News

St. George, Mesquite Area Beckons Utah Golfers

The snow is on the ground. Winter is here. Golfing is there. Somewhere.
 
For Utahns the nearest good golfing is in the St. George area, including Mesquite. Many golfers have second homes or access to second homes of their friends in the area and so when the sun is shining in Utah’s Dixie the northern snowbirds head south.
 
The number of good courses has increased each year and now there is a very good selection of courses at reasonable prices. There are 20 golf courses from Kokopelli (ten miles south of Hurricane) to Coyote Springs (30 miles southwest from Mesquite). Some of the golf courses were high priced several years ago, but the recession and competition has lowered the green fees to very competitive rates. The rates are not going to get lower than they are now. For Utah golfers this area is the best quality golf for the buck. The temperatures aren’t as high as Palm Springs, but neither are the green fees.
 
Recent floods took out the bridge that accessed the Blackrock nine at Sunbrook Golf Course, but it re-opened Tuesday and so Sunbrook is back in full service.
 
Southgate’s front nine is closed for the season, but is open for play on the back nine.
 
Washington City (Green Spring) and Hurricane (Sky Mountain) also have municipal golf courses that are popular and moderately priced.
 
There are two private country clubs, Bloomington iand Entrada. Bloomington is sometimes open to outside play but previous arrangements are necessary and quite often not available. Memberships in the club are available at very reasonable rates. Entrada is an upscale country club and no outside play is permitted. It has recently enterered into some reciprocal agreements with other Utah country clubs. Both are outstanding courses and meticulously maintained. Bloomington was the second golf course built in the St. George area and is of the traditional architecture. Entrada is more of a desert design with three holes intermingling through lava rock from an ancient volcano.
 
It’s been more than 20 years since the first golf course was built in Mesquite in what was just before that time a one-service station stop. Now it is a thriving community with eight golf courses in the vicinity. The golf courses are thriving by attracting Utah golfers to a slightly warmer temperature than St. George, and by attracting Las Vegas golfers with lower green fees.
 
Here is a convenient list of courses in the area including the head professional and the phone numbers.
 
St. George Municipal Golf Courses
Sunbrook- Reed McArthur- 435-627-4400
St. George Golf Club- James Hood- 435-627-4404
Dixie Red Hills- Allen Orchard- 435-627-4444
Southgate- Scott Draper- 435-627-4440
 
Other Munis
Green Spring- Washington City- Nick Neeley- 435-673-7888
Sky Mountain- Hurricane- Kent Abegglen- 435-635-7888
 
Privately Owned/Open to the Public
Coral Canyon- Hurricane- Mark Whetzel- 435-688-1700
Sand Hollow- Hurricane- Colby Cowan- 435-656-4653
Kokopelli- Hurricane- 435-272-4653
Sun River- St. George- Neal Economy- 435-986-0001
Valderra at The Ledges- toward Enterprise- Paul Holden, 435-634-4640
 
Country Clubs
Bloomington Country Club- Scott Brandt- 435-673-2029
Entrada- Dave Hall- 435-986-2200
 
Mesquite Area
Oasis Canyons – 702-346-7820
Oasis Palmer- 702-346-7820
Casablanca- 702-346-6764
Conestoga- 877-489-0777
Coyote Springs, The Chase- 702-422-1438
The Palms- 702-346-4067
Falcon Ridge- 702-346-6363
Wolf Creek- 866-252-4653
 
Courses hosting competitive amateur tournaments this winter are as follows:
 
January
8-9- Coral Canyon Amateur
14-15- St. George Amateur
16- St. George 2-Man Scramble
21-22- Mesquite Senior Amateur at Palms, Casablanca
28-29- Southgate 2-Man Scramble
 
February
4-5- Sand Hollow Amateur
14-15- UGA 2-Man Championship at Sand Hollow
 
March
19-20- UGA Winterchamps
Bloomington, Sky Mountain, Sunbrook