1st Hole Coral Canyon
CORAL CANYON
RUNDOWN: Located in Washington, Utah and just outside of St. George you will run into this course just off the I-15. We had some anticipation leading up to this round because it was our first round in 2018 and none of us had played here before. Not knowing what to expect and the excitement of playing the first round of the year had us jonesing to tee it up! Right out of the gates you run into something unique as holes one and two are both par 5's. This gives you the chance to get under par quick and set yourself up for a solid round of golf! While none of us managed to get under par through the stretch, it was still a confidence boosting couple of holes.
The fairways are pretty large here so we felt like we could swing away and not run into too much trouble. That game plan didn't generally work though because we were rusty haha. The greens followed suit and were large as well, but with the winter lull we were coming out of, putting was not our strong suit. While I did enjoy the back to back par 5's start, the stretch from holes four through eight were my favorite holes on front. They contained everything from significant elevation changes uphill and downhill, the signature hole on the course and a drivable par four. With that being said, even though the front nine was my favorite, the back nine was no slouch either.
Overall the routing was very solid and none of the holes seemed forced. The bunkering on the course really made you think about every shot but was not overkill. The difficulty level was not extreme and the course conditioning was pretty decent. Some thinner turf around the some of the course, but nothing to take away from the overall experience. Pace of play for us was great and we never ran into any problems. The consensus of the group is that we would not hesitate to stop by here again for another round. The staff was great to work with and the GM, Marco was very friendly and great to work with!
COURSE INFO AND DIRECTIONS
Designed by Keith Foster.
Open to the Public.
Rates range from $60 to $120 as a non-resident.
4 sets of tees ranging from 5,052 to 7,200 yards.
http://coralcanyongolf.com
435-688-1700 1925 N. Canyon Greens Drive, Washington, UT 84780
The fairways are pretty large here so we felt like we could swing away and not run into too much trouble. That game plan didn't generally work though because we were rusty haha. The greens followed suit and were large as well, but with the winter lull we were coming out of, putting was not our strong suit. While I did enjoy the back to back par 5's start, the stretch from holes four through eight were my favorite holes on front. They contained everything from significant elevation changes uphill and downhill, the signature hole on the course and a drivable par four. With that being said, even though the front nine was my favorite, the back nine was no slouch either.
Overall the routing was very solid and none of the holes seemed forced. The bunkering on the course really made you think about every shot but was not overkill. The difficulty level was not extreme and the course conditioning was pretty decent. Some thinner turf around the some of the course, but nothing to take away from the overall experience. Pace of play for us was great and we never ran into any problems. The consensus of the group is that we would not hesitate to stop by here again for another round. The staff was great to work with and the GM, Marco was very friendly and great to work with!
COURSE INFO AND DIRECTIONS
Designed by Keith Foster.
Open to the Public.
Rates range from $60 to $120 as a non-resident.
4 sets of tees ranging from 5,052 to 7,200 yards.
http://coralcanyongolf.com
435-688-1700 1925 N. Canyon Greens Drive, Washington, UT 84780
REVIEW AND HIGHLIGHTS
Hole 4 Par 4 - 394 Yards
Hopefully you are coming to this hole with a decent score through the first 3 holes. You have just experienced back to back par 5's and a relatively short par 3 before attacking this difficult hole. This par 4 has a very generous landing area, so swing away! Get yourself up to the base of the hill that really starts angling up to the putting surface. Here is the first time you need to really make sure you pull the right club. It is extremely uphill with a bunker guarding the left side of the green. I hit what I thought was going to be a perfect shot, only to watch it spin off the putting surface and roll down the hill about 40 yards towards me. I didn't make the mistake twice and landed on the back of the green with my next approach shot. You would think that experience would make me dislike this hole, but really it added to the experience and gave me something to improve upon next time.
Hole 5 Par 4 - 384 Yards
Elevation on the last hole was your enemy, but elevation on this hole is your friend. Standing on the tee and looking out on the large fairway brings about a solid confidence. Most people will not be able to play a driver on this hole as there is a large potential of hitting through the fairway and into the sagebrush. 3 or 5 wood or a low iron will play the best off the tee. Take whatever gives you confidence and a decent range into the green and you will be set. I took 3 iron off the tee and hit it about as solid as I have hit any shot over the past 2 or 3 years haha. It rolled out and settled about 260 yards down the left side of the fairway. The approach into this large green seems to be pretty inviting as it plays downhill from the fairway as well. A short iron or wedge provides the chance to get it close and walk away with a birdie. Had my approach shot been as solid as my tee shot, I just may have experienced that exact thing.
Hole 6 Par 3 - 163 Yards
The yardage listed above is from the tips on this hole. However, the other tees play quite a bit less and go as far back as 122 yards. This signature hole provides some amazing colors with all the red rock and sand surrounding the green. The pin sits out there on what looks like an island of green amidst the rock. It is a forced carry over a wash all the way from tee to green and will require the correct club choice. The green is quite large and should be doable with wedge in hand, but the possibility of a large score from bouncing off the rocks still looms overhead. I hit one of my better shots to about 10 feet and carded my first birdie of the round.
Hole 7 Par 4 - 480 Yards
Here is one of the best par 4's on the property and also one of the most intimidating. Off the tee you have there are trees that basically make a shot there unplayable. You have to maneuver around large fairway bunkers placed right in the landing area as well. Once you avoid all of that off the tee you still have a long shot into the green. Take a minute to enjoy the view of the Pine Valley Mountains that sits in the distance directly behind the green. Don't forget to bring your mind back to the approach shot though as you will need to avoid green side bunkers as well.
Hole 10 Par 4 - 453 Yards
The cart path takes you up a steep hill and sits you right on the side with a great view of what sits in front of you. One of the more exciting drives on the back nine provides a great opportunity for some hang time off the big stick. Swing away as the fairway is large and you will just need to a fairway bunker on the left. Keeping your drive on the left side of the fairway will provide the best angle into this green. It is heavily guarded on the right side by deep, red sand bunkers. Hitting it in there will make for a difficult recovery shot and will probably put you over par to start the back nine.
Hole 17 Par 3 - 215 Yards
While this is not the longest par 3 on the back nine, it is one of the most difficult on the course. The green falls away on the left side towards a large bunker and the trees that you will not find a playable lie in. On the right side of the large green is a big hill that will either hold your ball up or try to propel it off the green. Shot shape here is definitely favoring a fade for the right handed player and draw for the lefty. The large putting surface makes overall touch very important in order to avoid a 3 putt bogey. I hit one of my better low iron shots of the day and walked away with a tap in par on this one.