There are 13 golf courses within 25 to 55 minutes of Zion National Park. All of them are in the St. George area of Southern Utah. The closest — Sky Mountain, Copper Rock, Sand Hollow — are in Hurricane, about 25-35 minutes from the south entrance in Springdale. The priciest is Black Desert, starting from $275+ a round. The cheapest is Dixie Red Hills, from about $15 for 9 holes. Nearly 5 million people visited Zion in 2024. Most of them had no idea there were a dozen golf courses down the road.
Here's the Thing Nobody Tells Zion Visitors
You fly in for the hiking. You do Angels Landing on day one, the Narrows on day two, maybe Canyon Overlook if you have energy left. And then what? You sit by the pool at your Springdale hotel and scroll your phone for two days because you already did the big stuff.
Meanwhile, 30 minutes down the road, there's a course called Sand Hollow where you're hitting a tee shot off a cliff overlooking a red rock canyon that drops 300 feet to your left. There's Black Desert, where Tom Weiskopf carved 18 holes through actual lava fields — the same black rock you see at Zion. And there's a private course called Entrada where you need to know somebody to get on. That's where we come in.
This area — St. George, Hurricane, Ivins, Washington — has been building quietly while Scottsdale and Palm Springs grab headlines. Then in 2024, the PGA Tour showed up at Black Desert. First time in Utah in 60 years. That got people's attention.
The Zion Numbers
How Far Is Each Course From Zion?
Every distance below is from the south entrance in Springdale. You take SR-9 west through the tunnel toward Hurricane, then pick up I-15 south toward St. George. The Hurricane courses are first — you literally pass them on the way to everything else.
| Course | Town | Drive | Green Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sky Mountain | Hurricane | ~25 min | From $45+ |
| Copper Rock | Hurricane | ~30 min | From $79+ |
| Sand Hollow | Hurricane | ~35 min | From $100+ |
| Coral Canyon | Washington | ~40 min | From $59+ |
| Green Spring | Washington | ~40 min | From $40+ |
| Sunbrook (27 holes) | St. George | ~45 min | From $45+ |
| St. George Golf Club | St. George | ~45 min | From $35+ |
| Southgate | St. George | ~45 min | From $39+ |
| Dixie Red Hills (9 holes) | St. George | ~45 min | From $15+ |
| Bloomington CC | St. George | ~50 min | From $55+ |
| The Ledges | St. George | ~50 min | From $69+ |
| Black Desert Resort | Ivins | ~55 min | From $275+ |
| Entrada at Snow Canyon | Ivins | ~55 min | Private* |
*Entrada is a private club. Access available through resort stays or our group packages. Green fees change seasonally. Prices shown are approximate starting rates as of early 2026 — we confirm exact pricing when we build your quote. Always verify directly with the course.
The Five Courses Actually Worth Driving From Zion For
All 13 are playable. But if you're adding golf to a Zion trip and you've got two or three rounds, don't waste one on a course that's just OK. Here's where your money should go.
1. Black Desert Resort — From $275+/round
This is the one everyone's talking about. Tom Weiskopf's last design before he died. 19 holes — the 19th is a 75-yard par 3 over water for settling bets. The lava rock is real and it's everywhere. Your ball lands in it, it might bounce back. It might not. You get a forecaddie with every round because half the time you can't tell where the fairway goes from the tee box.
Rates start from $275 for resort guests and go up from there. That includes cart, forecaddie, food and drinks (no alcohol) at two on-course stations, range access, and a keepsake.
Honest Take
Worth it once. The locals say it's overpriced for repeat play, and the construction noise from the ongoing resort buildout follows you for a few holes. But as a bucket-list round? Golfweek ranked it #1 in Utah, #34 nationally. That's earned.
Full Black Desert course details →
2. Sand Hollow Championship — From $100+/round
If Black Desert is the flashy new kid, Sand Hollow has been quietly earning respect for 15 years. The front nine is solid but won't blow your mind — fairly flat, well-bunkered desert layout. Then you get to hole 11 and everything changes. Holes 12 through 15 run along a sandstone ridgeline with 300-foot drops into a red rock canyon. Three of those holes made Golf Digest's America's 100 Greatest Holes list. Three holes. Same course.
At 35 minutes from Zion, it's the closest championship course to the park. The natural play is to pair it with a Zion day — golf in the morning, park in the afternoon.
Honest Take
Recent reviews are mixed on conditions. Some players in 2025 reported slow greens and pace-of-play issues. When it's in shape, it's a top-10-in-the-state course. Call ahead and ask about current conditions. The back nine is spectacular regardless.
Full Sand Hollow course details →
3. Entrada at Snow Canyon — Private Club
This is the round your group will talk about for the next five years. Entrada is a Johnny Miller design recently redesigned by David McLay Kidd. It sits against the red and white cliffs bordering Snow Canyon State Park. The back nine plays through the same black lava fields as Black Desert, but quieter, more intimate — you'll probably have the course to yourself.
The problem: you can't just book a tee time. It's a private club. You either stay at The Inn at Entrada or you come through us. We arrange access for outside groups as part of our packages.
Why This Matters
Nobody in your foursome has played a private desert course next to a state park. This is the round that separates a good trip from one people bring up unprompted. We're not saying that to sell you — it's just what Entrada does.
4. Copper Rock — From $79+/round
Opened in 2020, already hosted the LPGA Epson Tour and the Legends Championship. At 30 minutes from Zion it's the easiest add to a park day — play 18 in the morning and be at the Zion entrance by 1pm.
The course plays through natural dunes with the Pine Valley Mountains and Hurricane Cliffs framing everything. The par-3 17th is the one everyone photographs — elevated tee, deep ravine carry, mountains behind the green. Best bang for the buck if you want a modern championship layout without the Black Desert price tag.
Full Copper Rock course details →
5. The Ledges — From $69+/round
Matt Dye design perched against the cliffs bordering Snow Canyon State Park. The front nine warms you up. The back nine is where it gets real — the 11th has Snow Canyon as the backdrop, the 14th is worth the green fee by itself, and the stretch from 11 through 16 feels like the canyon walls are closing in around you.
The Ledges also has on-site vacation rentals and Fish Rock Grille overlooking the 18th green. Wake up, walk to the first tee, play 18, eat lunch overlooking the course. That's a good day.
What About the Other 8 Courses?
They're not filler. Sunbrook has 27 holes and is St. George's best muni. Coral Canyon in Washington is getting good reviews since Z Golf Management took over. Green Spring has a hole that routinely shows up in "best holes in Utah" lists.
Bloomington CC was renovated in 2019 — nearly 7,000 yards if you want something traditional. Sky Mountain in Hurricane is the closest course to Zion and the cheapest 18-hole option. The elevated tee boxes literally face Zion's cliffs. Starting from around $45, that's a steal.
St. George Golf Club and Southgate are honest, affordable courses — good for groups who want to play 36 without spending $500 per person. Dixie Red Hills is 9 holes, oldest course in the area (1965), and costs less than lunch. It's fun, weird, and you're hitting shots off boulders. Don't skip it.
How to Plan a Golf + Zion Trip
The main question is always: golf and Zion same day, or separate days? Depends on your group. Here's what works.
3-Day Trip: Mostly Golf, Zion Afternoon
Day 1: Fly into St. George (SGU) or Las Vegas (2 hour drive). Afternoon round at Copper Rock or Coral Canyon. Check into your spot.
Day 2: Black Desert at 7am. Done by noon. Sand Hollow at 1:30pm. Two best courses in the area, one day. You'll be tired.
Day 3: Quick round at Copper Rock early (done by 11). Drive 30 min to Zion. Hike Canyon Overlook (short, stunning, 1 hour) or Pa'rus Trail (flat, easy, good for sore legs).
4-Day Trip: Best for Groups With Non-Golfers
Day 1: Arrive. Ledges afternoon round. Non-golfers explore Snow Canyon State Park (15 min from the course — it's Zion without the crowds).
Day 2: Zion. Everyone goes. Angels Landing needs a permit now — book ahead. The Narrows if it's open. Springdale for dinner.
Day 3: Black Desert morning. Entrada afternoon (we arrange access). Non-golfers: Sand Hollow State Park for OHVs, kayaking, or the beach.
Day 4: Final round — Sand Hollow or Sky Mountain (quick, cheap, close to Zion). Fly home.
5-Day Trip: The Full Thing — Add Mesquite and Wolf Creek
Days 1-2: St. George golf. Black Desert, Sand Hollow, Entrada, Ledges — pick three. Stay in a vacation rental.
Day 3: Zion. Full day in the park. Drive to Mesquite in the evening (1 hr 15 min). Casino resort. Poker. Steaks.
Days 4-5: Wolf Creek (top 50 public course in America). Conestoga. Oasis Palmer. Fly out of Vegas — 80 min from Mesquite.
That 5-day format is the one nobody else can build. We cover 13 courses in St. George and 9 in Mesquite — 22 total across two states. Zion in the middle, golf on both sides.
Don't Stay in Springdale
Springdale is the town at Zion's entrance. It has cute shops, decent restaurants, and hotels that charge $250/night for a room the size of a closet. It has zero golf courses.
Stay in St. George. You're 45 minutes from the park, 25-55 minutes from every course, and you have actual options. For small groups, the stay-and-play resorts work — Sand Hollow, The Ledges, and Black Desert all have rooms where you wake up and walk to the first tee.
For bigger groups — 8, 12, 20, 50 — vacation rental mansions are the play. Private pool, game room, full kitchen, golf course views, everyone under one roof. We match the property to your group size and which courses you're playing so the logistics work.
One More Thing Worth Knowing
No other national park in America has this kind of golf access. Yellowstone has nothing nearby. Grand Canyon has one mediocre course. Yosemite, Glacier, Bryce — nothing. Zion has 13 courses within an hour, including a PGA Tour venue, a top-100 public course, and a private club. The same red rock that makes the park famous is the backdrop on every fairway.
5 million people visited Zion last year. The ones who brought their clubs had a different trip than everyone else.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there golf courses near Zion National Park?
Yes. 13 golf courses sit within 25 to 55 minutes of Zion's south entrance in Springdale, Utah. The closest are Sky Mountain (25 min), Copper Rock (30 min), and Sand Hollow (35 min), all in Hurricane. The rest are in St. George and Ivins. Green fees start from around $15 at Dixie Red Hills up to $275+ at Black Desert Resort.
How far is St. George from Zion National Park?
About 45 minutes and 37 miles via SR-9 and I-15. Hurricane is closer at 25 minutes. Ivins, where Black Desert and Entrada are located, takes about 55 minutes from the park.
What is the best golf course near Zion?
Depends on your budget. Black Desert Resort (from $275+/round) is ranked #1 in Utah by Golfweek and #34 nationally. Sand Hollow (from $100+) is a better value with a legendary back nine. For a private club experience, Entrada at Snow Canyon is accessible through our group packages.
Can you golf and visit Zion in the same trip?
Easily. Most groups play golf in the morning — first tee times around 7am — and drive to Zion by early afternoon. A 4-day trip with 2 days of golf and 1 full day at Zion is the sweet spot for groups with non-golfers.
Where should golfers stay near Zion?
St. George, not Springdale. Springdale has no golf and charges tourist-town prices. St. George puts you 45 minutes from Zion and within range of all 13 courses. Sand Hollow, Ledges, and Black Desert have on-site lodging. For groups of 8+, vacation rental mansions with pools and game rooms are the better move.
13 Courses. Zion. Your Group.
Courses, lodging, tee times, private course access, vacation rentals — one quote, one planner, everything handled.
Mike Milligan
A native of Santa Rosa, CA, Mike has been a part of the golf industry within the Reno/Lake Tahoe area and beyond for over 30 years.
