Golf in Saudi Arabia
Golf's fastest moving frontier: Royal Greens on the Red Sea, host of the Saudi International and LIV, the desert championship courses of Riyadh, and a wave of new layouts rising at NEOM and Qiddiya. The courses that matter, the seasons and how to plan it.
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Photograph: Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, via Google
Why golf in Saudi Arabia
No country is reshaping its golf landscape faster than Saudi Arabia. A decade ago the kingdom was effectively closed to leisure travellers; today it issues tourist visas, stages the Saudi International and LIV Golf events, and is pouring sovereign investment into a generation of marquee courses. The anchor is Royal Greens Golf and Country Club, a European Golf Design layout on the Red Sea coast at King Abdullah Economic City, a couple of hours north of Jeddah, where several holes run beside the water and the world's best have played every winter since 2019.
Inland, Riyadh is the second hub, with the modern Riyadh Golf Club now hosting the Saudi International and the longer established Dirab club nearby. Beyond them lies the most ambitious pipeline in the sport: Nick Faldo's course at Qiddiya near Riyadh, an alpine style layout in the NEOM highlands at Trojena, a Robert Trent Jones II nine on Sindalah Island, and more along the Red Sea. For the early adopter, Saudi Arabia offers championship golf, vast empty landscapes and a destination that almost none of your group will have played.
The regions
The Red Sea coast
King Abdullah Economic City and Jeddah, home to Royal Greens, the host of the Saudi International and LIV Golf, with more coastal courses planned along the Red Sea Project.
Riyadh and the interior
The capital's desert courses, the modern Riyadh Golf Club and the established Dirab club, joined soon by Nick Faldo's championship layout at the new Qiddiya City.
NEOM and the giga projects
The future of Saudi golf, the alpine style Trojena Northern course in the NEOM highlands and a Robert Trent Jones II nine on Sindalah Island, dramatic and entirely new.
The courses that matter
Royal Greens
The flagship of Saudi golf, a Red Sea coastal course of bold bunkering, water and sea breezes that hosted every Saudi International from 2019 to 2023 plus LIV Golf and the Aramco Team Series, managed by Troon.
Riyadh Golf Club
The capital's tournament course, a modern desert layout of wide fairways and strategic bunkering that now stages the Saudi International and opened the 2025 LIV Golf season, the most accessible marquee round in the interior.
Dirab Golf and Country Club
One of the longest standing clubs in the kingdom, set in the hills southwest of Riyadh, a relaxed members and visitor course that has long served the capital's resident golfers.
Qiddiya Golf
Sir Nick Faldo's championship course at the vast Qiddiya entertainment city southwest of Riyadh, in development and due to open around 2026, set to be a centrepiece of the capital's golf offering.
Trojena Northern Course, NEOM
The Middle East's first alpine style course, planned more than three hundred metres above sea level in the cool NEOM highlands near the Jordanian border, a genuinely new idea for golf in the region.
Sindalah Island, NEOM
A Robert Trent Jones II nine on the boutique resort island of Sindalah in the Red Sea, part of the NEOM project and aimed at the luxury yachting and resort visitor.
Designers, host history and opening status verified June 2026. Courses marked in development are not yet open for general play; confirm opening dates and access directly. Profiles are added across the site as the directory grows.
When to go
| Season | Conditions | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| November to March | Warm dry days, cool evenings | Prime season, the tournament window for the Saudi International and LIV |
| April and October | Hot but still playable, especially early | Warm shoulder months with quieter courses |
| May to September | Fierce desert heat | Best avoided for golf, or played at dawn only |
The Red Sea coast is humid as well as hot in summer, while Riyadh is a dry desert heat. The NEOM highlands, by contrast, are planned around a cooler year round climate, which is part of the appeal of the new courses.
Indicative costs
| Item | Indicative 2026 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Marquee green fee | Around $130 to $250 | Royal Greens and Riyadh Golf Club, visitor rate |
| A long weekend, all in | Around $2,000 to $4,000 per person | 4 to 5 star hotels, 2 to 3 rounds, transfers, excluding flights |
| Combined with the Gulf | Add a Dubai or Abu Dhabi leg | Easy to pair with the established UAE courses next door |
Indicative third party figures for the 2026 season, shown to set expectations only. We are a guide, not an operator, and never quote our own pricing. Always confirm directly before booking.
Getting there and around
Saudi Arabia has three main gateways for a golf trip. Jeddah on the Red Sea coast is closest to Royal Greens, a couple of hours north at King Abdullah Economic City, and is the natural arrival for the flagship round. Riyadh, the capital, serves the interior courses and the tournament golf at Riyadh Golf Club, with good connections across the region and beyond. For the NEOM developments in the far northwest, the project has its own emerging airport infrastructure. A driver or a hire car is essential between cities and courses, as the distances are large and the road network fast and modern.
Where to stay
On the coast, the hotels of King Abdullah Economic City and the resorts around Jeddah put you within reach of Royal Greens and the Red Sea, with the new Red Sea Project resorts adding luxury options as they open. In Riyadh, the city's growing roster of international hotels pairs the golf with business, dining and culture in the capital. For the early adopter, the opening NEOM and Sindalah resorts will offer something genuinely new. Saudi tourism is young and moving fast, so let one planner line up the right base and the visitor tee times for each leg.
Plan your Saudi Arabia golf trip
Tell us the courses you want and roughly when. One concierge costs the whole trip to the head and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
Saudi Arabia golf questions
When is the best time to play golf in Saudi Arabia?
November to March is the prime season across the kingdom, warm and dry by day and pleasant in the evening, which is why the Saudi International and LIV events are staged in winter. April and October are warm shoulder months still comfortable for early play, while the deep summer is fierce desert heat best avoided for golf, or played at dawn.
Can tourists play golf in Saudi Arabia?
Yes. Saudi Arabia now issues tourist visas to travellers from many countries, and the leading courses welcome visitors. Royal Greens on the Red Sea coast and the desert courses of Riyadh take visitor tee times through the season, and Golf Saudi is actively building the country as a destination, so an operator can arrange tee times, hotels and transfers as a package.
What new golf courses are opening in Saudi Arabia?
A wave of marquee courses is in development. Nick Faldo is building a course at Qiddiya near Riyadh due to open around 2026, the NEOM project includes the alpine style Trojena Northern course by McDowell and Dusenberry and a Robert Trent Jones II nine on Sindalah Island, and further layouts are planned along the Red Sea. Confirm opening dates and access directly, as timelines move.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Saudi course openings, NEOM and Qiddiya progress and the Saudi International and LIV windows worth tracking. Every other week.