Sand Hollow Resort

John Fought designed the Championship Course at Sand Hollow Resort in 2008 on a piece of southwestern Utah red-rock country land near Hurricane, on a property the developers had bought from a Washington County ranch operation. The course sits in the same red-rock geology that produced Zion National Park sixty miles to the east, and Fought routed the course to use the natural sandstone outcrops and elevation drops as the architectural defense. The result is one of the most distinctive American desert courses, with several holes playing along the rim of a 200-foot canyon that opens west toward the Pine Valley Mountains.

The scorecard reads 7,374 yards from the back markers, par 72, with a slope of 126 and a course rating of 73.5. The four par-3s sit between 145 and 188 yards. The 188-yard twelfth is the longest one-shotter on the routing and plays directly across the canyon rim, with the canyon visible left of the green. The four par-5s range from 574 to 588 yards. The 588-yard ninth is the longest hole on the card and one of the most-photographed in southwest Utah destination golf — it plays along the canyon rim with the red-rock cliffs visible the entire way.

The number-one handicap is the 489-yard fifth — a long par-4 with an approach into a green Fought set on top of a sandstone outcrop. The 489-yard second-hardest is the par-4 fifteenth; the 588-yard third-hardest is the par-5 ninth — the only par-5 in the top-three hardest. The course's defense at red-rock elevation is the wind and the canyon carries; the southwest Utah air is thinner than sea level, which extends iron flight slightly.

The southwest Utah desert climate keeps Sand Hollow playable year-round. The prime window runs October through May when the air dries out and the temperatures moderate; June through September the desert heat builds, and afternoon rounds become a hydration exercise rather than a golf round. Walking is allowed; carts are standard for resort guest tee times.