Coral Canyon Golf Course

Coral Canyon is the course most locals name when asked for the best value in the valley. Keith
Foster laid it out in 2000 across the rolling benchland north of Washington, and the ground does most
of the design work: the site drops and climbs enough that a level lie is a genuine advantage rather
than an assumption.

Foster's approach

Foster built his reputation on restoration work at classic American clubs, and the discipline shows
here in a routing that follows the land instead of fighting it. There are 55 bunkers and two lakes
across roughly 80 acres of turf, which is a lean number for a modern desert course - the hazards are
placed where they change a decision rather than sprinkled for decoration. From the Black tees the
course rates 75.2 with a slope of 148, the second-highest slope in the county, and that number comes
from elevation change and green complexes rather than from length alone.

Holes worth knowing

The par-three 6th, which shares its name with the course, is the hole people photograph. It plays to a
green ringed by bunkers and water with very little margin, and it comes early enough in the round to
set the tone. The wider pleasure of the course is the horizon: on clear days the sightlines run
toward the high country around Zion, and several tee boxes are sited specifically to use it.

Who it suits

Coral Canyon is a legitimate test from the back tees and an enjoyable, walkable round from the
forward ones - there are four sets for men and the spread between them is generous. It is also
consistently the most reliable conditioning among the mid-priced public courses, which is why it
turns up on so many local rotations.

The setting

Washington sits east of St. George where the Virgin River cuts through the red bluffs, and the coral
and rust tones the course is named for are Navajo and Kayenta sandstone. The
Red Cliffs Recreation Area is just west of the community,
and the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve boundary runs along this side of the valley - which is why the
open land north of the course has stayed open.

Living here

The course anchors the Coral Canyon master-planned
community, one of the largest in Washington County. If you are building a multi-day golf itinerary
around it, our three days in St. George guide sets out a workable
rotation.