Saudi Arabia Opens Shura Links, Making Statement In Destination Golf

The 18th green and clubhouse at Shura Links, Saudi Arabia’s first island golf course.

Red Sea Global

Shura Links, Saudi Arabia’s first island golf course, has officially opened for play in the Red Sea, a noteworthy step in the Kingdom’s ambitious transformation into a global golf destination. The groundbreaking course represents the most visible symbol yet of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiative to diversify its economy and establish itself as a premier destination for international tourism and sporting events.

“Having designed 20 courses for the massive Mission Hills Golf Club in China, I am certainly no stranger to bold and imaginative projects,” said golf architect Brian Curley, whose firm has built courses in 25 countries, including projects in the U.S. and China as well as Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Mexico, Sweden, and beyond. “The effort here by Red Sea Global is groundbreaking and monumental and I’m honored to be a part of it.”

Curley designed Shura Links to seamlessly blend with its natural environment, but the 7,400-yard, par-72 championship course can also stretch to more than 7,700 yards in order to potentially host future professional tournaments. The layout winds through native mangroves and brilliant white dunes while hugging long stretches of Red Sea shoreline.

Sustainability is a focus, as Shura Links has just 70 acres of irrigated turf that features drought and salt-tolerant (Platinum TE Paspalum) grass and landscaping that integrates desert flora, palms, and flowering trees across sweeping sand expanses.

“Too many desert courses penalize golfers with lost balls in thick vegetation,” Curley said. “Here, the course is framed by brilliant white sand and open expanses punctuated with bursts of natural dunes vegetation that inspire creativity while keeping the game moving.”

Golf on the Red Sea

The course features wide playing corridors, firm and fast fairways, and open approaches that invite varied angles of attack — particularly valuable in windy coastal conditions. Signature holes include dune-framed par-3s on holes 6 and 15 that play directly toward the Red Sea, and a dramatic, driveable par-4 16th hole that offers late-round risk-reward opportunities.

Beyond the golf course, Shura Links anchors a destination that will feature 11 luxury hotels, including Four Seasons, Raffles, Rosewood, and Jumeirah properties, all opening in the coming weeks. Located just 30 minutes from Red Sea International Airport via, in part, a 2-mile (3.5-kilometer) causeway, the island development is intended to be accessible yet exclusive.

“This is another proud milestone in our mission to reshape global tourism through sustainability and design, and a significant step in building Red Sea Global’s diverse sports portfolio, aligning perfectly with Vision 2030’s goal of establishing Saudi Arabia as a premier global sporting destination,” said John Pagano, Group CEO of Red Sea Global, which has recreational assets that also include ownership, sponsorship or partnerships with water sports, diving, and land-based adventure sports.

The course’s infrastructure is geared to support both resort play and professional tournaments, with an expansive practice range, short-game area, two-acre family putting course, and a very distinctive modernist clubhouse designed by Foster + Partners.

Saudi Arabia has demonstrated a commitment to becoming a major player in global golf and the National Golf Foundation notes the nation is among the current world leaders in active golf development. Shura Links is among the first to reach the finish line, with a combination of world-class design, environmental consciousness, and luxury amenities set against a Red Sea backdrop that signals the Kingdom is willing (if not yet quite ready) to compete with established golf destinations on the worldwide stage.