From 6/11/24


Finally experienced the Amazing Sand Hollow Golf Course!


SHGC is no doubt a great golf course, which receives its Gusto from the very scenic and beautiful Back 9 that runs al... Continue »

From 6/11/24


Finally experienced the Amazing Sand Hollow Golf Course!


SHGC is no doubt a great golf course, which receives its Gusto from the very scenic and beautiful Back 9 that runs along the Cliffs of Sand Hollow State Park. The Front 9 is more resort style and flat, but still very fun and nice.


SHGC is another hybrid Desert / Mountain Championship Course in Southern Utah that features elevation changes, strategic bunkering, beautiful nature, canyons, along with breathtaking views. Albeit most of the topography change is along the back nine.

The course was challenging but always fair. The course played its yardage, fairways offered moderate roll out on drives and greens held approach shots well. The course was very well manicured, but it came with a price. On this day, it seemed like staff was working on every hole on the front nine. The front nine was less enjoyable because it was distracting to hear loud lawnmowers, blowers, or maintenance equipment far too often.

The overall course layout is rated a 4.5 out of 5 (Front 9 - 4.0 and Back 9 - 5.0), conditions are rated a 4.6 out of 5 for this time of year. I note the following:


Tee Boxes: Level and green, no damage. Condition excellent.


Fairways: Green, lush, and defined from rough. Condition excellent.


Greens: Green, medium-fast in speed, with firmness. Noted to be undulating and hard to read at times. Speed about a 11.5. Condition excellent.


Sand: very well maintained, and heavy. Condition excellent.


Rough: very well maintained and defined, about 3 – 5 inches. Condition excellent.


Water Hazards: None Applicable.


Waste Areas: Waste areas were maintained with manicured nature that offered little to no recovery potential. Condition excellent.


Driving Range and Practice Areas: The range was very nice and off grass that was in good of shape. Range included various markers from 75 - 300 yards. Range balls were quality Top-Range golf balls that were very well maintained. I also noted a very nice chipping area and practice bunker. Excellent practice facility here.


Practice Putting Greens: Two were noted. Medium and in excellent condition. Speed was consistent with course.


POP: 4.9 hours – wait was encountered on numerous holes on the back nine, but this was expected at the tourist attracting golf course. A lot of Tourist Golfers here.


Pro Shop: High quality and beautifully stocked. Service received was excellent.


Food: Nice restaurant with very good food!


Customer Service: Excellent.


Really enjoyed this course and I strongly endorse playing SHGC if given the opportunity while having the time. This course is another fair test of golf that comes with a great surrounding environment, and a Back 9 which is very special and hard to beat!


I will play SHGC again if given the opportunity. This was a top-level experience! Grade A, all the way.

Played this in the Amateur Players Tour event on 3/17 & 3/18 the previous reviewer mentioned. The golf course is pretty challenging with desert scrub to contend with on most holes that catch wayward ... Continue »

Played this in the Amateur Players Tour event on 3/17 & 3/18 the previous reviewer mentioned. The golf course is pretty challenging with desert scrub to contend with on most holes that catch wayward shots. Expect some time spent rooting around in the scrub bushes and red sand looking for a golf ball or two if your group sprays it at all. On the back nine, your ball can just go off the side of a cliff, so forget it. You're dropping. Spectacular looking views and holes in the middle of the back nine. Course condition was overall pretty good. Some issues with the recent heavy rains caused the greens to be softer than they probably normally are. And it created a few iffy spots in the fairways. So, we were playing lift clean and place. But the lies were pretty good even without that. Apparently this course recently raised it's green fees. Previously it was on Golf Magazine's ranking of the top 100 affordable courses in the US. But with max fees now in the $180 range, I would imagine it will be removed from that list. Nevertheless, Golf Mag and Golf Week have it in the Top 60 public US courses and it holds its own there. Given that most top 50 US courses are in the $250-$300+ range, that's still not a terrible value for the quality. Perhaps just not the bargain it once was with $125 max fees. Combined with some of the other great courses in St. George and Mesquite, it's worth a 'do it at least once' trip.

Went to Mesquite/St. George for a two day golf trip with my brother and a couple of 1st timers to the area. This was the 2nd time my brother and I played this course. 1st time was over 10 years ago. ... Continue »

Went to Mesquite/St. George for a two day golf trip with my brother and a couple of 1st timers to the area. This was the 2nd time my brother and I played this course. 1st time was over 10 years ago. This is consistently ranked #1 golf course in Utah.

This was course #2 on our trip. We played Friday, 3/17 at 9:27 am.

The course was packed. They had some amateur tournament plus resort guests, plus regular guests. Check in was efficient. We got charged tax on our green fees, so 7.5% on top of posted green fee. Restaurant had specular views of the course. Greens were super soft and running at 9/10. Fairways had great coverage, but tons of that foam in the early am made it tricky to find ball. Back 9 had the most scenic and dramatic holes. 1st 9 layout is pretty flat with large views of some of the red rock and boulders and homes. The sand traps were filled with fluffy wet red sand. If you get into fairway bunkers here, it's pretty much a layup like the coffin bunkers in Scotland/Ireland. Large amounts of construction on the back 9 (last 4 holes). They are building a lot of holes in this area and the resort has turned into a multi-activity destination. Really enjoyed the day here but POP was 5 hours and 40 minutes. Will probably try other courses in this area next time around. If you have not played this, it worth 1 visit.

So I played the fabled Sand Hollow Championship course and I can tell you that if you can stand the heat you should play it in the summer. It is a really nice course but I can't see the value for what... Continue »

So I played the fabled Sand Hollow Championship course and I can tell you that if you can stand the heat you should play it in the summer. It is a really nice course but I can't see the value for what they charge during peak season. The course is in good shape. Fairways lush, penalizing rough and the greens have healed nicely. Sure the views are great but there are other courses around here that also have tremendous scenery at a fraction of the price. But if you get up to this area in the summer the rate is a fair price and its worth the play.

Sand Hollow is mostly in the middle of nowhere outside the resort, which has rooms and the golf course. The isolation is nice with little outside noise. It looks like they're still working on constr... Continue »

Sand Hollow is mostly in the middle of nowhere outside the resort, which has rooms and the golf course. The isolation is nice with little outside noise. It looks like they're still working on construction as they're building new bathrooms on the course to replace some temporary ones.

Fairways overall solid and the rough was long enough to be difficult to get out of. The bunkers with the red clay/sand were interesting and overall in good condition. The greens were solid with pure roll. The course isn't too difficult because the fairways and greens are large.

Pace of play was a little over 4.5 hours as it was pretty busy in pockets. I think they're having pace problems since they recolored the tees to be one lower than before (previous white now blue, etc.). The front 9 isn't overly impressive but the holes on the back 9 with the cliffs on the left side as the signature holes were great and worth seeing.

It also made for an interesting dichotomy. The front 9 near the super nice resort buildings compared to the back 9 near the valley, where outside a couple of mansions, the rest of the houses down below were very old and mostly run down.

I was scared of the previous complaints about the service but nothing notable happened with me and they were friendly and helpful.

I would recommend playing the course at least once but personally I wouldn't go out there again just because it's a bit of an extra trek from Vegas and there's places like Wolf Creek that I personally like more.

Good golf course, good condition, good prepaid summer rate.

Customer service could be better if you are paying a seasonal rate. Food and beverage customer service was awful. I know this is hurrica... Continue »

Good golf course, good condition, good prepaid summer rate.

Customer service could be better if you are paying a seasonal rate. Food and beverage customer service was awful. I know this is hurricane Utah, but I would rather spend my money where it is appreciated.

Played Sand Hollow Tuesday June 29th with a tee time of 4:30pm. Check in went smooth and quickly paying $58 with a sleeve of ProV1s, summer time prices. We picked up our carts, loaded up and were read... Continue »

Played Sand Hollow Tuesday June 29th with a tee time of 4:30pm. Check in went smooth and quickly paying $58 with a sleeve of ProV1s, summer time prices. We picked up our carts, loaded up and were ready to start when the wind hit at 25-30 mile per hour gusts and sand clouds. We decided to wait. The winds died down about 25 minutes later and we teed off at 5pm. Temperature was still 98 degrees we had plenty of water to stay hydrated.

The course was in immaculate condition from tee box to green. Very green lush, with perfect mowing stripes. The red sand traps were beautiful and good to hit out of, they were well placed and abundant in number. The fairways were soft but still allowed for reasonable roll, the rough was lush and could grab your ball coming out but not unfairly. The greens rolled fast and with a good approach shot soft enough to hold. Plenty of undulations and tricky breaks, rolling fast to medium fast, but fair.

Will definitely play this course again especially at summer rates, well worth the price. We finished our round in 3:45 minutes so good POP. Finished our short golf vacation with a great course! Highly recommend playing Sand Hollow if you get a chance, the views, particularly from the back nine were spectacular!
Tootall

I played Wolf Creek the day before so thats always a tough course to follow. I enjoyed Sand Hollow. The greens were a little slower than the day before and a little bumpier but by no means were they... Continue »

I played Wolf Creek the day before so thats always a tough course to follow. I enjoyed Sand Hollow. The greens were a little slower than the day before and a little bumpier but by no means were they bad. Sand traps are unique and is an acquired taste. Nothing wrong with them just have to play the shot a little differently. Nothing real spectacular till you get the the back 9. They have some pretty cool holes back there. If your in the area I would recommend playing Coyote Springs or Sand Hollow with Wolf Creek.

Played Sand Hollow this afternoon (round 3 of 4 of my B-day trip to the high desert;Mesquite, Hurricane, Las Vegas). Teed off at 12:18 as a two-some and finished just before 5. Rode the Blues(6893 yds... Continue »

Played Sand Hollow this afternoon (round 3 of 4 of my B-day trip to the high desert;Mesquite, Hurricane, Las Vegas). Teed off at 12:18 as a two-some and finished just before 5. Rode the Blues(6893 yds par. 72), in some brand new leather cushioned carts, with GPS. I have really wanted to make the trek out here ever since I saw the pictures. I can tell you, if you read no further of this review, understand that Sand Hollow (championship) is one of the most scenic courses and should be on your bucket list if you enjoy spending time looking at the surroundings of a golf course while you play.

As the course goes, the front nine takes you through a series of typical golf holes you might find anywhere in America. The front reminds me of a typical resort style course, well maintained, fun, and sometimes challenging. By hole 5, I was starting to wonder what all the hype was about, thinking when does it get...spectacular? Once you get to hole 11, that is when Sand Hollow takes you on the majestic roller coaster of zen-like golf you were seeking. Hole 11-16 are worth the drive, the wait, and the cost. You weave around the side of mountain and if you go left, say good-bye to your ball. These holes also play long and create a challenge for many golfers.

The course right now, is in very good condition. The Tee boxes are level and have been moved around each couple days to get some fresh grass, 8/10. The fairways are in excellent shape, 9/10. The sand traps aren't really sand, but they dug into the ground here and found red clay and called those traps. They are much different from sand, they can be wet, soft, hard, full of pebbles, and steep. Very different from anything I have every played, 8/10. Rakes were back as well. The greens had pull-able flags, were rather large, and played pretty fast. I did not think they were all that great however, as there are some spots with sand and ball marks, 7/10. They did roll very true, and created some tough reads. The practice facility, clubhouse, clubhouse grille, and staff, all deserve a 10/10, very classy people who are just so nice and helpful. The food is really good as well. I cannot wait to comeback.