"We haven't decided on that completely yet." That was Patrick Manning, Black Desert Resort's manager, when the Ivins City Council asked whether the resort's new pickleball courts would be open to the public or only to guests. He guessed the resort would end up with a couple of community nights a week. Today the resort's own pickleball page carries a three-word label: "Guests & Members Only."
That answer shows how Black Desert sorts its neighbors. The resort's invitation to Washington County residents is spelled out at its most casual venues. A sports bar offers a locals' discount, and a barbecue yard has been described as free to the community. The closer you get to the amenities the resort built its name on, the more access is priced for visitors or limited to guests. Since the resort went from 175 rooms in its first year to 600 in its third, by Manning's count, the line between guest space and shared space affects anyone living a few minutes away.
This Weekend Still Belongs to the Tour
The Bank of Utah Championship runs October 1 through 4, 2026, so the resort's calendar this week revolves around the PGA Tour. The tournament's FAQ says there is no public parking in Santa Clara or Ivins. Grounds-pass holders are sent to Lot 10 at Pioneer Parkway and Red Mountain Drive, near the Santa Clara Harmons. For anyone driving guests to the gate or simply getting around the area, the remaining days work like this:
- Saturday, October 3: tournament parking lots open at 9:00 a.m., later than the rest of the week, and close at 8:00 p.m.
- Sunday, October 4: lots open at 7:30 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m.
- Rideshare, taxi, hotel shuttle and kiss-and-ride drop-offs: all go to 250 S. Weiskopf Way in Ivins. The tournament tells drivers using that drop-off to skip Route 18 and Bluff Street and take Red Hills Parkway, Snow Canyon Parkway and Hamblin Way instead.
The golf course has been closed to all play since September 14 for tournament preparation, and that closure runs through October 6. Neighbors who want to use the resort have the best odds once the grandstands come down.
Where the Welcome Is Written Down
The clearest invitation to residents is at the 20th Hole, a 14,000-square-foot sports bar with oversized TVs, team-sized booths, Trackman golf simulators and a pub menu of burgers, brats and wings. The resort's own copy addresses locals directly:
"Live local? Eat local. Washington County residents receive 10% off at 20th Hole, your go-to spot for great food, cold drinks, and post-round relaxation. Valid ID required."
You only need a reservation for a party of 10 or more. Hours are noon to 10 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 3 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, and noon to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The bar has also scheduled a regular weeknight event for this fall. Trivia Tuesday starts October 6 at 6:30 p.m. and runs weekly on October 13, 20 and 27 and November 3, 10 and 17. Gift cards and prizes go to each week's winners. That is the only fall programming on the resort's site right now. Its events calendar showed no entries when we checked.
Club 73 is the other venue where community access is stated outright. It serves open-air barbecue in The Yard: burgers, brisket, dirty sodas and beer. The posted hours run daily from 7 a.m. until the last golfer leaves. The resort's dining overview also lists live music there. A resort-sponsored ABC4 segment in June 2026 called Club 73 free to locals and resort guests and open to the community, with food and drinks for purchase. That summer concert series wrapped with a final show on June 19. No fall concerts have been announced since.
The Doors That Open by Reservation or Walk-Up
Most of the rest of the dining lineup lists its hours and booking methods without saying anything specific about non-guests. On the resort's own pages, each one looks like this:
- Lava Love is a coffee counter serving Alpha Coffee drinks, pastries, breakfast sandwiches and grab-and-go food, open daily from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. No reservations are listed.
- Flo is the lobby bar and lounge for cocktails, beer, wine and snacks. It's open 3 to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, with food ending at 9, and 3 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, with food ending at 10. It has no reservation option.
- Latitude serves Baja California–inspired coastal food. It offers weekday breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m., weekday lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekend brunch from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and dinner Thursday through Monday from 5 to 10 p.m. Reservations are booked through SevenRooms.
- Basalt is the resort's elevated steakhouse. It serves dinner 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, closes Sunday and Monday, and also books through SevenRooms.
- Oasis is a Southwestern bar and grill in the style of a Mexican taqueria. It's closed Tuesdays and otherwise follows the golf course schedule. Its page lists no booking link and no fixed daily hours.
None of these pages mentions a lodging requirement, and none mentions a locals' rate either. Basalt has drawn the most attention from outside Ivins. Salt Lake Magazine named it Best Restaurant of 2026 in a feature dated February 23, 2026. Manning later told the Ivins council the restaurant had been "named the No. 1 restaurant in the state of Utah." The best-reviewed room at the resort is bookable, then, but it has no residents' discount. The 20th Hole's locals' discount is the only one posted anywhere on the dining pages.
The Price Line Starts at the Golf Course
Golf shows the sorting most clearly. Black Desert takes tee times online and by phone, and its rate table has only two columns: resort guests and everyone else. From September 4, 2026 through January 1, 2027, a round costs $325 for a resort guest and $450 for a non-guest. A neighbor who lives a few minutes away pays the same as a visitor who flew in for the weekend. The table has no Washington County tier.
The $450 covers green fees, a cart, a forecaddie, practice-facility access, a keepsake, and food and non-alcoholic drinks at Oasis and Club 73 while you play. That includes Club 73, the same barbecue yard described as free to walk into, folded into the price of a round.
Plume Spa & Wellness works the same way. It is open for appointments from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and adds a 20% service charge, and its page lists no day pass and no resident rate. The two-hour signature rituals start at $400. Guests must be at least 16, and anyone under 18 needs a parent or guardian with them. The spa did hold one event just for locals, an open house on Wednesday, January 21, 2026. It required an RSVP and is now marked fully booked. It was a single date, not a recurring program. Anyone hoping for a resident rate should ask the spa directly, since the website is silent on it either way.
The Courts Stay Behind the Label
That brings us back to pickleball. The Black Desert Courts were finished the night before a national championship. Manning said the first ball hit there came from a professional player. According to St. George News, the venue was ready in time to host the Carvana PPA Tour Greater Zion Cup in March 2026.
The current access rules are generous for anyone staying at the resort. Open play is free for resort guests and members, first come, first served, with no reservation needed. Shuttles run hourly between the resort and the courts from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and staff on site handle equipment and paddle rentals. The page offers no public day pass and no resident rate. Groups, lessons and clinics go through [email protected], so that inbox is the most direct place to ask whether the community nights Manning described ever got scheduled.
What 2027 Adds, and Who Gets In First
The next round of amenities looks set to follow the same pattern. Manning told the council the resort's nature center is expected to be finished by March 2027. An environmental scientist already works on site every day, giving lectures on local birds, butterflies, plants and wildlife, and tracking how they are doing around the resort's lakes.
The water park is slated for May 2027. Manning said it will likely give resort guests priority over the public and will charge a fee. Further out, he described a space for teenagers that would likely include several bowling lanes and sit near the nature center. He said it is probably a few years away. For now, the confirmed date on a neighbor's calendar is Tuesday, October 6, at 6:30 p.m., when trivia starts at the 20th Hole. Bring a Washington County ID for the 10% off.
When a resort grows from 175 rooms to 600 next door, the access rules shape daily life as much as the architecture does. If you're weighing a home near Black Desert, or wondering how the resort's growth fits your own plans in Ivins, The Red Rock Collective is happy to walk through what we're seeing on the ground. Let's Connect.
