Courtesy of Shura Links
Shura Links, the first island golf course in Saudi Arabia, is open for play.
The course was designed by architect Brian Curley and is managed by Golf Saudi.
“Shura Links offers 18 unique and visually stunning holes in a beautiful island environment that will redefine golf in the region,” Curley said. “Our goal was to create a course that is both strategic and forgiving, where golfers can enjoy the ground game and be inspired by the seaside setting.”
Stitched through native mangroves and white dunes, with long stretches that hug the Red Sea shoreline, Shura Links was conceived to blend into its surrounds with a layout that welcomes all levels of play. A par 72, it measures 7,400 yards from its championship tees, with the option to extend beyond 7,700 yards for professional and top-flight amateur competitions.
The flexibility of its design makes for a fair and compelling test for elite and everyday golfers alike. Greens are large and richly contoured, with backstops, bowls, feeder slopes and run-offs that are meant to strike a balance between shot-making challenge and user-friendly playability. While the gentle terrain allows for easy walking, the firm surfaces are also well-suited for carts.
Bold bunkering is another defining features. Many of the sandy areas are hard-packed expanses that allow for relatively easy recovery, while the formal bunkering has transitional outer edges with irregular lines, in keeping with the naturalistic design theme. Irregular turf lines mirror that aesthetic, too.
Additional golf highlights include:
- Dune-framed par-3s (Nos. 6 and 15) that play directly toward the Red Sea and a dramatic, driveable par-4 (No. 16) for late-round risk-reward.
- A two-acre, family-friendly putting course
- Expansive grass practice range, putting green and short-game area
- Two returning nines, plus tailed green-fee options for nine or 18 holes
Built with sustainability at its core, Shura Links has just 70 acres of irrigated turf, all of it Platinum TE Paspalum, a drought- and salt-tolerant grass with maintenance benefits across all surfaces. The Toro irrigation system is designed for maximum water efficiency, while the landscaping — also by Curley-Wagner Design — integrates desert flora, palms and flowering trees across sweeping white sand expanses. The significant construction effort was handled in-house by Red Sea Global’s Richard Haas, contributing substantially to the overall design-build process.
The design philosophy emphasizes playability without extreme punishment, creating a visually alluring, accessible course.
“Too many desert courses penalize golfers with lost balls in thick vegetation of non-turf areas,” 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.
“Having designed 20 courses for the massive Mission Hills Golf Club in China, I am certainly no stranger to bold and imaginative projects. The effort here by Red Sea Global is groundbreaking and monumental and I’m honored to be a part of it.”
Shura Links is designed to host both resort guests and professional tournaments.
“Shura Links sets a new benchmark for the game of golf in the region,” Red Sea Global group CEO John Pagano said. “It’s more than just a course — it’s a place to connect, challenge yourself and experience the full beauty of the Red Sea. 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.”
