Courtesy of Black Desert Resort
Courtesy of Black Desert Resort
Courtesy of Black Desert Resort
Courtesy of Black Desert Resort
Courtesy of Black Desert Resort
Courtesy of Black Desert Resort
Courtesy of Black Desert Resort
Courtesy of Black Desert Resort
Courtesy of Black Desert Resort
Black Desert Resort
Ivins, UT • Public
Black Desert Resort
1500 E Black Desert Dr
Ivins, UT 84738-1327
United States
Telephone
Overview
Black Desert Resort in the arid desert of southern Utah, surrounded by horizons of red rock mountains, was the last golf course Tom Weiskopf was involved in building (he was diagnosed with cancer as construction was beginning). Opened in 2023, the public course is a stunning juxtaposition of wavy fairways chiseled out of fields of black lava rock that had to be blasted into golf formations. Phil Smith, Weiskopf’s longtime design partner, completed the visually arresting design that hosted the PGA Tour’s new Black Desert Championship in the fall of 2024—the first tour event in Utah in more than 60 years—and an LPGA event in 2025. Black Desert Resort is located outside the golf-rich area of St. George, Utah.
About
Awards
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Friendly and fun, especially off the tee. Couple reachable 4’s. Take an extra club for hitting out of the lava if you tend to miss big."
Read More2025
Review
“The newest course to host a PGA Tour event is Black Desert in St. George, Utah. It is part of a multi-billion-dollar project that currently has a luxury hotel, condos and single-family homes with much more to be built in the future. Nestled into a valley of red sandstone rocks and mountains, there are plenty of scenic views to add to the enjoyment of a round under the sun. However, the course could be mistaken for being located in Hawaii as most of it was built through the black lava rock every bit as challenging and scenic as those seen in the islands. The par 4, fourth hole has one of the more interesting and picturesque drives through a narrow neck of lava rock that has a blind shot element to it. The par 4, sixth hole presents two lakes on each side of the fairway which requires either a precise drive or a layup thereby giving a couple of options. The back nine provides a nice variety of short, medium and longer holes, each with a different look and character and some with water that demands thought and accuracy. The par 5, thirteenth has water down most of the left side of the fairway and with lava rock on the right, an accurate drive is essential. The elevated green is cropped into the lava similar to how many of the British courses fit into the dunes. There is an active debate as to which course in the St. George area is the best, Black Desert or Sand Hallow. While Sand Hallow has the incredible stretch of five holes on the back nine, Black Desert has the better full complement of 18 holes. The ongoing construction noise of the overall Black Desert project can be distracting but the quality of the golfing experience stands on its own and makes it well worth a trip to St. George."
Read More2025
Review
“Black Desert offers a bold, modern desert golf experience. The use of lava rock and expansive visuals gives the course a unique look, and the width off the tee makes it both playable and strategic. There’s a great variety of hole shapes and elevation changes that keep things interesting throughout. The setting is a big part of the appeal. Between the red rock views and the contrast with the dark terrain, it’s prime for a visually memorable round."
Read More2025
Review
“Black Desert Resort is one of the best kept secrets in the country. The course is challenging for good golfers, fun for amateurs and simply beautiful as it lies within the black rock surrounded by red desert rock. The amenities are first class and the service terrific. Expect this court to be a staple amongst the best public/ resort courses in America for many years to come."
Read More2025
Review
“Visually stunning course with the red mountains serving as a back drop. Lush bent grass fairways snack through the black lava fields. A great collection of holes including a couple drivable par 4s, and a par 3 green with a bunker in the middle."
Read More2025
Review
“Bent grass and fairways provided a great playing conditions with firm rolling fairways and a receptive true smooth rolling greens. The red mountain serves as a very aesthetic back drop throughout the course. The contrast between the lush green turf and the bordering black lava is very visually pleasing. A great collection of holes which include drivable par 4s, par 3s of various lengths and challenges, and beefy par 5s and a reachable par5 finishing hole. One negative I personally found was the high number of blind tee shots."
Read More2025
Review
“The aesthetics of Black Desert are a prominent feature with red rock mountains as a backdrop and black lava rock winding between the holes. It is a beautiful place to play. The course has a ton of variety from a double green to significant movement in green complexes. One hiccup this creates is collection areas that become littered with big divots and tons of isolated foot traffic can become hardpan - but this nuance can be remediated with a little earth work in the future to spread out the areas where balls end up. While the course was still making tweaks to bunkers and cart path areas, the course is a challenge and simultaneously fun with the variation in hole length and elevation. You'll likely want to have a caddie or a local with you during your first couple of rounds as a number of tee boxes can leave you feeling a bit lost on where to hit it or where the fairway may open up behind the black lava rock outcroppings!"
Read More2025
Review
“Black Desert Resort provides a stern test over a beautiful layout with the mountain backdrops along with lava fields coming into play on most holes. The course shines in terms of conditioning, with pristine, fast conditions throughout, aesthetics with beautiful backdrops throughout, challenge with many holes requiring exacting shots to avoid penalty areas and layout variety with a nice variety of shorter and longer holes. The holes that stood out to me were the par 3 3rd hole with the bunker in the center of the green, par 4 4th with its length, requirement of an exacting tee shot and challenging green, short par 4 5th hole with options from the tee, par 3 8th with lava outcroppings on the left side of the green, par 5 9th with requirement to keep approaches to the green left with canyon short right, par 4 11th with dramatic downhill tee shot to well guarded green, par 5 13th with pond left, lava right from the tee to well guarded green, short/strategic par 4 14th, short postage stamp par 3 17th and finally a getable par 5 finishing hole. Black Desert was constructed to both challenge the best in the world and make for a fun and exciting round for resort guest."
Read More2024
Review
“A beautiful course with 360 degree desert views are stunning and add to this lovely setting of black lava, green fairways and white bunker sand. Everyone stops at hole 11 to have tacos and beer!! This course might be intimidating for players who spray shots since the lava areas are numerous and all ways near by and impassable to enter."
Read More2024
Review
“They put a golf course in the middle of a lava field! The stunning views of the surrounding desert cliffs and vistas are accented by the black lava fields,green fairways, white sand bunkers resulting in a visual delight."
Read More2024
