With 25 “new” course openings in 2023, the most since 2010, the competition for top honors in Golf Digest’s Best New category was extraordinary. Similarly, Golfweek’s team of course raters recognized six new properties in their Top 200 Resort rankings and only three new courses in their Top 200 Residential list. Not surprisingly, The Lido and Black Desert were the two highest debuting courses on both of Golfweek’s rankings.
Surrounded by red rock mountains and carved amid ancient black lava fields, Black Desert opened for play on May 27, 2023 and is the last golf course designed by the great Tom Weiskopf prior to his passing away from pancreatic cancer in August of 2022. The course is characterized by the presence of ancient basalt rock formations seamlessly integrated into the landscape, creating a visually stunning contrast against the lush green fairways. Weiskopf’s visionary design captures the spirit of the surrounding natural wonders, offering a captivating golf experience that goes beyond tradition. Weiskopf and his design partner, architect Phil Smith, designed the par-72 course with playability in mind, with most fairways 70 to 100 yards wide. The course features two drivable par 4s – the 5th hole and 14th hole – a Weiskopf hallmark, bringing both strategy and risk/reward elements into play.
Black Desert has already been tabbed to host multiple professional events as The Black Desert Championship will be part of the PGA TOUR’s 2024 FedExCup Fall as a full-field event, and the LPGA Tour will visit Black Desert in the spring of 2025.
The 600-acre property under development in Ivins, Utah near St. George, is the first Audubon International Signature Sanctuary Platinum enrollee in the state of Utah, and one of the first in America. The sustainability-focused project currently features a 19-hole championship golf course, with Black Desert’s 150-room eco-hotel under construction and set to open this fall, while the Golf Village, Family Village and Boardwalk complexes will open in 2025 and beyond.
As a Troon Golf-managed facility, the daily fee golf experience and service at Black Desert Resort are on par with the awe-inspiring natural surroundings and incredible Weiskopf design. Amenities include a creative snack bar specializing in unconventional finger foods that cure mid-round cravings, a text service for on-course, on-demand food and drink delivery, as well as high-tech carts with GPS and well-stocked coolers.
For more information on Black Desert Resort or to make a tee time, visit https://www.blackdesertresort.com.
About Black Desert Resort
Reef Capital Partners is developing Black Desert Resort. Black Desert Resort, upon buildout, will offer a full hotel and conference center overlooking the beauty of Snow Canyon State Park and the championship course; 1,000+ residences; miles of on-property trails; a wellness spa; and 80,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. The property will also feature 75 single-family estate lots mingled in the black lava flows and approximately 214,000 square feet of commercial space, with the amenities of the resort center available for full-time residents.
In addition to the 18-hole, Weiskopf-designed golf course, guests of Black Desert will enjoy a 36-hole illuminated putting course for day or night play. The resort’s 19th Hole, an amphitheater-style lakeside-gathering place terraced into the black lava, will be the ultimate venue for winding down after a day of golf.
About Troon
Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Troon is the world’s largest golf and golf-related hospitality management company, providing services at 850-plus locations, including operational responsibility for 575-plus 18-hole equivalent golf courses around the globe. In addition to golf, Troon specializes in homeowner association management, private residence clubs, estate management and associated hospitality venues. Troon’s award-winning food and beverage division operates and manages 600-plus food and beverage operations located at golf resorts, private clubs, daily fee golf courses and recreational facilities. With properties located in 45-plus states and 35-plus countries, Troon’s family of brands includes Troon Golf, Troon Privé, Troon International, Indigo Sports, CADDIEMASTER, ClubUp, Cliff Drysdale Tennis, Peter Burwash International, True Club Solutions, RealFood Hospitality, Strategy and Design, Casa Verde Golf, ICON Management and Eventive Sports. For additional news and information, visit www.Troon.com, TroonMagazine.com or connect with Troon on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Troon Chronicles, Press Room, and via The Turn Podcast.
