The Brian Curley design has opened at a development on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast
By Richard Humphreys |
Development firm Red Sea Global outlined three tenets for the golfing centrepiece of its new resort development on Saudi Arabia’s Shura Island: unique, world-class and sustainable.
Now that Shura Links is open, Red Sea Global can assess whether Curley-Wagner Design has met its requirements. The 18-hole layout lies on the primary landmass of Shura Island, which is actually one of several islands connected by a causeway to form a resort development featuring hotel brands such as Four Seasons, Raffles and Rosewood.
“The site was originally flat with zero natural features other than being on the sea edge,” says architect Brian Curley. “I have certainly started from flat numerous times but never on an oceanfront property. The islands here are natural – unlike the man-made ones in Dubai – and are low-lying and only slightly above sea level. Given that, the initial efforts were to dredge material to raise the island. Minimum levels were set for golf, non-turf areas and the lowest turf areas so that rootzones would avoid issues with saltwater wicking up.”
The par-three fifteenth plays directly towards the Red Sea (Photo: Red Sea Global)
The shaping team has created a golf course with contour and, as the architect puts it, “enough movement to create interesting landforms without busting the budget on fills or impeding on views from the built environment.”
Shura Links’ 70 acres of irrigated turf is made up of Platinum TE paspalum, a drought- and salt-tolerant grass supplied by Atlas Turf Arabia. Toro’s Lynx Control System has also been installed.
Curley made monthly site visits to oversee the course’s construction, as well as the implementation of landscape work, working alongside Richard Haas, head of golf design and construction for Red Sea Global.
Shura Links has been grassed with Platinum TE paspalum from Atlas Turf Arabia (Photo: Red Sea Global)
“We were fortunate to be able to create some very high and dramatic dunes where we wanted to block views – such as the infrastructure building zones,” says Curley. “The result is that Shura has plenty of movement both from a visual standpoint and to help the golf course site drain well.”
Curley’s design prioritises playability and strategic challenge, featuring wide fairways, fast and rolling conditions, and large, contoured greens with backstops, bowls, feeder slopes and runoffs. Its back tees produce a total length of 7,400 yards, although Shura Links has the capacity to extend beyond 7,700 yards, if required for professional competitions.
Curley inherited the routing but made some tweaks to free up land for the par-three sixth, plus a putting green and short-game area near the clubhouse (Image: Red Sea Global)
“The routing that I inherited prior to my involvement is based upon a mix of wide swathes of golf, holes playing to the water’s edge and single corridor holes that fortunately have development to only one side,” says Curley. “In addition, the built environment is very low density with structures that often incorporate a rounded, dune-inspired roof that is then built into dune landforms.
“I was also able to convince the team to shift some hole lengths. For instance, the original ninth was a par five that I pulled back to a par four, freeing up land around the clubhouse for a putting course and a short-game area. Another move was to eliminate a par three that was mostly surrounded by villas and move it to a new location that plays out to sea in a sand dune expanse. The result is our sixth, a stunning short hole that is my favourite on the course and never existed prior to my involvement.”
The sixth hole is the second of four distinctly different par threes (Photo: Brian Curley)
“My favourite tee shot is likely the twelfth, with its almost split fairway featuring a strong sandy gouge that cuts into what is a surprisingly wide fairway,” says Curley. He has incorporated carry dunes on holes five, seven and fourteen. “Without these, tee shots would become repetitive, but the slightly blind aspect brings a very distinct visual.”
Curley has set almost every green quite low so they can be approached with a running shot. They have also been built to encourage balls to stay on the putting surface rather than feed away, and the backstops and feeder slopes that allow this also help give each hole its own sense of character. “This is most evident on the massive par-five fifth, where the green is some 70 yards deep and features plateaus and dips,” says Curley. “Players will learn that you can play to spots that direct balls to the flat portions of greens. Variety is key to the overall design, and I believe that holes with individual character are offered from start to finish.”
The fifteenth green and sixteenth’s tees are located on a small island accessible by a bridge (Photo: Red Sea Global)
Set on the Red Sea coast, there is the potential for strong winds, so Curley was very conscious of the potential for difficulty among a clientele that will primarily be resort guests. “Most tee shots offer plenty of width but there is always a preferred line of attack to shorten the hole or provide the best angle to a green,” he says. “Width has also been achieved with offsets and irregular turf lines that create angles. Width is there, but it is often hidden behind landforms that appear more intimidating from the tee.”
The Shura Links clubhouse was designed by Foster + Partners (Photo: Red Sea Global)
While some holes play alongside or over water, Curley has made a concerted effort for it to not be extremely penal. “There was a strong intention to use turf width and firm sandy expanses to ensure a ‘find your ball’ experience,” he says. “The home stretch offers a wonderful experience with a large island-green site for the fifteenth’s putting surface and sixteenth’s tees, and the home hole playing back to the majestic Foster + Partners clubhouse.”