Southgate Golf Club

Southgate is the City of St. George's most approachable eighteen and one of its oldest.
John V. Lagant designed it. Published sources disagree about the opening year - some give 1963 and
others 1970 - so treat any single date with caution; what is not in dispute is that it belongs to the
first generation of golf in the valley, alongside Dixie Red Hills and Bloomington.

The design

At a par of 70 and under 5,900 yards from the back tees, Southgate is short by modern standards, and
it defends itself almost entirely with water. The front nine crisscrosses the Santa Clara River, and
on that nine eight of the nine holes require a shot over or around water. The back nine leaves the
river and climbs into the foothills of the Tonaquint range, where the character changes to elevation
and angle. From the Blue tees the course rates 68.4 with a slope of 115, the gentlest numbers in the
county.

Who it suits

Southgate is the course to learn on and the course to walk. The yardage means mid and short irons
into most greens, and the water is visible and honest rather than hidden. It is a genuinely good
choice for seniors, juniors, and anyone playing several days in a row who wants one round that will
not exhaust them. Good players tend to treat it as a scoring round, which it is - provided they
respect the river.

Playing it well

The river holes are the whole round. On the front nine the water is nearly always in the landing
zone rather than in front of the green, which means the tee shot is the decision and the approach is
usually straightforward once it is made. Most scores are lost by taking driver where a hybrid leaves
a full wedge. The back nine reverses the problem: the ball is above or below the feet on a majority of
approach shots, and the greens sit into the slope, so distance control matters more than direction.

The setting

The Santa Clara River comes down from the Pine Valley Mountains through Gunlock and Santa Clara and
joins the Virgin just east of here. The riparian corridor it creates is why this part of the valley
is green, and it is also why the front nine floods in a serious runoff year - the course sits in a
working floodplain. Confluence Park preserves the meeting of the two
rivers a short distance downstream.

Living here

The course gives its name to the Southgate community in
southwest St. George, which includes the 55-plus Legacy at Southgate development. For visitors
weighing which city course to fit into a short trip, see
golf for visitors to St. George.