
For a state that claims to have “the greatest snow on earth,” Utah also boasts some of the country’s finest winter golf. Its hub, St. George, may sit closer geographically to the gaming tables of Las Vegas than to the great temple of Salt Lake. But the only gambling you’ll do here is on a drivable par four. This sun-soaked area is “Utah’s Dixie”—a nickname coined by Brigham Young and the farmers who attempted to cultivate cotton here during the Civil War. But given the region’s topographic tapestry of red, yellow, purple, pink and orange, “Color Country” provides a more appropriate appellation.
Naturally, the color most appealing to golfers is green. Nine courses—each a confection of aesthetics and strategy—beckon from within a 15-mile radius, creating what has become known as the Red Rock Golf Trail.
The gauntlet can begin anywhere, so why not start at the top? The Ledges Golf Club, one of the last courses designed by Pete Dye’s late nephew, Matt Dye, perches 10 miles north and 900 feet above St. George. Voted one of Golf Digest’s top new public courses of 2007, the 7,165-yard layout climbs through the sandstone outcroppings near Snow Canyon State Park. The Jack Nicklaus Academy of Golf and Fish Rock Grille round out the experience.
Next up are the 27 holes at Sunbrook Golf Course, the best of St. George’s four city-owned courses (Dixie Red Hills Golf Course, Southgate Golf Club and St. George Golf Club are the other three). Each of Sunbrook’s three nines—Black Rock, The Pointe and Woodbridge—enjoys its own personality. Parts of the newest, Black Rock, slither through black-lava fields; The Pointe serves up the most water hazards and the best panoramas; and Woodbridge features two of southern Utah’s toughest holes—the par-three fourth with its island green and the long, par-four fifth with a forced-carry approach.
Not to be confused with Sunbrook, SunRiver St. George Golf Club is a somewhat gentler experience, as befits the active adult community surrounding it. For more of a challenge, head east of St. George to Washington and Hurricane. Forced carries highlight Washington’s punishing municipal Green Spring Golf Course, while the equally brutal Coral Canyon Golf Course, a Keith Foster layout, opens with two long par fives before proceeding around two lakes and a tangle of arroyos and washes. Hurricane’s Sky Mountain Golf Course perfects the paradox of awesome views and blind tee shots.
Finish your St. George golf orgy at Sand Hollow Resort, the newest jewel in southern Utah’s golf diadem.
Aspiring to become the region’s first luxury destination resort, Sand Hollow this August opened its 7,315-yard John Fought-designed Championship Course to rave reviews. The course straddles ridgelines and traverses canyons, proffering views of the Sand Hollow State Park next door, as well as the property’s latticework of lakes, sand dunes and trails. The hotel and spa are under construction, as are the first of more than 1,800 private residences. A second walking-only, nine-hole Links Course also debuted this fall.
Even without the Sand Hollow hotel, Red Rock Golf Trail packages offer plenty of places to bed down in the area. For those looking for a bit more pampering, book a room or villa or simply partake in a treatment at the Red Mountain Spa, located 15 minutes northwest of downtown St. George, or at the more centrally located Green Valley Spa.
Indulging at one of these spas, however necessary after logging 36 holes a day, may offset one of southern Utah’s greatest appeals: price. The entire cost of seven nights and five rounds of golf can run as low as $650 a person.
Info to Go
Red Rock Golf Trail
888-345-5551; redrockgolftrail.com
Green Spring Golf Course
435-673-7888; greenspringgolfcourse.com
Red Mountain Spa
877-246-HIKE; redmountainspa.com
Green Valley Spa
800-237-1068; greenvalleyspa.com
