Greater Zion: Utah’s Golf & Adventure Thrill Destination

By Tim Cotroneo

Southern Utah is one of the few places in the world in which golf is mentioned in the same breath with extreme sports. With 12, and soon to be 13, golf courses located within the 118 miles that is the city of St. George, it’s hard to find a foursome that doesn’t mention nature walks, mountain biking, canyoneering, or ATV riding along with their beauteous 18-hole golf itinerary.

Waking up in St. George is an exercise in fresh air. Take a deep breath and your lungs fill to an exhilarating capacity. Your all-natural high is maximized when your week is complemented by a quartet of St. George’s best golf courses, and at least four of Greater Zion’s majestic outdoor experiences.

You’ve narrowed morning tee times to Sand Hollow, Copper Rock, The Ledges, and Green Spring golf courses. Your afternoons are buoyed by a nature walk through Zion National Park, mountain biking on Gooseberry Mesa Trail, canyoneering through the slots of Mystery Canyon, or an ATV trail ride at Coral Pink Sand Dunes. Are you ready? Then let’s combine golf and adventure throughout a city that insiders call “St. Geezy.”

Zion Golf Adventure Pairing #1

Sand Hollow Golf Course is regularly ranked as the number one course in the state of Utah. This 7,300-yard layout features dramatic elevation changes and it extends along a towering ridge line. Sand Hollow will have you grabbing your camera on every tee box, putting green, and from their clubhouse deck looking out on the first hole at sunrise. Prepare to be “wowed.”

Zion National Park is Utah’s first national park. This 100-year-old habitat covers 229-square-miles and its highest elevation is 8,700-feet. Featuring a geology dating back 150 million years, the park location is a convergence of the Colorado Plateau, the Great Basin, and the Mojave Desert. With its nature trails, waterfalls, and hanging gardens, Zion is the fourth most popular park in America welcoming 4.3 million visitors annually.

Zion Golf Adventure Pairing #2

Copper Rock is Utah’s newest 18-hole championship golf course, and it is due to open in Spring of 2020. Built as part of a luxury golf community, Copper Rock sits on 533-acres near Sand Hollow State Park. The course’s signature landscape features a backdrop of beautiful copper mountains, sand dunes threaded throughout the property, and a combined green connecting the ninth and 18^th holes.

Gooseberry Mesa Trail is literally a world class mountain biking haven. It’s international reputation among bikers means you’ll meet people from all over our planet. Expect to experience rolling slickrock, twisty singletracks, and to-die-for vistas. The Gooseberry trail network is positioned on 5,200-feet of elevation. For those devoting a single day to mountain biking, Gooseberry Mesa Trail will not disappoint.

Zion Golf Adventure Pairing #3

The Ledges is located along the rim of Snow Canyon State Park, and golfers experience red rock panoramas at every turn. This 7,100-yard track is designed by golf architect Matt Dye and sits at 900-feet of elevation. Several holes on the back nine are perched on a sheer cliff while offering mesmerizing mountain views.

Mystery Canyon – Greater Zion’s ultimate in canyoneering goes something like this: wooded canyon, soaring walls, sculpted narrows, epic rockfall, and a seasonal lake. Want more? How about a jungle paradise, a slab rappel, and then a dammed canyon that’s lovingly referred to as the “Devil’s Hole.” Whew!

Zion Golf Adventure Pairing #4

Green Spring Golf Course generates a scenic mix of challenging golf shots, riveting mountain beauty, and creative course design. Holes number five and six demand back-to-back heart-pumping shots over red rock ravines. This legendary municipal golf course is embraced by Pine Valley Mountain and offers unforgettable landscape images.

Coral Pink Sand Dunes is an opportunity to experience an amazing array of coral-hued sand formations on an ATV or UTV. Climb the hills, navigate the back-country trails, and absorb the views of the red sandstone cliffs. This is your chance to encounter the adrenaline rush of Greater Zion’s most diverse scenery. 

High on Zion’s Golf and Adventure Options

Vacationers from around the world choose the Greater Zion area for its verdant valleys, vermillion cliffs, and Instagram-worthy Red Rocks. The is especially true for golfers with an edge.

Linksters can’t help falling in love with Zion’s plentiful 18-hole visual fireworks that seem to whet the appetite for more thrill-a-minute after-golf adventures. In a territory known for its lava rock outcroppings, Sand Hollow, Copper Rock, The Ledges, and Green Spring are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to a mountain meets desert golf experience.

For your next golf adventure vacation, check out the red rock wide-open spaces and mountainous terrain surrounding Greater Zion’s St. George, Utah. Once you’ve enjoyed the golf, the nature, the mountain biking, the canyoneering, and the off-roading, it won’t be long before you’re toasting the locals to honor their beloved “St. Geezy.” https://greaterzion.com/

For further insights on Zion golf vacations, as well as other great golf destinations, check out The Left Rough.