Beautiful Backdrops

Entrada at Snow Canyon Golf Club:

St. George's Exclusive Stay & Play, Private Club Experience.

Posted by: Rick Parnham

The Play: Entrada at Snow Canyon Golf Club

With more than a dozen choices to slot into Utah's Red Rock Golf Trail itinerary, one facility not listed in their ranks should be considered for its unique stay and play experience. Set amid a wash of contrasting  landscapes reminiscent of cover shots for adventure publications and tucked into an enclave of beautiful home sites in the northwestern reaches of St. George, Utah,  Entrada at Snow Canyon Country Club is the centerpiece of this upscale neighborhood and the place for a refined stay and play opportunity. Opened in 1996 by a group of visionaries, including Robert Redford, The Club boasts a Johnny Miller signature design along with a luxurious boutique Inn providing 40 private casitas.

Most recognize Johnny Miller as that guy in the tower critiquing the touring pros each week. Long considered one of the better analysts in the business, Miller can certainly speak from experience. A two-time major champion, including the famed victory at Oakmont where he shot a 63 in the final round of the 1973 US Open, the World Golf Hall of Famer also knows a thing or two about building top-quality golf courses. His design at Entrada has long been considered one of Utah's finest golf experiences and with year-round access, it continually receives high praise from most industry rankings.

Southern Utah's Natural Beauty

The course is built to highlight the natural beauty of the setting. The 710 acres have a variety of landscapes through which you traverse. The first four holes are routed through a grove of native trees and feature two of the most memorable holes on the front-side. The second hole is a sharp dogleg right par 4, routed around a pond. The downhill approach to a long narrow green jutting out into another pond is a daunting task. The uphill par 4 third is a tight driving hole with a considerable forced carry all over water. The green is multi-tiered and tightly tucked into a mound-filled bowl. Crossing under Snow Canyon Parkway, the holes climb the slopes of the foothills of the beautiful red rock mountains framing the valley. Dotted with ponds and streams, this series of holes takes you near cascading waterfalls and fantastic views of the nearby mountains. Hole 8 is may be the most challenging of the layout's short holes.  A dramatic downhill tee shot must carry a pond, a pair of deep fronting bunkers, and find the correct tier of the huge green. The final hole on this side is an option-filled, beastly par 5. The tee shot must find the plateau fairway framed on the left by the casitas of the Inn and on the right by a steep fallaway to a deep wash. The second shot is one of risk/reward. A safer route is to challenge the partially blind dogleg right corner with a mid iron leaving the same shot to the green. An aggressive play is to take on the chasm with a fairway wood or hybrid aiming for the throat of the fairway short of the green. The reward is a wedge to the wickedly sloping green perched high and surrounded by steep grass bunkers.

Course Stats: Entrada at Snow Canyon

The back nine routes through a tight sand-filled wash that plays downhill for the first three holes and requires exact, high-degree shot-shaping to navigate the slopes and twists of the fairways. Climbing back uphill, the superb short par 4 13th hole, named Temptation for good reason, is a delicate dogleg right to the wide landing area sitting beyond a vast waste area. A safe play with a hybrid or wood to the widest part of the fairway leaves a long iron approach. Those confident with the driver can challenge the wasteland looking for the thin strip of landing area short of the steep desert slope behind. The wide and shallow green is a peninsula fronted by the sandy waste area and filled with ridges repelling most approaches. After the lengthy uphill par 3 14th, the course heads to one of the most unique landscapes in golf. Two million year old, black rock lava fields lay in the vast valley. A sign greets you at the tee of Hole 15 that explains the sharp, rugged volcanic rock is to be played as "through-the-green" with no relief drop for finding the once-smoldering waste area. These next three holes are solid in design, but it is the surroundings that are difficult to overcome. The trio, a pair of dogleg left par 4's bookending a lengthy par 5, lend a feeling of being in another part of the world.

The Unbelievable Lava Fields

Entrada at Snow Canyon Country Club is St. George's most highly acclaimed golf facility. The private enclave community is blessed to be home to this impeccably manicured, truly championship test. Creatively routed and full of shot-making demands in all facets of the game, every hole must be tactfully managed, particularly the slick, heavy sloping greens. Booking a stay and play on a St. George vacation with access to this private golf experience is well worth the addition to the itinerary.

The Stay: The Inn at Entrada

Traveling golfers have a chance to access the tee sheet at Entrada with a stay in one of the 40 luxurious casitas lining a cul-de-sac backing onto the 9th hole. More like your own private townhome rather than a hotel suite, these 1-4 bedroom casitas have a finely-appointed southwestern feel. Textured with lots of wood, leather and stonework, the rooms provide guests with spacious living and dining areas, fully functional kitchens, laundry facilities, Jacuzzi tubs and attached garages to get your car out of the desert sun. The units that back onto the golf course have a patio view overlooking the fairway of the spectacular 9th hole, while those on the other side of the road offer sights of the recreational campus surrounding the fitness and spa center.

Unmatched Location for Your Stay

Guests at the Inn have member access to the club's facilities, including tennis, pickleball and basketball courts, beach volleyball, and an outdoor pool and hot tub. The fitness center houses an indoor pool and hot tub, yoga and Pilates studios, and complete workout and cardio facilities. The spa offers a full menu of massage services and skin and hair treatments.

Those looking to forego the in-room dining possibilities can visit the clubhouse, home to The Grille at Entrada— a casually refined setting overlooking the opening hole of the golf course. A diverse offering of savory seafood and delicious beef, pork and chicken entree grace the dinner menu, along with a selection of salads and traditional pub fare. Enjoying a relaxing and fulfilling meal is the perfect way to cap off your Entrada stay and play experience.

Drive Times: St. George Airport 30 mins, Las Vegas 2 hrs, Salt Lake City 4 hrs 30 mins.

Contact:

Entrada at Snow Canyon
2537 West Entrada Trail
St. George Utah
84770
435.986.2200

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