65 Photo: Kevin Murray Bandon Dunes developer Mike Keiser’s philosophy is that one course is a curiosity, while two is a destination. By that logic, Somabay on Egypt’s Red Sea coast has taken 27 years to become a destination. A Gary Player course at Somabay Golf opened in 1998. Now, it is joined by Hidden Coves, a new layout designed by Tim Lobb of Lobb + Partners. Holes ten to eighteen are now officially open, with the front nine playable by late 2026. The new course comes at a time of great transformation in the region, with significant investment into public infrastructure projects and private tourism developments, catering not just for golfers but those who come to the area to enjoy yearround sunshine, beaches, snorkelling among coral reefs and various other sports in the turquoise waters. This has included the expansion of Egypt’s national road network, the addition of a second terminal at Hurghada airport (around 30 miles north of the resort) and the development of a second marina at Somabay. The resort is a hive of activity with Abu Soma Development Company expanding its residential areas with over 2,000 units, multiple hotels and various commercial areas in the next two years. The existing course at Somabay Golf is popular with German visitors, who currently account for 45 per cent of tee times, with golfers from Sweden, Belgium and Switzerland making up most of the rest. Ahmed ‘Billy’ Belkasem, Somabay’s associate destination marketing director, says that this will change, as they are intent on attracting more international tourists from places like the UK, Finland, Italy, Poland, Austria and the Czech Republic. “Our recent efforts include tour operator partnerships, hosting high-profile golf events and media personalities, a greater focus on golf groups comprising beginners and women, and marketing Somabay so we showcase our location’s golf, sun, sea and beyond,” he says. Hidden Coves, named after the inlets that lie beneath the cliffs of the coastline holes, has been in the works for more than 10 years. It would have been completed quicker, but Covid tempered momentum. “We have been working on the project for a fair while and Egypt itself has seen many changes over the past decade or so,” says Lobb. “The routing was fixed in 2017, and we have not changed it since then. It primarily occupies the central portion of the peninsula that Somabay is located on, with holes twelve to fifteen playing towards and close to the Red Sea.” Lobb’s routing revolves around two holes that he identified as ‘must-haves’ – thirteen and fourteen – playing nearest the coast. Although the land would make for prime real estate, Lobb “ The new course comes at a time of great transformation in the region”
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