Uncover insider secrets for conquering Sand Hollow Resort’s championship course. As a golfer’s haven near Zion National Park resorts and spas, our St. George Golf Club challenges even seasoned pros. Enhance your game while enjoying luxurious St. George, Utah lodging accommodations. With expert tips and world-class facilities, prepare to elevate your golfing experience to new heights. Sand Hollow Resort’s course is divided into three distinctive offerings: the world-class eighteen-hole Championship Course, a walkable nine-hole Links style course, and a nine-hole Wee Course for honing your short game, all designed by the skilled hand of former touring professional John Fought. The course plays over, around, and through arroyos, red rocks, and wild desert. Simply put there’s not a single routine or mundane putting surface among the 27 at Sand Hollow Resort.
So how does one attack the greens at a course with so much diversity and a variation of unique challenges to overcome? Here are eight insider tips (straight from us that you won’t find anywhere else) to help get you golfing like a pro in no time.
Stretch Out Your Comfort Zone
Sand Hollow Resort features a dynamic layout with a variety of holes and routing that goes in all directions. Even seasoned players discover a unique challenge due to quick and undulating greens that spill off onto the sides, as well as sweeps that will require all of your creativity to score well on. It can be a challenging territory for some, but the pros play on different terrain, and some of the most challenging and rewarding terrains you’ll find is right here in Southern Utah.
Practice Putting on Undulations
Tee-to-green, the challenge appears deceitfully simple during the first nine, if you can avoid the bunkers. The fairways are fairly broad, but there’s a catch: Fought has crafted diabolical undulating putting surfaces that cleverly defend par. Playing shots from sloping lies can be challenging for some. Not only does it require significant adjustments to your stance, but it typically demands in-swing moves that you seldom practice on a typical flat lie. We suggest looking beyond your mat the next time you practice to find some funky lies and practice putting at different angles. Generally, what you’re trying to figure out is how to adjust your posture and position to accommodate for each of these uneven lies, and more importantly, how to find comfort in these stances so you’ll remain balanced and steady throughout your swing.
Choose Your Lines Confidently
Each hole offers a fresh challenge as unique and satisfying as the scenery that is contiguous with the entire course. The drive on one hole might play at a slight angle down a fairway with bunkers scattered, demanding precision and careful planning, while the second is uphill, which makes getting home difficult for all but the longest hitters. The lay-up area is generous, but a keen eye and confidence are key to get an angle on the pitch into this large contoured green.
Mind the Climate
Sand Hollow Resort is home to a year-round golf course and therefore remains in play throughout the seasons. Even on a winter visit, you’ll find dormant turf playing firm and fast. Our course is begging to bounce, so the onus is on us to deliver that healthy, bouncy turf, and let Mother Nature handle the rest. Speaking of Nature, the wind is generally stronger during the Spring—especially in the more open, exposed areas—making judging distance a challenge, but sweetening the reward of a strategically executed drive. During monsoon season, when there is more moisture retained in the greens, you may need to adjust your stroke. If the green is firm and dry, the ball rolls quickly, but on a wet green, the ball rolls slower. Finally, many avid golfers say the ball travels further through the dry summer air.
Avoid the Hazards
This may seem like a no brainer, but the hazards here were designed to test your wit and skill. The bunkers are deep and are designed to play as true hazards, with red sandstone impediments abound in lieu of regular sand, adding to its uniqueness. The best chance of avoiding bogey is by playing your approach shot to the angle of the hill so it tilts the ball back towards the putting surface, effectively eliminating the cliff edge that often runs along the side of the hole.
Be Bold
Pull off the drive, and birdie is a real possibility, but for poorly conceived and executed shots, over-the-cliff disaster awaits. The holes at Sand Hollow Resort can be challenging, but the reward is equally as great. There are some holes that will send your ball plummeting to its death in the valley below. Each can be navigated by a number of different routes and calls for creative strategies that create a strong risk/reward dynamic when deciding what path to take. Don’t be afraid to take risks—you might be delighted with your results!
Take a Cart
The Championship Course at Sand Hollow Resort is huge; therefore, we strongly encourage players to take carts. A cart isn’t necessary on the front nine as the holes are walkable and almost all of the green-to-tee walks are reasonable, but it is nice to have a cart on the back nine for some of the more arduous hole-to-hole transitions. If you are devoted to walking, we recommend bringing along a cart-loving buddy who can provide a lift to help you avoid unnecessary trekking across the vast landscape.
Experience It All
It’s easy to get so wrapped up in the breathtaking scenery at Sand Hollow Resort that one might forget there is a course to play. A popular saying is that visitors frequently replace their golf clubs with cameras by the start of the back nine, but you don’t want to miss out on all the variety the course has to offer; the holes here are as much fun as taking in the eye candy. The most rewarding part of the course comes just as you’re walking off the 18th green, where you’re treated to a majestic view from the land’s high point of the surrounding mountains that link Sand Hollow’s stair-step to the Grand Staircase. Don’t wait to experience it for yourself—book your tee time today!
