Golf Course Architecture: Issue 57 - July 2019

TEE BOX 20 The fourth hole at NEWGIZA Golf Club, photographed by Kevin Murray, is a drop-shot par three with views of the Egyptian pyramids. “It was actually the last hole grassed, even though it was one of the early holes we started earthworks on,” said architect Tim Lobb. “It really connects two parts of the site and was particularly challenging to build as it has a 26-metre drop from tee to green, and at the time it was a sheer quarry wall. The construction teams had to build a pad going down into the quarry to gain access and now it is the path that is used for golfers. It is quite remarkable!” The course opened earlier this year and is the final design by Thomson Perrett & Lobb, the partnership between the late five-time Open champion Peter Thomson and golf course architects Ross Perrett and Tim Lobb. It is part of a 680-hectare development that includes upscale housing, sports arena, hotels, schools, universities and a community hub. “Working on this NEWGIZA course has been an incredible journey from complex design work, challenging construction conditions to seeing the course mature into a grown-up golf experience,” said Lobb. Ross Perrett said: “Since first walking the site in 2005 we knew we had the potential to do a unique course in this quarry setting just out of Cairo. We planned a course that would explore a lot of the site, including views of the Pyramids of Giza and give a context to the local cultural landscape.” THE B IG P I CTURE