Greater Zion: A Fabulous Golf Setting

By Tim Cotroneo

In 2022, 4.6 million people visited Zion National Park to experience the red, pink, and cream-colored mountain ranges that are the stuff of legend for hikers, climbers, and artists alike. In the mid-1960s someone thought, “Wouldn’t this be a fabulous setting for a golf course?”

Fast forward to the last 15 years, and the Greater Zion region now plays host to 14 golf courses with stunning mountain backdrops. Golfers from around the world travel to Southern Utah to play three of Zion’s best: Copper Rock, Sand Hollow Golf Course, and Black Desert Golf Course.

Let’s take an inside look at these three world-class golf layouts featuring soaring red mountain ranges, the deepest ravines, and even black lava rock dating back thousands of years.

Copper Rock Golf Course

When Copper Rock Golf Course burst on the Greater Zion golf scene in 2020, the LPGA immediately recognized that this mountainous beauty was made for television. Enter the Copper Rock Championship on the Epson Tour in 2023 and the upcoming LPGA Senior Championship in 2024.

Each of Copper Rock’s 18 holes features the Pine Valley Mountains, the Hurricane Cliffs, or you guessed it, Zion National Park. Copper Rock has taken to naming its golf holes, and a favorite is the 478-yard, Par 4, 13^th hole. Tabbed Down and Dirty, this elevation sensation plunges straight down before golfer’s ultimately face a slick tabletop green that’s framed by wall-to-wall mountains.

The 18^th hole is a picturesque finale as this Par 4’s huge green is shared with the 9^th hole. Golfers navigate around a lake flanking the left side and then do their best to avoid a white sand bunker separating the two greens. After your round, take the time to stand above the 18^th green and share an Instagram moment capturing the beauty of your Copper Rock mountain golf experience.

• Stay While You Play- The Advenire

Sand Hollow Golf Course

If you want to impress the starter at Sand Hollow’s 447-yard, Par 4, first hole, tell her you heard that Hurricane, UT, got its name from the wind blowing the top off a horse buggy in 1860. Hurricane is the city address of Sand Hollow, a course annually ranked as one of Utah’s best of the best.

Even the bunkers at Sand Hollow feature red sand, so the contrast between the John Fought-designed lush green fairways and the red-on-red surroundings is striking. Fought was wise to allow golfers to warm up a bit on Sand Hollow’s front nine before delivering a mountain-rich back nine that builds a steady crescendo of landscape strokes of brilliance.

The eye-opening views begin with a stadium-sized 180-degree vista beyond the 11^th green. Next, the 12^th hole tee box sits on a cliff looking out at a death-defying ravine on your left and red rock mountains on your right. The 13^th hole continues with the plunging left-side ravine scare and a humbling mountainscape to your right. The 15^th hole is another cliff-to-cliff scene stealer over a gaping gorge. Sand Hollow Golf Course is an adrenaline enthusiast’s dream.

• Stay While You Play – Sand Hollow Resort

Black Desert Golf Course

The buzz generated by the opening of Greater Zion’s latest addition, Black Desert, is a ten on the Richter Scale. You won’t feel an earthquake at this exhilarating Tom Weiskopf design, but you will encounter waves of black lava rock dating back to when Fred Flintstone wielded a five iron.

One of the unique aspects of your Black Desert round is that Weiskopf’s voice is piped into your cart’s GPS screen with his design thoughts for each of this golf masterpiece’s 18 holes. Weiskopf’s final design before his passing will compete with any course in the world for one-of-a-kind ambience, unique golf shots, and an everlasting impression of the Snow Canyon and Padre Canyon mountain ranges.

Upon completion, over $2 billion will be invested into the Black Desert project. That’s billion with a “b.” This 630-acre development will include 3,330 living spaces, hotels, resort pool, conference center, restaurants, and a wellness center. If you’ve yet to play golf in Greater Zion, Black Desert Golf Course alone is worth the trip. Whether you’re a hiker, climber, artist, or a golf fanatic, Greater Zion may be your next best golf trip ever.

• Stay While You Play – Red Mountain Resort