Utah is home to some of the most beautiful scenery. It is also home to 5 National Parks (Zions NP, Arches NP, Bryce NP, Capitol Reef NP, and Canyonlands NP), and 43 state parks. There is never a shortage of things to do and see in Utah. This is one of the reasons your next golf vacation should in Utah. The main reason being Utah has beautiful courses you will want to play. I am only highlighting 10 of my favorite courses, but there are so many to choose from you should check them out yourself
here. These ten courses come from all over the state and are in no particular order.
Sand Hollow State Park is located in Hurricane and home to a Champions Course, Links Course, and a par-3 Wee Course. This course beautifully displays the red rock that Southern Utah is famous for. Sand Hollow was recently featured in Golf Week Magazine's Best Courses edition, and has received Utah's Best Public Course for 2 years. 18-hole rates vary from $25 to $125.
This course is also located in Southern Utah in Washington County. St George is the golf capital of Utah and the red rock creates some of the most beautiful courses I have ever seen. I once spent spring break in St George with some friends who were not golfers, we drove past this course everyday and it was painful for me not to be able to play this course while we were there that week. If you ever find yourself in St George you must spend a day on the golf course. 18-hole rates vary from $40 to $115.
Old Mill is located in Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. This mountainous course offers a beautiful view of the Salt Lake Valley from the East. I have only played this course once, but I am a sucker for mountainous courses, and this one was beautifully designed. It was a fun course that challenged my game but was in no way intimidating. 18-hole rates vary from $24 to $34.
This is a course in Monticello that I am dying to play it. This course looks challenging but fun, with beautiful Utah scenery and plenty of opportunities to spot wildlife. 18-hole rates vary from $21 to $27.
This 27-hole championship course is again located in Southern Utah. It features red rock, red sand, and black lava rock. The course is broken down into three 9-hole sections, The Point Nine, The Woodbridge Nine, and The Black Rock Nine. The Woodbridge Nine is one of the only courses in Utah with a island green. 18-hole rates vary from $26 to $56.
Wasatch Mountain State Park in Midway offers two 18 hole courses. There is the Lake Course (the easier of the two) and the Mountain Course. The Mountain Course offers a beautiful view of Heber Valley. Wasatch Mountain State Park was given 4.5 out of 5 stars by Golf Digest in their 'Best Places to Play.' 18-hole rates vary from $28 to $40.
This is another mountainous course located in Springville. It is a short drive up the canyon to this beautiful course. I first played this course in a high school tournament. It has since been one of my favorites because of its challenging set up and the creek that runs along the course that ads to its beauty. 18-hole rates vary from $24 to $30.
This is my home course, I learned to play golf on this difficult traditional links style course. It is located in Eagle Mountain just 15 minutes off of I-15. This course is so much fun to play, but it is also really challenging with over 150 bunkers. It is also home to one of my favorite holes. The par-4 9th hole has a steep uphill slope, but it is still drive-able, as long as you can keep it out of the large deep bunkers that line both sides of the fairway, and clear the large bunker in front of the tee boxes. 18-hole rates vary from $24 to $45.
This course is located in Lehi and is apart of Thanksgiving Point Institute. The course was designed by Johnny Miller and is scheduled to host the 2015 Web.com Tour Utah Championship at the end of July. The course its self is beautiful enough, but you also get a beautiful view of one of Utah's largest and best gardens. The 18-hole golf course completely surrounds the Thanksgiving Point Gardens, giving players a peak into the 55 acres of beauty. 18-hole rates vary from $38 to $87.
The Final Course on my list is located in a small town called Sterling in Sanpete County. The course is part of Palisade State Park and is one of my favorite to play. The par-3 4th hole is one of my favorite to play. The tee-box is located straight across from the green and over a 90 yard cliff, there is a little fairway off to the left for those who want to play it safe. The difficulty of this hole is not making it over the cliff, but keeping it on the green and not flying it over and off the mountain. The past part of this course is being able to walk down to the lake for a BBQ after a beautiful round of golf. 18-hole rates vary from $20 to $25.
Utah is a beautiful place and there are many things to do and see. If you are from Utah and you have never played some of these courses, put them on your to do lists. If you have never been to Utah, plan your next vacation here to see some of the beautiful National and State Parks, and make sure you have enough time to spend on a Utah golf course.
Honorable Mentions:
Spanish Oaks is Spanish Fork and
Green Spring in Washington City.
Wow! So many beautiful golf courses in Utah. Palisades course is one of my favorites. Its a good place to get away from everything. Its a fun spot for camping as well. Thanks for all the good information on great golfing getaways.
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