On my second visit to the area of Northern Navada/Southern Utah I finally made it to St. George Utah to play some golf. I have been to Mesquite NV, twice on trips from Vegas. Mesquite is just over 1 hour north of Vegas. The golf there is really good and with St George being only 40 minutes further north I was excited to see what Utah golf could offer.
I only had time for one round of golf in St. George with the rest of my time visiting some of the unbelievably great National Parks of the area. I was VERY happy with my choice to play Sand Hollow.
St George is the big city area of Southern Utah with a population of over 80,000. Sand Hollow actually sits on the other side of the mountains to the East of St. George in Hurricane Utah.
Sand Hollow features a nice resort and 3 courses, sort of. There is the 18 hole Championship course, the regulation 9 hole Links course, and a 9 hole par 3 Wee Course.
The scenery here in Southern Utah is spectacular. When we were here there was snow still on the distant mountains. The lower elevations feature stunning red rock formations, and the Championship course offers many rocky outcroppings integrated within the course.
The first thing you see upon driving up to the course, aside from several holes on the way in, is the modern southwest style clubhouse.
The clubhouse offers a small but nicely stocked pro shop, and a restaurant/bar area.
Back outside, down below the restaurant windows is a putting green which is situated above the ninth green. Check out the views from here!
Back across the parking lot is where the driving range is located.
Next to the range is also the Par 3 Wee Course. This is a series of holes from 50 to 120 yards. I think this is a great idea that I wish more courses offered. A great place to practice your short game, and to introduce kids in and grow the game. Here is a view of the course from Google maps:
The championship course was opened in 2008 and designed by Andy Staples and John Fought. It has held the title of the number one public course to play in Utah by Golfweek for the past 8 years, so you know it is going to be a fun round.
The course touts itself as taking advantage of the region's natural beauty. I found that to certainly be the case, especially on the back 9 as you ascend up into the hills on holes 11-15. This stretch of holes really are the crown jewel of this course and the reason that this round made Sand Hollow one of my favorite courses I have played in the Sothwest.
The surroundings are just stunning throughout. The course winds through brilliant red rock outcrops, and playing when I did, with the snow in the higher elevations, the mountain backdrops are simply stunning. It is hard to imagine a more brilliant palette of colors on a course than can be found here. With the ultramarine skies, snowy mountains, red rocks, and green fairways it is a feast for the eyes all through the round.
There are 5 sets of tees offered on the course, stretch from 7,315 yards at the tips down to 5,306 yards on the most forward tees. Here are the tee options:
| Tee | Yards | Slope | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 7,315 | 137 | 73.9 |
| Blue | 6,893 | 133 | 71.9 |
| Black | 6,462 | 126 | 69.6 |
| Black | 6,060 | 116 | 68.1 |
| Black | 5,306 | 114 | 68.6(L) |
Next up,
On to The Front Nine...
To The Back nine...
