Sindalah set to open Saudi Arabia’s first island golf course

Saudi Arabia is nearing the opening of the Gulf regions first-ever island golf course on the luxurious Sindalah Island in the Red Sea.

The beachfront golf course is set to open in 2024, and is part of the $500 million NEOM project, a new urban area to be built in the country’s Tabuk Province.

NEOM has partnered with IMG Golf Course Services, a Singapore-based golf course design and management company, to create a unique course in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council).

Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr, the golf course will feature nine holes and 18 teeing points, as well as a 280-metre driving range and golf academy.

The site has a total planned area of 26,500 km² and sits east of Egypt across the Gulf of Aqaba and south of Jordan.

Sindalah’s course, which will play to a par of 70 and measure 6,474 yards, has ambitions to be GEO Certified, demonstrating high standards of environmental and social responsibility.

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To elevate the golf experience in the Middle East, the Golf Club at Sindalah will be open all-year round, while the Golf Academy will offer the latest in custom-fitting and golf-learning technology.

Antoni Vives, Chief Urban Development and Islands Officer at NEOM, said: “Sindalah will be the first physical showcase of NEOM to open to the world and will become a new and exotic golfing destination like no other.

“We are proud to be working with IMG Golf Course Services to bring this premium course from the mind of Robert Trent Jones Jr to reality at Sindalah.”

On partnering with NEOM, Russell Hannah, vice president, IMG Golf Course Services, said: “We are delighted to partner with Neom and Sindalah Island and welcome them proudly to our growing portfolio of world-class clubs and resorts across the globe.

“Their vision for this stunning new destination makes it exactly the sort of project which will benefit from IMG’s international experience and resources.

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“We have great expectations for Sindalah Island Golf Club and are looking forward to helping to deliver on Neom’s vision for what will be one of the most picturesque courses in the region.”

Besides the golf course, a Four Seasons Resort and Saudi Arabia’s first Marriott International Autograph Collection Hotels property will open as part of a wide variety of accommodation.

An 86-berth luxury yacht marina will reside nearby, as well as restaurants and retail offerings.