Egypt offers two distinct kinds of golf: the resort courses of the Red Sea, laid out between turquoise water and bare desert mountains around Hurghada, and the desert layouts that ring Cairo within sight of the pyramids. Here are the ten we rate most highly, ranked, with our verdict and how to play each.
Photograph: The Cascades Golf Resort, Spa & Thalasso, Ramy Nassar, via Google
Golf in Egypt is younger than its history suggests. The modern game arrived with the Red Sea resorts of the 1990s, when Gary Player carved the first true championship course in North Africa into the rock above Soma Bay, and it grew through a wave of building around Cairo, where Greg Norman, Nick Faldo and others have shaped courses out of the desert on the city's edge. The result is a compact, sunny golf scene that pairs beautifully with the country's antiquities.
We weighed design quality, conditioning, setting and the simple pleasure of the round, and we noted access plainly, because several of the best are private clubs within gated communities. Every fact here, from designers and opening years to yardages, was checked at the time of writing. Green fees move with the season and are best treated as indicative; the cool winter months from November to March are the time to play. The verdicts are ours, the order reflects our editors' view, and if you want any of these built into a costed trip, that is exactly what our concierge does.
The first championship course in North Africa designed by a member of the modern game's great triumvirate, Gary Player carved The Cascades into a rocky headland on the Soma Bay peninsula south of Hurghada, the Red Sea on one side and the desert mountains on the other. Dramatic, exposed and routinely rated the finest course in Egypt. A resort course, open to visitors staying on the bay.
Greg Norman's first design in North Africa, on the desert fringe west of Cairo, a bold and sculpted championship layout that has staged professional golf. Wide, rolling fairways and aggressive bunkering give it a genuine tournament feel rare in the region. A private club within a gated community, with visitor access arranged through partner resorts.
One of the longest courses in the region at roughly 7,500 yards, John Sanford routed the front nine across ponds and creeks and sent the back nine up into the desert wadis above Makadi Bay. A proper championship test and the golfing anchor of the southern Red Sea resorts at the Steigenberger hotel. Open to resort guests.
Gene Bates and Fred Couples laid this out through the lagoons and islands of the El Gouna resort north of Hurghada, water in play across the round and the desert mountains rising beyond. A relaxed, beautiful resort course and a fixture of any Red Sea golf week. Open to resort guests.
The established name in Cairo golf, Yves Bureau's 27 hole resort east of the city, mature, tree lined and well conditioned, for years the host of the capital's club golf. The most polished of the older Cairo courses. Private, with visitor tee times through the resort.
A modern desert course east of Cairo shaped by Faldo Design with the Schmidt Curley studio, all sculpted dunes and strategic bunkering on the New Cairo plateau. The contemporary counterpoint to the older Cairo clubs and a strong test from the back tees. Private, with visitor access.
Built into an old limestone quarry on the western edge of Cairo, one of the last designs from the Thomson Perrett and Lobb studio, with elevation changes and quarry walls unusual for Egyptian golf. The newest of the serious Cairo courses. A private community club.
The Karl Litten course at Dreamland on the Giza side of Cairo, best known for the rare round played within sight of the pyramids. Flat and forgiving by design, it is more memorable for the setting than the architecture, but few rounds anywhere come with a backdrop like this. Open to visitors.
A John Sanford resort course on the desert edge west of Cairo, part of a large residential development, well kept and popular for society and corporate golf near the capital. A reliable, accessible round for golfers based in the city. Open to visitors.
Peter Harradine's championship layout beside the JW Marriott in New Cairo, a parkland style desert course with water in play and the city skyline beyond. Convenient and well maintained, it rounds out the Cairo options for golfers staying in the capital. Open to hotel and visiting golfers.
Designers, opening years and yardages verified June 2026. Several courses are private clubs within gated communities, with visitor access noted where relevant. Green fees move with the season and are indicative only. Course profiles are added across the site as the directory grows. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking.
Tell us whether you want the Red Sea, Cairo and the pyramids, or both, and roughly when. One concierge costs the whole trip to the head and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
The Cascades at Soma Bay, Gary Player's clifftop championship course above the Red Sea south of Hurghada, is the most highly rated course in Egypt and the first championship layout in North Africa designed by a member of the modern game's great triumvirate. In Cairo, Greg Norman's Allegria and the Faldo designed Katameya Dunes lead the inland courses.
Egypt's golf splits between the Red Sea resorts around Hurghada, Soma Bay, Makadi Bay and El Gouna, where the courses sit between sea and desert mountains, and the cluster around Cairo, where Allegria, Katameya and NEWGIZA serve the capital. The cool winter, from November to March, is the season to play. Always confirm tee times and fees directly before booking.
Red Sea tee time windows, new course openings and the warm weather trips our concierge is quietly building. Every other week.