pack your clubs - egypt by tlm magazine

pack your clubs ■ egypt

■ Putting by the pyramids at the Mena House Golf Club

Peter Ellegard

Pharaohs and fairways The land of the ancient pharaohs is now a mecca for golfers, as its barren desert has been transformed into green oases by some of the world’s top designers. Peter Ellegard reports papyrus inscription discovered in the tomb of one of Egypt’s pharaohs shows him holding a wooden stick and hitting small balls. While the Scots claim to have invented golf, could its roots really date back thousands of years? Golf was introduced by the British in Egypt in the 1880s. By the late 1990s, there were just three courses, all of them at venerable clubs from that golden era. But since then, Egypt’s barren deserts have literally blossomed with lush fairways and greens, putting it firmly on the global golfing map. There are now almost 20 courses, with the highest concentration around Cairo and in purpose-built Red Sea resorts. The calibre of architects stamping their name on new courses underlines Egypt’s determination to join golf’s premier league, with designs by the likes of Gary Player, Greg Norman and Sir Nick Faldo and others from fellow Open champions Peter Thomson and Jack Nicklaus to come. Playing golf in Egypt is a unique experience. You can tee off in the shadow of the iconic pyramids or at new complexes in Cairo’s suburbs, sink putts next to the azure Red Sea and play on fairways carved through the

Peter Ellegard

■ King Tut tee marker at Luxor’s Royal Valley Golf Club

Summer 2011

desert like emerald carpets close to where the ancient pharaohs were buried. It is also just a five-hour flight away. Value is another trump card. Green fees and hotel rates are well below those of many other destinations. And since stability returned following the popular uprising earlier this year which saw the exit of President Mubarak, there have been fantastic deals from tour operators as hotels have slashed prices to try and lure back visitors. Throw in the incredible history, sightseeing and other sporting and activity options Egypt also has to offer, and it becomes a compelling place for golfers to visit, either as part of a golfing group or on a family holiday with a few rounds thrown in. Here’s where you can tee it up in Egypt:

cairo There are now nine golf courses in and around Egypt’s capital. The most dramatic setting of them all is at the Mena House Golf Club, where you can almost reach out and touch history. The Great Pyramid of Cheops towers high above this nine-hole course, originally created in 1889 and now part of the luxury Mena House Oberoi Hotel. Double tees and greens allow rounds of 18 holes.

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pack your clubs ■ egypt

egypt golf facts weather Egypt is a year-round golf destination. While winter is the ideal time to play, summers are less fierce and less humid than in the nearby Gulf. Cairo’s summer day temperatures rarely exceed the mid-30s Celsius and sea breezes temper the heat on coastal courses.

Peter Ellegard

getting there

Troon Golf

Last year’s opening of Allegria, a signature course by Greg Norman in the new Sheikh Zayed City community west of Cairo which is managed by Troon Golf, and Sir Nick Faldo’s first layout in Europe, a desert oasis-styled course at Katameya Dunes Golf Resort, has very much upped the ante for quality. Designed in conjunction with Schmidt-Curley Design, Katameya Dunes features 27 holes playing as two championship 18-hole courses, both over 7,300 yards long. A hotel is planned for 2012. There are academies at both developments. The 7,108-yard Mirage City Golf Club is part of a 400-acre development which includes the luxury JW Marriott Cairo hotel that offers facilities including floodlit tennis courts and a themed water park boasting Cairo’s only beach. The Peter Harradine-designed course belies its desert origin, featuring numerous lakes, streams and waterfalls set among lush fairways lined by trees and exotic plants.

“Playing golf in Egypt is a unique experience”

Egypt’s greatest allure for golfers it that it offers so much more. Choose from the history and romance of Cairo, with its iconic pyramids, the Nile and atmospheric Islamic Quarter; Luxor’s grand pharaonic ruins, royal tombs and Nile cruises; Alexandria and the stunning White Med coast; the fascinating deserts and oases of Egypt’s interior, with sights including Mount Sinai and St Catherine’s Monastery; and the Red Sea Riviera, where resorts offer white-sand beaches, hotels ranging from family-friendly to luxury spa retreats, plus shopping, nightlife and activities galore – including world-class diving on the closest coral reef to the UK.

62 tlm ■ the travel & leisure magazine

www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

■ Red Sea corals

Egypt Tourist Authority

off-course attractions

The 27-hole Dreamland Golf and Tennis resort, which also includes the Hilton Pyramids hotel, is close to Giza’s pyramids and offers superb views of them, the best from the newer nine-hole addition. The tee markers mimic the nearby pyramids while miniature obelisks imaginatively portray each hole. In Cairo’s eastern suburbs, Amarante Golf City has a course by French designer Yves Bureau as well as a floodlit driving range and an elegant clubhouse. Katameya Heights is a private members club but does allow visitors on its undulating 18-hole course. It also has a nine-hole par 35 course. Orange Lakes opened in 2008.

red sea Egypt’s main holiday golf region now has over half a dozen courses. The first, the Jolie Ville Golf & Resort, opened in Sharm el Sheikh in 1998 with the rose-pink Sinai Mountains as a glorious backdrop. Its 18 manmade lakes attract many migrating bird species. At the top of the Sinai Peninsula looking out over the Gulf of Aqaba to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel and set between the sea and the stark Sinai Mountains, is Taba Heights Golf Resort. It is part of a purpose-built resort complete with striking, pastel-shaded hotels. You may even have the club’s resident camels as spectators for your final tee shot. El Gouna is a sister resort to Taba Heights with equally-stylish architecture. Its Gene Bates and Fred Couples course is laced by the lagoons which are a feature of the resort. Just 20 minutes from Hurghada, El Gouna has over a dozen hotels, connected by shuttles, tuk-tuks and water taxis which also transport guests to the Mediterranean-style marina where there is shopping and dining. A second course, by Karl Litten, is being built as part of the adjacent, new Ancient Sands Golf Resort and opens in 2012. Half an hour south of Hurghada, the upscale resort of Soma Bay is set on a peninsula. Centrepiece is Gary

Summer 2011

Player’s stunning Cascades course, described as desert links because it combines both elements. Strips of fairway carve through desert scrub in a figure of eight, with several holes set along the top of low cliffs dramatically edged by the deep-blue sea. A nine-hole par three course and golf academy complement the course. Among its hotels are the luxury La Residence des Cascades, which houses the huge Les Thermes Marins des Cascades thalassotherapy centre, and the pharaonicstyled Sheraton Soma Bay. Crown jewel in the new tourist resort village of Madinat Makadi, 35km south of Hurghada City, is its 7,500-yard, John Sanford course – one of Egypt’s longest. Built to USPGA standards, it features three lakes, waterfalls and a meandering stream, while five holes offer views of the ocean and the resort. The five-star Jaz Makadi Golf Hotel is adjacent to the course, with a par-3 executive course and academy the other side. Ain Soukhna, near the top of the Gulf of Suez, offers Karl Litten-designed The Links at the Stella Mare Golf Resort and a nine-hole course at Jaz Little Venice Golf Resort. Thomson Perrett & Lobb’s El Ein Bay course opens with 18 holes next year.

luxor An undiscovered gem, Luxor’s Royal Valley Golf Club is just 13km from the city and its archaeological treasures, but you may well have the fairways to yourself. Located on Luxor’s East Bank, it offers generous fairways with water hazards on the front nine and narrower tracks with larger waste areas on the back nine. The clubhouse is an impressive Nubian-style edifice, while evocative tee markers echo the names of the tee positions: King Tut, Ramsis (Ramses), Sphinx and Nefertity (Nefertiti).

mediterranean The 1889-vintage Alexandria Sporting Club is a tranquil oasis amid the hurly burly of Egypt’s second city.

Summer 2011

golf packages Tour operators include Longwood Holidays (0844 770 4907, www.longwoodholidays.co.uk), Peltours (0844 770 9960, www.peltours.com), Elegant Golf Resorts (020 8421 7019, www.elegantgolfresorts.com), Golf Breaks (0800 279 7988, www.golfbreaks.com), Supertravel (020 7459 2984, www.supertravel.co.uk) and Golf Planet Holidays (0845 601 2175, www.golfplanetholidays.com).

tourist information Visit the official Egypt tourism website at www.egypt.travel or call 020 7493 5283.

courses cairo Allegria: www.allegriacairo.com Katameya Dunes: www.katameyadunes.com Mirage City Golf Club: http://golf.jwmarriottcairo.com Dreamland Golf & Tennis Resort: www.dreamlandgolf.com

■ Obelisk marker at Dreamland

Peter Ellegard

■ Golfer and camel at Taba Heights

red sea Taba Heights Golf Resort: www.tabaheights.com Maritim Jolie Golf & Resort: www.maritim.com The Cascades at Soma Bay: www.somabay.com El Gouna Golf Club: www.elgouna.com Madinat Makadi Golf Resort: www.madinatmakadigolf.com

luxor Royal Valley Golf Club: www.golfluxor.com

Short by today’s standards, it has small greens and fairways lined by mature trees. Golf is now being developed at Mediterranean coast resorts, the first new facility being Porto Marina (18 holes played on nine fairways), near El Alamein, where German’s “Desert Fox”, General Rommel, was defeated by Allied forces in World War II.

■ El Gouna

tlm ■ the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk

Peter Ellegard

■ The new Allegria course

Peltours

■ Madinat Makadi

British Airways (www.ba.com), Egyptair (www.egyptair.com) and bmi (www.flybmi.com) all fly to Cairo. EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) and Egyptair fly to Sharm el Sheikh while several charter airlines serve Sharm, Taba, Hurghada and Luxor from various UK airports.

golf ■ news

Hi ho, silver lining he economic recession has been bad news for the golf industry, particularly in America, where the number of domestic golfers actively playing fell in 2010 for the third year running. But for UK golfers heading across the Atlantic, the credit crunch has a silver lining – because a number of private clubs in luxury communities previously off limits to visiting players are now welcoming them to help boost their coffers. The trend is particularly noticeable in south-west Florida, famed for its top-end golf but much of it impossible for visitors to play. Now all that is changing, says Gerry Boyle, of the Naples Marco Island Paradise Coast. Speaking at the recent North America Convention of golf tourism industry association IAGTO in Monterey, California, he said: “The area was known in the past for having exclusive golf which was the preserve of people living in those communities. The recession has meant some of those communities have opened up their courses to day visitors.” Among private clubs which have opened their gates are Fiddlers Creek, Hammock Bay Golf & Country Club and Tuscany Reserve, boasting a course jointly designed by Greg Norman and Pete Dye. Meanwhile, upmarket golf resorts that once restricted play on their courses to guests are also now

GOLF CLIPS

■ Turnberry’s Ailsa course

■ Open for visitors: Tiburon

offering tee times to non-residents. They include The Rookery at Marco, the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort for its Tiburon course, the Naples Grande and the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club. All that and the area is great value, too, with rounds at top courses in the area averaging just £50 from April to November. “It’s millionaire’s golf on a budget,” Boyle added.

World measures PS technology has helped take the guesswork out of approach shots. Now leading rangefinder maker GolfBuddy has launched its new World model to sit alongside its flagship World Platinum device. The GolfBuddy World includes many of its big brother’s features, such as a TFT touch screen, overhead hole imaging with distances to the front, middle and back of the green, TouchPoint instant distance measuring, standard and Stableford scoring, and pre-loaded details of 40,000 courses in 100 countries world-

■ The GolfBuddy World

■ The HS1 train

wide. It has a bright, anti-glare 2.7-inch LED screen. The menu system is accessed by buttons, with scoring and shot details saved purely for the round being played, although the data can be uploaded and stored online. Unlike some GPS devices, the GolfBuddy World and World Platinum require no annual subscription to download course maps. They are fee-free for life. The World rangefinder has an RRP of £279 and is available from retailers including American Golf, Online Golf and pro shops. www.gpsgolfbuddy.eu

You can WIN your own GolfBuddy World rangefinder. For details, go to www.tlm-magazine.co.uk and click on Competitions. Terms and conditions apply. Closing date August 15, 2011.

Summer 2011

Improve your game with the help of Europe’s victorious Ryder Cup captain at the Colin Montgomerie Summer Golf School at Scotland’s Turnberry resort. Monty and his team at the Colin Montgomery Links Golf Academy will help golfers of all skill levels over the threeday course, from August 1921, with a golf clinic by the great Scot, academy sessions and play on all three courses with Turnberry’s pro team. The fully-inclusive weekend costs from £798. Call 01655 333991 for more information. www.luxurycollection.com/turnberry

Golf fans will be able to speed to the Open Championship from St Pancras International in just 80 minutes thanks to an Open Special, operated by Southeastern using the HS1 high-speed rail link. The train will go directly to Sandwich to leave a short walk to the Open venue, Royal St George’s Golf Club. Halfhourly services will run on all four days of the event, from July 14-17, with connections from the new Olympic Park at Stratford, Ebbsfleet, Ashford and Canterbury. Return fares cost £38.20. www.southeasternrailways.co.uk

tlm ■ the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk