Sand Hollow Championship Course
On a red rock mesa above the blue water of Sand Hollow Reservoir, John Fought built the public course that put southern Utah on the bucket list. Opened in 2008, the Championship Course is a par 72 of around 7,315 yards whose cliff edge back nine, set against the desert and the distant peaks near Zion, is one of the most photographed stretches of golf in the American West.
Photograph: The Golf Course at Sand Hollow Resort, via Google
The verdict
Sand Hollow is the course that travelers fly in to see. While much of Utah's best golf hides behind private gates in the mountains around Park City, the Championship Course is a true public resort layout, open to anyone who books a tee time, and it delivers scenery that rivals anything in the state. John Fought routed it across a high desert mesa above Sand Hollow Reservoir, and the moment the back nine reaches the cliff edge the course becomes unforgettable, with holes that fall away toward red rock canyons and views that run for miles toward the country around Zion.
For the traveling golfer it is the anchor round of a St George golf trip and one of the most accessible great views in American golf. The Championship Course is the headline eighteen of a resort that also has a nine hole Links course and a par 3 course, so a group can build a full stay around it. It rewards a player who can flight the ball in the desert wind and pick the right line on the dramatic cliff top holes, and for sheer wow factor against the price of a public green fee, few rounds in the West compete.
Sand Hollow at a glance
- Opened
- 2008
- Designer
- John Fought
- Type
- Desert cliff top
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- Around 7,315 yds
- Access
- Public resort
Designer, opening year, par and yardage verified June 2026 from course databases and resort sources. The Championship Course was designed by John Fought, opened in 2008 and plays as a par 72 of around 7,315 yards from the back tees, with a course rating near 73.7 and a slope around 137. Indicative high season green fees have been around 185 dollars for eighteen holes, with stay and play packages available; fees change by season, so always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
The front nine eases you into the desert. Fought laid out generous, links influenced holes across the mesa top, with wide fairways framed by native grasses and the occasional pocket of red rock, and it plays as a stern but fair examination that lets you find your rhythm and your distances in the dry southern Utah air. It is a strong nine in its own right, but everyone who plays Sand Hollow knows it is the prelude to the show.
The back nine is why the course is famous. Around the turn the holes climb to the edge of the mesa, and a run of cliff top par 4s and par 3s plays along and across the rim above the canyon, with the fairways and greens perched against a backdrop of red rock and open desert. The most photographed hole drops from a tee on the cliff to a green far below, a thrilling, vertigo inducing shot that is the signature image of golf in this corner of the country. Wind and the optical illusions of the desert make club selection a guessing game, and the exposure adds pressure to every swing.
What stays with you is the contrast: a fair, playable layout that suddenly turns spectacular, asking for nerve and a committed swing on holes that hang over the edge of the world. Sand Hollow proves that a public course can deliver a once in a lifetime view, and it does it hole after hole through the closing stretch. It is the kind of round people build a whole trip around, and it lives up to the photographs.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Public resort course; open to daily fee play and advance tee time bookings, with stay and play packages through the resort |
| Green fee | Indicative high season rate around 185 dollars for eighteen holes; rates flex by season, time of day and package, so always confirm directly before booking |
| Booking | Book tee times ahead, especially in spring and autumn when the desert weather is at its best and demand is high |
| Walking and carts | Carts are standard; the mesa top routing and the transfers between cliff top holes make this a riding course for most players |
| Season | Year round desert golf; spring and autumn are prime, summer is hot, and mild winters keep play going when the mountains close |
| Getting there | In Hurricane, about twenty minutes east of St George, roughly forty five minutes from Zion National Park and around two hours from Las Vegas |
Access and fees verified June 2026 from resort sources; they change by season, so always confirm directly before booking. Ask about a St George golf trip.
Where to stay nearby
The natural base is the resort itself, with lodging at Sand Hollow that puts you minutes from the first tee, or nearby St George, the fast growing southern Utah town that anchors the region with hotels, restaurants and easy access to the airport. The position is ideal for a trip that mixes golf with the national parks: Zion is under an hour away, and Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon's North Rim are within reach for a day off the course.
Most golfers pair Sand Hollow with the wider desert and mountain golf of Utah. For a contrasting high country leg, the private mountain courses around Park City, Tom Fazio's Glenwild Golf Club, the Rees Jones design at Victory Ranch Club and the Pete Dye drama of the Promontory Pete Dye Canyon Course, make a natural second half to a complete Utah golf tour.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts around St George.
Build a St George golf trip
Sand Hollow's Championship Course is the headline round of southern Utah and one of the great public views in American golf. We plan trips through Utah, secure the tee times, pair the desert with Zion and the high country, and handle the lodging and the logistics. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Sand Hollow questions
Can visitors play the Sand Hollow Championship Course?
Yes. Sand Hollow is a public resort course in Hurricane, Utah, open to daily fee play and tee time bookings. Indicative high season green fees have been around 185 dollars for eighteen holes, with stay and play packages available; always confirm directly before booking.
Who designed the Sand Hollow Championship Course?
The Championship Course was designed by John Fought and opened in 2008. Fought routed it across the red rock mesa above Sand Hollow Reservoir, and the cliff edge stretch on the back nine has made it one of the most photographed public courses in the American West.
What is the par and yardage at Sand Hollow?
The Championship Course plays as a par 72 of around 7,315 yards from the back tees, with a course rating near 73.7 and a slope around 137. Multiple tee sets bring the desert layout back to a fair test for most handicaps.
Where is Sand Hollow Resort?
Sand Hollow sits in Hurricane in southwestern Utah, about twenty minutes east of St George and roughly forty five minutes from Zion National Park, an easy drive from the St George regional airport and around two hours from Las Vegas.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Tee time windows, course access changes and the trips worth taking. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, opening year, par, yardage and access verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.