SOMABAY GOLF
18/9 Hole Resort
SOMABAY GOLF
48 Km Hurghada, Safaga Road, P.O.Box 403, Soma Bay, Red Sea, Hurghada, Egypt
Phone: +20 12 23504583
- 18-Hole Championship Course
- 9-Hole Par 3 Challenge Course
- 18-Hole Hidden Coves Course
- Driving Range & Practice area
Yes - every day.
Season: Year round
90 € / 18 Holes
Monday
25°C
Tuesday
26°C
Wednesday
27°C
Characteristics
SOMABAY GOLF is not only the first golf course open for play on the Western Red Sea coast, but also the first Championship Course in the Middle East designed by one of the "Big Three" (Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer). The 18 hole, par 72 course offers memorable views of the lush green fairways that contrast dramatically with the rugged desert and the clear blue sea waters. Adjacent to the Championship course, is the 9 hole, Par 3 Challenge Course, also designed by Gary Player, that offers both the beginner and the more advanced golfer the opportunity to practice a variety of shots with emphasis on the short game. The Par 3 Challenge Course serves the Golf Academy where individual and group tuition by PGA Golf Professionals is available. There are also extensive practice facilities, including a 60 bay driving range, and several putting and pitching practice greens.
A second 18-hole golf course is under construction, the Hidden Coves Course. Nine holes are expected to be playable by the end of 2025, with the entire course opening in late 2026 or early 2027.
Courses
18-Hole Championship Course
Opened in 1998. Design: Gary Player. Style: Links/Desert.
Terrain: Slightly undulating with water hazards
Technical difficulty: Moderate - Hard
Scorecard
| Tee | Par | CR | Slope | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black (Men) | 72 | 74.2 | 138 | 6998 yards |
| Blue (Men) | 72 | 71.9 | 133 | 6468 yards |
| White (Men) | 72 | 69.6 | 125 | 6019 yards |
| White (Women) | 72 | 75.9 | 136 | 6019 yards |
| Red (Men) | 72 | 66.7 | 122 | 5363 yards |
| Red (Women) | 72 | 72 | 126 | 5363 yards |
18-Hole Hidden Coves Course
Opened in 2026. Design: Tim Lobb.
Practice Facilities
- Driving Range (60 tees, 25 covered)
- Putting Green
- Pitching Green
- Chipping Green
- Practice bunker
- 3-Hole short course
Visitors
18-Hole Championship Course
Visitors are welcome every day.
Advance booking is essential.
A valid handicap certificate or card is required.
Handicap limit: 36
9-Hole Par 3 Challenge Course
Visitors are welcome every day.
18-Hole Hidden Coves Course
Under costruction
Etiquette
Proper golf attire is required. Denim jeans, collarless t-shirts and tracksuits are not acceptable. Bermuda shorts are permitted. Softspikes required.
No dogs allowed. Mobile phone permitted on course.
GPS devices approved.
Green Fees
18-Hole Championship Course
| Green Fee | Mon - Fri | Sat, Sun, Holidays |
|---|---|---|
| June 2024 - May 2025 | ||
| 18 Holes | ||
| Regular | 90 € | 90 € |
| 3 X 18 Holes | 255 € | 255 € |
| 5 X 18 Holes | 410 € | 410 € |
| 9 Holes | ||
| Regular | 55 € | 55 € |
Juniors up to the age of 16 receive a 50% discount.
Driving Range
| Monday - Sunday | |
|---|---|
| Bucket (50 balls) | 3 € |
Amenities
Club Amenities
- Clubhouse
- Conference room
- Locker rooms
- Indoor pool
- Outdoor pool
- Sauna
- Children’s playground
- Club accepts credit cards
- Bar
- Snack Bar
Restaurant
The Cascades Hotel
Credit cards accepted.
Pro Shop
SOMABAY GOLF Proshop
Phone: +201223503528
proshop@somabaygolf.com
The Sombay Golf Pro-shop offers with an extensive range of Golf Apparel and Leisure wear. The Pro-shop is nestled in the heart of the Somabay Championship Golf Course. This is where golfers will find an abundance of golfing essentials available for sale and rent. The Pro-shop also features a pop up café, where you can have a morning’s coffee while watching players tee off from the First Tee.
Rentals
- Clubs for hire
- Trolley for hire
- Electro-cart for hire
Golf tuition
SOMABAY GOLF Academy
Phone: +201223503528
golfacademy@somabaygolf.com
www.somabaygolf.com
Somabay Golf & Country Club’s Academy is the ideal environment to enhance your golfing skills of even take up the game for the first time. The academy’s fully qualified PGA Professionals pride themselves on passing on their wealth knowledge to others in a relaxed informative manner. The Golf Academy boasts an outstanding double-ended Driving Range along with specific short game areas to practice Chipping, Putting and Bunker shots, in addition to this Somabay Golf Academy offers an excellent Par 3 Challenge Course, where you can take your newly acquired skills onto the course in preparation for our Championship Gary Player Designed Golf Course.
The Club
General Information
Founded: 1998
User Reviews
| 5 Stars: | 27 | |
| 4 Stars: | 11 | |
| 3 Stars: | 3 | |
| 2 Stars: | 6 | |
| 1 star: | 0 |
Most Recent Reviews
High class design, low maintanance
Reviewed February 18, 2014
I was playing here 3 times in the last 4 days. The design is as GARY PLAYER makes it, I would like THRACCIAN CLIFFS a little bit more, but as a desert golf course this is more spectacular. Hole no. 5 is called PEBBLE BEACH and is just a little bit difficult to play in wind of 30 km/h and tournament conditions.
There is another PAR 3 very interesting... hole no. 15, with a deep ravine and sea behind the green. Both of these holes have drop area zone.
Waiste area is huge, all over the course but playable. Therefore hole no. 13, called DILEMA-DILEMA is not so difficult, even you are not on fairways (is a hole with 2 fairways) .
The distance is around 6.4 km from the yellow tees , C.R. is 72,2 and S.I. is 135.
Tip : if you need a lesson, try to contact GOLF ACADEMY. I recommend mr MAHOMED KAHOUL.
- Original version
On the decline
Reviewed February 24, 2026
We played the course three years ago and again recently. Even then, there was a lot of construction along the fairways. Now, however, it's gone beyond what's tolerable. The construction noise is omnipresent (even in the Kempinski Hotel where we stayed), and the once beautiful view of the golf course is marred by massive, block-like apartment buildings. There are certainly more attractive options!
The experience in the pro shop was also very unpleasant, where absolute chaos apparently reigned. Despite having a confirmed tee time of 10:00 AM, we couldn't start because a tournament was booked for the next 90 minutes. We were told to wait two hours. At 12:00 PM, we still couldn't get in because the golf pro had priority with two extremely slow groups. Mightily frustrated, we then had to trail behind the slow group, 150 minutes late, at what felt like a snail's pace.
To be fair, I must also mention that the condition of the course was remarkably good considering the climatic conditions. Very nice fairways and fast, very true greens. Only the bunkers were, in some places, rock hard.
Translated by Google.
- Original version
Sunny golfing in January 2026
Reviewed February 4, 2026
I can certainly agree with the two reviews by "JosiBosi" and "K. Per". But let's look at the details.
There is a great deal of construction going on around the Garry Player course and in Soma Bay. This significantly detracts from the visual appeal. However, we didn't notice too much construction noise.
Gary Player layout – no trees, shade, or bushes whatsoever. If you miss the fairway, which wasn't always easy given the often strong crosswinds, you end up in waste areas. There you'll find hard ground, hardly any sand, and usually small stones. But they are perfectly playable. On the plus side, you don't lose any balls here, only your score.
If you ignore the construction sites around the course, you'll see beautiful golf holes that are almost always dotted with waste areas or bunkers in the target zone. The greens are also frequently well defended by bunkers.
When played from the yellow tees, it usually takes more than 150m carry to overcome the waste areas that are often located in front of the fairways.
When playing drivers or long irons, you should (must) master playing with crosswinds. Against a headwind, even a 150-meter carry can feel like a long way.
Condition.
Six tea boxes in size and always very well maintained.
Bunkers: While present, and mostly positioned correctly within the fairway, they shouldn't really be called bunkers. In the four rounds played, they were all rock hard. On the plus side, bunker calculations were completely unnecessary. It was frequently observed that many players (including good ones) preferred to use their putter for the bunkers positioned in front of the greens. The sand wedge simply couldn't penetrate the layer of sand.
The greens are always very hard and fast. Many are situated on a plateau and are truly undulating. A real treat for golfers. There are no dry patches and, due to the firmness of the ground, no pitch marks.
Other > Signage and paths are excellent.
Toilets are scarce. But always clean.
Huts, shade providers, etc., only two per 18 holes.
It's incomprehensible that golf instructors and pros use this course for golf school trips. Around 200 flights tee off daily at eight-minute intervals, mostly using carts. The wind blows the tee shots. This presents insurmountable problems for beginners, who often have a slicer handicap anyway. They have to hit the same tee shot multiple times and play balls from the waste areas. Flights get backed up, putting pressure on the slow and stressed players. Because of the extremely slow play ahead of us, we were almost always on the course for five hours or more. This completely ruins the fun for everyone involved – the golf students and the players who follow.
Practice area/Driving range:
Absolutely world-class!!! Driving range playable on both sides, 300m. Great par 3 course. Highlight: the scoring area for chipping, pitching and practicing half shots.
There is no clubhouse/restaurant. Only a small coffee corner in the pro shop where you can buy soda, water, or coffee. It's better to go/drive straight back to your hotel after your round.
Proshop/Secretariat > Staff super friendly, but the selection reduced to an absolute minimum.
We also played holes 9-18 of the Hiddensee Coves Course, which is still under construction. The layout and condition are very similar to the Garry Player course. However, inaccurate shots find more grass off the fairways in crucial areas. There are easier greens and smaller waste areas. Overall, this course is also shorter and therefore significantly easier than the Garry Player course.
For us, this is a good alternative because there are no queues and therefore a quick round of golf. Why the golf instructors avoid this course and torture their students on the Gary Player course is a mystery to me. It's also incomprehensible that management doesn't put a stop to this.
Overall conclusion:
We'd love to come back. Next time, we'll try to play early in the morning to beat the golf schools. Since we bought a green fee package for the four rounds, the green fee was reduced to €85. Quite acceptable for a Gary Player course. Unfortunately, these days you have to pay considerably more for significantly less elsewhere.
For more information on other courses, see Madinat Makadi Golf.
For more information about the hotel, see Kempinski Soma Bay.
Translated by Google.
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