By Joel Zuckerman
The Vagabond Golfer
When I first happened through St. George back in 1981, referring to it as a "wide spot in the road" might've bordered on hyperbole. At that time, the town's chief recreational amenity, aside from proximity to some of Utah's spectacular national parks, was as an embarkation point for rafting trips down the Colorado River, which offer an incredible journey through the Grand Canyon. But if you weren't specifically coming to St. George for that purpose, it's unlikely the city limits would even register as one sped through on I-15, either coming from or heading to Las Vegas, 120 miles to the southwest. It's not to say if you blinked you would've missed it. But definitely if you sneezed. But the times, as they say, have changed.
St. George has been one of the nation's fastest-growing cities for the last 20-odd years. 67,000-plus residents called the city home in 2006, up from less than 50,000 six years earlier. What the population was back in 1981, I can't say, but it was probably closer to the number of individual golf holes found today (415, give-or-take the odd nine) in and around the city limits, including neighboring Mesquite, Nevada.
Though it has Utah's lowest elevation at just under 3,000 feet, St George is surrounded by mountains and red sandstone buttes, and it lies at the very northeastern edge of the Mojave Desert. And it's this spectacular scenery, in addition to the temperate climate, that has drawn dedicated golfers in droves.
Entrada at Snow Canyon is perhaps the most distinctive of all the St. George courses, awash in lava rock. Unfortunately, this Johnny Miller design is a private club. But there are numerous public-access options nearby, many of them highlighting the fact that one of southern Utah's most enduring nicknames is "Color Country."
These "colorful" courses include Coral Canyon, Dixie Red Hills Golf Course, Green Spring Golf Course, Painted Hills Golf Club, and Sand Hollow Golf Club.
Not every worthwhile course is named for a hue on an artist's palette. The Ledges, designed by Pete Dye's nephew Matt, is an attention-getter, as is Sunbrook, Southgate, Sonterra and Sky Mountain.
The golf offerings in both St. George are among the finest in the desert southwest.
