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ST. GEORGE, Utah - I started my latest Utah golf adventure on the first tee of the 2,733-yard Dixie Red Hills, a local muni built in 1965.
I ended the trip on the par-5 18th hole of the 7,400-yard Black Desert, the new PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour venue that debuted in May in nearby Ivins. Comparing the two proves just how far golf has come in southwest Utah, a region marketed as "Greater Zion." Equal parts charming, quirky and gorgeous, the par-34 Dixie Red Hills was designed as the area's first destination golf course. Now, golfers can contrast that lovable nine-holer with the massive 600-acre resort, real estate community and bucket-list golf experience that Black Desert will eventually become. Bigger is better.
Greater Zion is no longer just a national park hub with a few really nice golf courses. It now rivals the best golf meccas west of the Mississippi. The recent additions of Copper Rock, host of an Epson Tour event in Hurricane, and Black Desert, arguably Tom Weiskopf's best resort course - plus David McLay Kidd's 2021-22 renovation of Entrada at Snow Canyon and the Top-100-caliber Sand Hollow - have elevated its status in a hurry. There's also a deep bench of other enticing places to play including Coral Canyon, The Ledges and solid munis like Green Spring, Sky Mountain and the 27-hole Sunbrook. They're all different and appealing for their own reasons, yet boast one important thing in common: the stunning red-rock backdrops that make Zion National Park so famous.
TV will only enhance these views when Black Desert hosts the PGA TOUR in October 2024 and the LPGA Tour in May 2025 - the state's first tour events in more than 60 years. The coverage could be a game-changer for a golf scene ready to flex.
"Within the last 15 years, it's changed quite a bit," Dixie Red Hills Head Golf Professional Allen Orchard said of the Greater Zion area. "Within the last five years, it's exploded. Ever since COVID, things have changed. People have discovered the area. They've discovered the golf courses. It's become a destination.
"With the tours coming in, ladies and men's next year, and the addition of those courses that they are playing, it's changed the quality of life and environment that we see around here."
Southern Utah golf: the growth of Greater Zion
The growth of the golf scene has mirrored the rising population. Washington County ranks as the fastest-growing metropolitan area in America with an almost 90-percent population spike since 2000. St. George, home to 90,000 residents, is the central hub with the housing developments at Copper Rock and Black Desert gaining momentum.
Copper Rock looks vastly different since my first visit in 2019 when I played the course right before its official opening. Housing now lines several holes. Eventually, construction of a hotel will create stay-and-play opportunities.
It's easy to be mesmerized by the scenery surrounding the Hurricane Cliffs. GolfPass reviewer 'tiburanazo' called Copper Rock one of the best courses he's ever played after an April round right before the Epson Tour event.
"Being a mountain course there was tons of elevation, but not as punishing as you would find in courses like Wolf Creek in Mesquite, where elevation is overwhelming and down right not fair," he noted. "The surrounding desert mountains and the snow peaked mountains in the distance just made it for a magical experience. Pictures don't do it justice."
Scheduled to open next fall, the $2 billion Black Desert Resort will blossom to become Utah's largest golf resort. The build-out of amenities will be dizzying - multiple hotels, a water park with a lazy river, rapids, wave pool and surfing simulators; a 15,000-square-foot spa and wellness center; more than 20 places to eat, including a pedestrian-only boardwalk full of restaurants and shopping; a convention center and meeting facilities; an indoor/outdoor concert and sports venue; 6 miles of hiking trails (foot only) open to the public; a nature center; and a beach with sand volleyball, tiki huts and paddleboards.
Black Desert Golf Course winds through black lava rock typically only experienced on Hawaii's Big Island. This dark palette really makes the surrounding red rocks pop. Weiskopf's signature short par 4s are always the highlight, but there's lots to love about the playing experience, from the two comfort stations offering free food and (non-alcoholic) drinks to the bunker in the middle of the par-3 third green.
What's interesting about Black Desert is that I would consider it even more scenic than Sand Hollow, which has an epic run of famous cliffside holes on the back nine but doesn't sustain its inspiring views from start to finish like Black Desert does on flatter ground. Given the constant fears of drought out West, don't be surprised if Black Desert is the last course built in Greater Zion.
Where to stay in Greater Zion
Staying at Black Desert will likely be the best option for traveling golfers, but it's certainly not the only one. I've hunkered down in a rental home within the Ledges community, a villa inside Entrada's gated community (staying on property is the only way to access the otherwise private club) and at Sand Hollow's spacious condos. With Black Desert still under construction, our golf group split time between The Advenire, an Autograph Collection (Marriott) Hotel, in downtown St. George, and Red Mountain Resort, a wellness resort across the street from Black Desert that was recently purchased by its developers, Reef Capital Partners.
Although both feature nice restaurants, Wood. Ash. Rye. at The Advenire - St. George's only boutique hotel that opened in January 2020 - was one of my favorite dining experiences of the year. Massive cutting boards and plates of biscuits, sushi, premium meats, crispy brussels sprouts and churros just kept coming.
Hiking through Snow Canyon State Park, which would be a national park anywhere else, is becoming a morning tradition every time I visit. A night out at BigShots Golf, an entertainment facility that opened in 2022, added a few more swings and fun.
I left Greater Zion once again without fulfilling my personal bucket list - hiking "The Narrows" at Zion National Park. I'm not disappointed, though. There's never enough time to experience it all, a sure sign that this destination is maturing from a vacation getaway for snowbirds, hikers, adventure athletes and golfers into a national treasure with something for everyone.
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