Madinat Makadi Golf Resort
GOLF COURSES – CAIRO ’ S PYRAMIDS GOLF TRAIL
In the western part of Egypt ’ s capital , Cairo , is a group of golf courses that make a perfect two-centre combination with the Red Sea . Close to Giza ’ s Pyramids , they collectively form the Pyramids Golf Trail .
The only course in this part of Cairo that I have played before is Dreamland Golf Club , another Karl Litten design that was renovated in 2010 by David Jones . The 7,205-yard parkland-style course is flat but is a beauty , its manicured fairways lined by mature trees , flowering bushes and shrubs , and several greens are shaded by tall palm trees . You can ’ t help but know where you are playing , as the tee markers are miniature pyramids and the hole numbers and information panels by each tee box are on tall obelisks , although you can ’ t see the actual Pyramids from the course .
Most holes are slight doglegs , both left and right . The par-4 3rd hole is a stunner , teeing off next to a lake and curving to a green protected by bunkers on either flank and with mounds topped by towering palms behind . Water comes into play on several holes , including the par-4 9th and 18th holes that play towards the Hilton Pyramids hotel and end in greens next to ponds .
Palm Hills Golf Course
The Allegria is one of three courses built in this area since I was last in Cairo . A Greg Norman Signature Course managed by Troon Golf that opened in 2010 , it is set on hilly terrain in an exclusive residential community and stretches to just over 7,200 yards .
The course is in immaculate condition and a joy to play . Its generous fairways give you confidence if your drives are a little wayward , making it eminently playable for beginners and high handicappers , but it bites back with cavernous bunkers , lakes edged by steep-sided waste areas , streams and rock features as well as fast and large multi-tiered greens . I love the sculptures dotting the course that include a giant angel guarding the 7th green .
My favourite hole is the par-4 14th , which has a stream tumbling down the entire right edge of the fairway from a pond by the tee . But it ’ s hard to pick out a poor hole as they are all so well designed .
Complementing the course is a large driving range with separate short game practise area and an academy with all the latest hi-tech gear to help golfers improve their game .
Palm Hills Golf Course and Newgiza Golf Club are just minutes from each other and both offer views of the Pyramids , just five miles away .
The 7,351-yard Newgiza , the last design by golf architecture firm Thompson Perrett & Lobb ,
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