In an innovative step that aims to enhance the Kingdom's presence on the global golf stage, Red Sea International Company announced the "Shoura Links" project, its golf course and club, on Shoura Island in the Red Sea destination, which is set to open fully in 2025. "Shoura Links" will be a new destination offering a unique golf experience, featuring the first 18-hole golf course in Saudi Arabia, including underwater holes, with views of the marina and stunning play areas surrounded by the Red Sea.
In collaboration with leading environmental consultants for its development, "Shoura Links" will be developed in accordance with the highest sustainability standards, addressing several details simultaneously, such as reducing water consumption and innovative reuse of irrigation water to develop natural habitats. John Pagano, CEO of Red Sea International, stated that "Shoura Links" will offer an unparalleled golfing experience in a course that embraces the stunning nature here in the Red Sea. He added that they are committed to ensuring that "Shoura Links" aligns with their ambition to establish new sustainability standards, prioritizing respect for nature through innovative turf management and precise nutrient feeding.
Pagano mentioned that they have already begun planting the course's grass and preparing it, looking forward to welcoming the first players to this unique course. This iconic club was designed by "Foster and Partners" and follows the overall design concept of "Coral Bloom" on Shoura Island, also designed by "Foster and Partners", inspired by the unique flora and fauna of Saudi Arabia. The course was designed in partnership with world-renowned golf architect Brian Curley, designer of the world's largest golf facility, "Mission Hills Golf Club".
Brian Curley, Director of Curley-Wagner Design, stated that there are few locations in the world that offer year-round sunshine, alongside stunning sunset moments and captivating landscapes, and that Shoura Island has all of this. He added that they believe golfers of all levels, from professionals to amateurs, will be attracted to this unique course designed with that in mind. There are numerous opportunities to create challenges for the best players in the world, along with elements to excite amateurs seeking the best golfing experience.
The "Shoura Links" course measures 7,500 yards (6,858 meters), offering multiple ball holders and innovative facilities alongside each hole. Each hole is designed to maximize diversity and playability, creating great moments; holes 4 to 7 are located along the coast, while holes 14 to 18 feature stunning designs with magnificent views of the Red Sea or the waterway, finishing at hole 18 beneath the spectacular clubhouse. Designers considered the width measurement of the ball holder at the starting point, making the course suitable for beginners, while also incorporating elements that pose challenges to ensure the course is of a quality suitable for hosting tournaments, allowing for major event opportunities in the future.
Red Sea International is working with the "On Course" platform to ensure sustainability is at the core of "Shoura Links"; water consumption has been reduced through a careful selection process of the course grass, soil moisture sensors, and minimized water usage. The company also uses the innovative "Pogo" system for turf management to measure key variables affecting growth and performance, such as salinity, temperature, and weather, which helps in decision-making and irrigation efficiency. Additionally, the course employs foliar feeding systems containing natural nutrient elements, such as seaweed, to ensure an approach that enhances nutrient absorption and reduces nutrient runoff, while maintaining the quality of the grass and golf course surfaces.
Of the 14 million square meters allocated for the course, only 20 percent of the grass will be maintained, while designers deliberately developed a natural golf course, using irregular grass lines and transitional holes with outer edges blending with natural sand dunes. Moreover, Red Sea International has developed a plan to develop and protect natural habitats, exploring new ways to encourage wildlife on the island to flourish, including researching the possibility of using the irrigation system of the course to accelerate the growth of surrounding mangrove trees.
The contract for the management and operational operations of the golf course has been awarded to "Golf Saudi," and the 18-hole golf course will be accessible to all 11 hotels on Shoura Island, as well as to all guests staying in other resorts in the Red Sea destination. Work is currently underway to create a second course as part of the later development phases of the destination and as part of Saudi Arabia's ambition to become a global golf destination.
It's worth noting that the Red Sea destination welcomed its first visitors last year, and the Red Sea International Airport has been operating a regular schedule of domestic flights since September 2023, in addition to receiving international flights from Dubai since April 2024. Two resorts in the destination have also opened, with three more set to open this year. Curley-Wagner is a full-service golf course design company with a global portfolio of award-winning courses in 25 countries. This list includes 20 courses in the massive "Mission Hills" golf club in China, as well as projects throughout the United States, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Mexico, Sweden, and many more. Founded in 1997 as "Schmidt-Curley Design," the company has been recognized as "Architect of the Year" by "Golf Magazine" and "Best Golf Course Architect" by "Asian Golf Magazine" for seven consecutive years, while "Golf Inc." magazine named it the fourth most influential designer in the world. The company specializes in creating beautiful, enjoyable, and challenging courses, often in difficult locations.
