Southern Utah (in and around St. George) has dozens of courses in the desert, which are playable year round. The Martian landscape makes for a dramatic experience that's hard to find elsewhere. Despite the raw beauty, you'll want to keep an eye on your game, because these courses aren't pushovers. The jagged rocks are very much in play, so keep your ball down the center as much as you can. With a tight concentration of great places to play, southern Utah is on the rise in the golf scene.

Northern Utah (in the Salt Lake City area) features courses in forests, deserts, mountains, and canyons. The ego boost from playing golf at high elevation makes the missed putts hurt a little less. Plus, hitting a ball with mountains as a backdrop is one of the most fun things in the golf world. If it gets too hot in the summer, it's easy to escape to the forest or mountains for a cooler round. Though this area flies well under the radar, you'll have no issue finding a fun, beautiful, or engaging golf course (many even have all three qualities).

Though Utah is probably most known for its incredible skiing, a lot of people don’t know you can ski and golf on the same day. In early winter or spring, there’s often an opportunity to hit some world class slopes in the morning and then tee it up in the afternoon after only a 30 minute drive. There aren’t too many places on the planet where you can say you conquered both activities in one day!