St. George... or Bust!

Andrew Penner

Posted 2004-01-06

For many northern folk with a penchant for golf and gambling, the winter destination of choice is often Las Vegas. And what’s not to like about a city boiling over with hot and spicy golf courses, loaded-to-the nines RV parks, and enough card tables to make you dizzy? Well, for some, the short answer might be the overwhelming size of the place now (and the fact that one can easily leave “Lost Wages” minus the kid’s college funds). Enter an option – sans the gambling - that sits snug in the desert on Vegas’ doorstep…St. George,Utah!

The city of St. George, famous for its temperate climate and the cliff-studded skyline, has become a golf destination worthy of mention. For RVers who like to rumble down the road in hopes of discovering the perfect place to roll out the carpet and hunker down for a while, St. George offers the kind of laid-back, we’re-not-all-about-getting-your-money atmosphere that the “other place” just two hours down the road lives and dies on.

In St. George there are no casinos (the Mormons tend to like it that way) and the bright lights are basically limited to an ever-warming sun that peaks over the sandstone cliffs in the mornings then sinks beneath the baked desert floor in the evenings. Here recreation is not defined by endless sessions of tossing chips on tables, but rather, by quiet strolls through rock-strewn ravines, hikes skirting arid canyons, and soaking in views from lush-green fairways…some of the finest in the entire state.

A pilgrimage to Zion National Park is the one no-brainer for vacationers coming to St. George. The park, which lies a half-hour northeast of the city, gives new meaning to the word “picturesque.” The wonderful rocks, rivers, and mountains of Zion were sculpted thousands of years ago by lava, then massaged by wind, water, and time.

So impressive is the scenery here (shutterbugs take note) that the park offers popular 1,2, or 3-day “field trips” for nature photographers and wildlife enthusiasts. And for those not willing to risk an ankle sprain, the park presents some inspiring video of the sites and sounds of Zion on the big screen. The Zion Canyon Giant Screen TV (think Imax) is a unique and powerful presentation of the wonders of the park. The shows run daily in the town of Springdale, the charming gateway to the park. Considering it costs just $8 for a ticket (the same amount buys you the first three minutes of the opening scene in Vegas), you’ll have plenty of dough left over for the golf.

And (penny pinchers take note) what more and more people are happily discovering about St. George is they still have a wad of greenbacks left over after shelling out the green fees. Green fees, too, are considerably less than what they’re dingin’ you for down the road in Mesquite and Vegas. And the kicker? You can stay a long time in St. George and not take a chunk out of the same fairway twice. There are 10 impressive courses within 15 minutes of town.

One of the leaders of the pack would be Johnny Miller’s baby, Entrada at Snow Canyon. Routed through ancient lava beds at the base of the spectacular Navajo and Kayenta sandstone cliffs, Entrada offers a stirring setting for golf. The layout, which is comically tough from the back tees (peg it up on the regular tees or pay the consequences), is ranked #2 in the state by Golf Digest.

Entrada is a course that’s an absolute feast for the eyes. The dramatic shapes, the rich reds of the soil, the white-rock cliffs of Snow Canyon, and the jet-black lava also combine to provide an experience heavy in photo ops.

Another must-play track in the area is Coral Canyon, which is also routed through the rough and tumble desert. Coral Canyon, which boasts one of the most player-friendly courses in the country (Golf Digest voted it in the top 50 for women), features one of the most incredible holes in the area. Pinched in pocket lined with red rock outcroppings and playing over a nasty ravine, the 122-yard 6th is about as memorable as they come.

The town of Hurricane, which is in spitting distance from Zion National Park and 15 minutes east of St. George, is home to a popular 18-holer called Sky Mountain. Sky Mountain, although shorter than most championship courses (it plays under 6,000 yards from the regular tees), is a fairly narrow, challenging course with fabulous views of the mesas, waterfalls, and the red rock ramparts of Zion. The greens are fairly flat and, as long as your sights aren’t too blurred, you should manage a decent score here.

If you’re camped out in one of the parks in St. George then you’ll no doubt want to skip over to the Sunbrook Golf Club. Sunbrook, which features three stellar nines, is home to, according to Golf Digest, the best golf course in the state. Any two of the three nines – The Point, The Woodbridge, or The Black Rock – make for a winning combination as you’ll experience one of the most engaging courses around. With holes chiseled through lava, shooting through ravines, and cruising along the bluffs, this is golf you won’t soon forget.

Something else you don’t want to forget before you leave the area is one final round at a course called Green Springs. Located just north of St. George in Washington City, Green Spring is a syrupy-smooth layout with plenty to offer. Great conditioning, a nice variety of holes, and beautiful desert topography are just some of the many attributes here. A ball-hungry gorge comes into play on a number of holes so pack a couple of extra sleeves for the journey. And, like every course in and around St. George, you’re best off bringing your camera too.

Shockingly, it wasn’t a photographer who popularized the trek to St. George. It was Brigham Young, the great Mormon man from Salt Lake City, who initially sent some families to occupy the land along the Virgin River to grow cotton. (Hence the city’s nickname, “Utah’s Dixie”).

But, thankfully, RVers who aren’t schooled in cotton harvesting can still enjoy the breathtaking scenery along the Virgin River in one of the area’s newest and prettiest RV Parks. The Zion River Resort, Utah’s only 5-star RV Park, is tucked along the river and offers 137 fully serviced sites…and a pool, restaurant, store, phone lines, shuttles to the park, and so on and so on. According to owner Robert Smith, “it’s a resort that matches the caliber of the surroundings.”

Speaking of the surroundings, did I mention that the casinos of Mesquite and Vegas are within easy driving distance?

Golf Course Info

Entrada Golf Course
18 holes / Par 72 / 7,280 yards
www.golfentrada.com
(435)674-7500

Coral Canyon Golf Course
18 holes / Par 72 / 7,029 yards
www.coralcanyongolf.com
(435)688-1700

Sky Mountain Golf Course
18 holes / Par 72 / 6,300 yards
no website
(435)635-7888

Sunbrook Golf Club
27 holes / Par 72 / 6,828 yards
http://www.ci.st-george.ut.us/golf/sunbrook.php
(435)634-5866

Green Spring Golf Course
18 holes / Par 72 / 6,629 yards
www.greenspringgolfcourse.com
(435)673-7888