Utah Golf
Northern Utah winters can be brutal! The poor air quality, mounds of snow and frigid weather conditions contribute to depressing days for those who don’t participate in winter sports. For a golfer, these conditions can be public enemy number one.
Fortunately, the diversity of Utah is a blessing to everyone who lives or visits here. St George is just 4 short hours south of Salt Lake City and is the self-proclaimed Golf Capital of Utah Home to some of the best golf courses in the entire state, every course is open year round. The average temperature in January? 56 degrees!!! In fact, a good percentage of golfers prefer golfing here in the winter rather than playing a round in July as temperatures can easily top 100 degrees in the summer. This area truly is a dream for all Utah golfers!
The Idea
A few months ago, I decided to start a niche website giving detailed reviews on EVERY golf course in Utah. I would personally visit, play and review all 119 courses throughout the Beehive State. Instead of taking four months off during the winter, Southern Utah allows me to visit courses throughout the year.
I gave my father a call and invited him to join me. These were courses that neither of us had played before and the forecasted 62 degree weather sold him. My dad was the person who introduced me to golf (I blame him for my addiction) and we have done various golf trips throughout the years. Our annual summer golf trip (aptly named Golfapoolza) entails 3 straight days of golf, from sun up to sun down. 54 holes on day 1, 54 holes on day 2 and depending on the blisters on our feet and hands another 18-36 holes before we head back home. We were both so excited to have a mini-Palooza trip in the middle of January.
The Original Golf Plan
Day 1 8:00am Tee Time Southgate Golf Course (18 holes)
Lunch/Drive
1:00pm Tee Time The Ledges Golf Club (18 holes)
Dinner/Sleep
Day 2 8:00am Tee Time Green Spring Golf Course (18 holes)
Lunch/Drive
1:00pm Tee Time Sand Hollow Resort Golf Club (18 holes)
Dinner and drive back home to Northern Utah
Although the weather in St George is much warmer than Northern Utah, the sun still comes up and goes down at the same time limiting our original golf plan. We knew we wanted to play both the Ledges and Sand Hollow afternoon as they both provided excellent twilight rates after 1:00pm (highly recommended if golfing on a budget). It was our morning plans that needed to adapt. Every course we called would not open the course until at least 9:30am to make sure that no frost was on the course. Due to the shortness of the days, we reluctantly decided to play 27 holes instead of 36.
New Golf Plan
Day 1 9:30am Red Dixie Hills Golf Course (9 holes)
11:30am Lunch/Drive
12:33pm – The Ledges Golf Club (18 holes)
5:30pm Dinner
Hot tub/pool
Card Games
Bed
Day 2 9:30am Sunbrook Golf Club (Woodbridge 9)
11:30am Lunch/drive
1:03 pm – Sand Hollow Resort Golf Club
5:30pm Dinner
Drive back home to Northern Utah
Our plan was set, tee times were reserved and our St George Hotel room was booked, all two weeks ahead of time. Weather? Still expected to be highs of 60 and 63 degrees with plenty of sun! Everything was coming together.
Travel Day
My parents drove down from Idaho the day before our first tee time. Our plan was watch the NFL AFC Championship Game (I have been a die-hard Kansas City Chiefs fan since I was 8 years), eat a light dinner and then hit the road to our hotel. Light snow from Beaver to Cedar City but nothing us Northern Utahans couldn’t handle. We arrived at our hotel room right around 9:30pm, prepared our golf bags, categorized our golf balls, laid out our clothes and hit the hay right at 11:30pm.
Projected weather? Rain in the morning. Wind in the afternoon. High of 50 degrees. Not the St George weather that I had planned or expected when initially calculating this trip. All I can do now, hope and pray.
Game Time - Day 1
Woke up at 7:30am. Leapt to my feet, peaked out the window… rain. Shower, get changed and head down for the continental breakfast. Bagel with cream cheese, scrambled eggs, bacon, yogurt and apple juice. Head to the car. Weather? Light rain and wind. 10 minutes to Dixie Red Hills from our hotel. We arrive at the course, 9:00am. Plenty of time to check in, review the clubhouse, practice facilities and warm up. Weather? PERFECT! Rain has stopped. Little to no wind. 50 degrees to start the round, 55 degrees to finish. No frost on the course, conditions ideal!
For a review on the Red Dixie Hills Golf Course click on this link.
After the round we quickly head over the Ledges Golf Club to eat a quick lunch and to warm up before our 12:30pm tee time. The practice facilities at the Ledges are excellent!!! To see a detailed review on the Ledges Golf Club click on this link.
The Ledges has a much higher elevation than Red Dixie Hills as it sits upon the Snow Canyon State Park. The elevation change absolutely affected the weather. Heavy cross winds and temperatures below 42 degrees made the conditions difficult and a little uncomfortable. The starter said this was the coldest day of the year for the course. To keep warm, we were able to walk the majority of the course with hand warmers in our pockets (winter golf tip #2 and #4 on my previous blog). My spectator mother drove the cart around us allowing us to keep warm without carrying our clubs. Our fingers and toes were not an issue until the last two holes of the day where it became difficult to grip the club. Although not ideal, the saving grace was not an ounce of rain during our first day of golf.
After the round, we raced back to our hotel. Showered, changed and headed to one of my favorite restaurants, Hash House a Go Go. After dominating the Andy’s Sage Fried Chicken Benedict (ok, maybe I only finished 3/4s of it) we headed back to the hotel around 9pm. After playing a few hands of cards, lights out and in bed at 10:30pm.
Game Time - Day 2
After a great night sleep (dreaming about playing Sand Hollow) we arose at 7:00am. We showered, headed down for continental breakfast and then headed back up to pack up our room and load everything in our car. Projected weather? No rain. Light wind. High of 56 degrees. We head out to Sunbrook Golf Club to play the Woodbridge nine. We were the first ones out, with weather and course conditions absolutely perfect! For a full review of the Sunbrook Woodbridge Course click on this link.
After the round, we made the 33 minute drive to Sand Hollow Golf Resort. Weather was absolutely perfect and the course conditions and full review can be seen here We arrived 30 minutes early allowing for a quick hot dog and 20 minutes to warm up on their fantastic practice facilities.
After playing 18, with the sun setting in the West, we loaded our clubs into our car one last time and made our way back home. After a quick dinner in Beaver, we drove the rest of the night concluding our trip at 11:00pm. Aside from our 18 holes at the Ledges, we could not have asked for better weather. All four golf courses were well worth the money, time and effort to make our way down to the St George area. This will be a golf trip I will always remember and has already got me excited for St George Golf Trip #2 in March!
St George Trip #1 - Budget
Gas Money – $36.72 (Round trip) Split with my parents – My total $18.36
Hotel Room – $137.96 (2 nights) Split with my parents – My total $68.98
Breakfast – N/A Used hotel continental breakfast
Lunch – $18.74 (2 days)
Dinner – $34.32 (2 nights)
Snacks – $13.77
Dixie Red Hills Golf Fees – $29.50
The Ledges Golf Fees – $40
Sunbrook Woodbridge Golf Fees – $40.50
Sand Hollow Golf Fees – $70
My personal grand total for St George Golf Trip #1 – $334.17