Riyadh Golf Club, Riyadh
Out past the north of Riyadh, what is currently in the middle of what seems like nowhere, you come across Riyadh Golf Club. Passing through the gates, you drive down the date tree lined avenue and see one of the holes on your left hand side. The first thing that strikes you is the greenery in the middle of this hostile climate. You can see the harsh desert areas that are to the side of each hole. The lone palm trees that are strategically placed in the fairways. The fairway looks wide, this is good. Maybe you won’t have to worry about the desert areas.
Below is my review of Riyadh Golf Club.
Course layout (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆)
There are a nice variety of holes on the golf course. Which keeps you on your toes and forces you to plan how you will play each hole. The course is quite open so you can be slightly off-line with your tee shots and still be in play. Yet at the same time it’s a long track. But with different tees available on every hole you can play off whichever suits your capability best.
Par 3’s
The par 3’s on the course are ones you will be very happy to walk away with par on. On the front nine they are shorter than the back nine but are no easier to score on. The 8th hole where the green is more or less an island green is a beautiful little hole. It’s a typical example of a par 3 not having to be over 200 yards to be a tough hole. The greens are well protected on all par 3’s and there is minimal bail out area on any.
Par 4’s
The par 4’s are a lovely mix of holes. Some give you the opportunity to play a risk/reward shot and take on a dog-leg. However you may feel that the safest and best option is a long iron or fairway wood out the middle. Fairway bunkers come into play on almost all of the holes so knowing your landing areas is key to scoring well on the course.
For the holes that are straight holes, the fairways are quite open. You can drift left or right and not be in any major trouble. However, drift too far, and you find yourself reaching for the club you don’t worry about damaging as you are in the rocky unforgiving desert.
Par 5’s
The par 5’s are all long holes. You will need the wind at your back and two perfect hits to have a chance of hitting them in two. Apart from the 5th hole, but the danger taking on this green is that after a great drive you still need to carry the large lake in front of you to hit the green. If you are confident then it’s a good scoring hole.
Overall the layout is good, but the course is a little too open and does not force you to be straight off the tees. You can get careless with your driver and still be in with a good chance of hitting the green with your next shot.
Course condition (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆☆)
Overall the condition of the grass areas of the course was good. The tee boxes were trimmed nicely and there were no bare areas. They were fairly flat although one or two did have some bumps. The fairways and greens were excellent. You got a good roll from the fairways and the greens were receptive to approach shots. The rough was a nice length and there was no issue looking for golf balls when it went in there.
I do think however that the off-course areas such can be worked on as they are rough, compacted clay with lots of little rocks and stones waiting to damage your club. You could argue that you shouldn’t be in there anyways but regardless it would make the place look a lot better.
At present the water hazards are being worked on and the streams are empty on the course. It’s unsightly at the moment and if these were completed the course would be a lot more attractive.
Up until recently the only gripe on the course was the condition of the bunkers. But thankfully they have renovated the greenside bunkers now and you can play proper splash shots out of them. Once they are maintained to stay like this then it will make for much more enjoyable bunker shots. The fairway bunkers are still quite compacted but it does make it easier to hit out of them for longer shots.
Facilities (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆)
Riyadh Golf Club has pretty good facilities. It has a nice driving range which is two tier. Here you can get unlimited golf balls or just buy a bucket before your round. They sell soft drinks and tea or coffee here also. The range has markers every 50 yards from 50 up to 250. If you can reach the end of the range, congratulations! You’ve just hit a 300 yard drive!
The clubhouse has a restaurant, shop, changing rooms, and a nice outdoor sitting area overlooking the drivable 18th green. The food in the restaurant is average, and quite highly priced considering. The shop is quite expensive, but this is the standard in Saudi Arabia. As there is not a lot of golf shops, prices tend to be high. When you are out on the course, there are buggies going around selling soft drinks and water. They roam the course so you need to keep a look out for them and call them over if you need something. There are also some water filling points so keep a look out for those.
The buggies are equipped with GPS to show you distances which you access with a touch screen display. It’s advisable to double check your yardages with an alternative device in the first few holes to ensure that the GPS map is updated with the current pin positions.
Price (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆☆☆)
Riyadh Golf Club is the most expensive of the three 18 hole grass golf courses in Riyadh. The rates for non-members are approx. SAR500. When you consider that you can play some of the top courses in the other Middle East countries for slightly more, where the European Tour plays, it is very high. Playing with a member will set you back SAR400. All in all, I believe the price is too high, it’s certainly not something you want to pay every week.
There is a twilight option which is approx. SAR300 and if you are not a slow golfer you should be able to complete your round before it gets dark.
Setting & Course location (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆☆☆)
The location is about a 15 minute drive from the outskirts of Riyadh, on the King Fahd Road. You need to know the location as you need to take a dirt road just after a petrol station, and the golf course is not sign posted. With the way Riyadh is spreading, it is likely that in a few years, Riyadh Golf Club will be in the city itself! But this has a way to go yet fortunately.
You won’t get any scenery to look at around the course as it is in the middle of the desert and it’s all waste flatlands outside the course. So don’t be expecting any amazing views.
For the location on Google Maps please click here.
Conclusion
I liked Riyadh Golf Club. While it is not up there with the likes of some of the UAE courses, it is still a good course to play in Saudi. You can be a bit wayward and still find your ball and play your next shot. It is not too punishing for the higher handicappers. Once you play smart you will always be safe. (Isn’t this true everywhere I hear you say?). But you can also get rewarded for some brave play.
It’s a course that I enjoy playing every so often, and to be honest, if the prices were more reasonable I would probably play here a lot more.
OVERALL RATING – (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆☆)
Contact Details for Riyadh Golf Club
Website: Click here
Telephone: +966 55 739 9900
Email: reception@riyadhgolfcourses.com
Hole-by-Hole
All distances from the blue tees which I played from. Indexes are men’s indexes.
Hole 1: Par 4, 387yds, index 10
The first hole is not an easy tee-shot off the first tee. You have the choice to go straight out or cut the corner over the bunker on the left if you are a long hitter. This can pay off and leave you with less than 100yds to the green but it is dangerous if you do not catch your driver properly or you go too far right.
If going straight out, there is a ditch in front of the landing area which you need to be over to leave yourself a good opportunity for a mid-iron approach shot.
The green has danger short left and pin high right meaning you need to be straight with your approach.
Hole 2: Par 5, 604yds, index 2
This hole was previously a par 6 but the tee has been moved up recently. It’s a straight forward hole, but longer hitters may find themselves in the sandy area crossing the fairway. The fairway is quite wide so there is a tolerance for being offline with the drive.
Even after a good second shot with a fairway wood or long iron you will likely have about 100yds left to the green.
The green is large and is protected on the left and right by bunkers.
Hole 3: Par 4, 414yds, index 14
This has a wide fairway but anyone with a tendency to slice needs to aim left to stay away from the desert area. There is a fairway bunker on the left side of the fairway. After a good tee shot you will have just over 100yds to the green. There are bunkers to the left, right, and front and if you are over the back it’s best to reload!
Hole 4: Par 4, 421yds, index 4
In my opinion this is one of the hardest fairways to hit! Even though it is only 7yds longer than the previous hole it feels much harder! This is partly due to the OOB on the right hand side which causes people to aim well left. Doing this can lead them to hit into the desert valley which is not nice to hit out of! The green is very slightly elevated and is tricky to hit. It’s protected on left and right by bunkers.
Hole 5: Par 5, 555yds, index 6
A nice wide fairway which if you can find the right hand side will give you the opportunity to go for the green in two. Albeit over the huge lake! The danger with aiming right is the fairway bunker, and also a ditch which is a hazard. If you go for the green in two then it is best to aim slightly left giving yourself the best chance of being over the water. That way if you are short you will have a short chip into the green.
If playing it safe for the second shot then go up to the left of the lake to leave yourself an approach of approximately 100yds. There are bunkers on the left of the green, and the lake on the right. Over the back is soft desert sand which is tough to hit out of.
Hole 6: Par 3, 145yds, index 18
When you walk up to the tee you think this is a walk in the park to hit this green. Then you hit your tee shot! If it’s slightly left you will catch one of the impossible bunkers and to make it worse no green to play with! You can bail out right for a safe miss, but there is a bunker here also. However this one is easier to miss.
Hole 7: Par 4, 381yds, index 12
The best option for this hole is a fairway wood out the middle slightly right of center. This will leave a 100yd approach shot. There is a ditch about 70yds in front of the green which is reachable for long hitters with a driver.
Extremely long hitters may try to go over the ditch with the tee shot but this is very rare.
There are bunkers to the left and right of the green. If you go long then the ball will roll forever on the hard compacted desert surface. This will leave you a near impossible chip.
Hole 8: Par 3, 136yds, index 16
One of the nicest holes on the course, this is an island green par 3. There is water all around and the rough around the green has been trimmed down. If you think you are in danger of the water, then you are probably in it. The hole looks easy until you are standing over your ball on the tee.
Hole 9: Par 4, 399yds, index 8
This is another hole for the long hitters. They can cut the corner on the right hand side and leave themselves with less than 100yds to the green. The danger with this is the OOB on the right hand side, if you slice you are gone! The green is elevated and has bunkers to the left and right. It falls away dramatically at the back so if you are long you have an exciting putt coming up!
Hole 10: Par 4, 361yds, index 15
This hole is a drivable one for the brave. If you are long and straight, or at least know if you are fading or drawing, then you can get very close to this hole. If you are too far left you will be out of bounds. Go too far right and you will be in desert. The approach shot for anyone who lays up has to deal with bunkers to the left, right, and short of the green. For a high index hole it’s not the easiest!
Hole 11: Par 4, 383yds, index 7
Another wide fairway that allows you to be slightly offline. But you don’t want to be too much as there is OOB on the left, and desert on the right. It’s a straight hole so once you’re on the fairway with your drive it’s a short to mid iron to the green. There isn’t a lot of trouble around the green except for bunkers on the front left and on the back.
Hole 12: Par 5, 558yds, index 3
This is a straight forward par 5. If you get a good drive away and you hit a good second shot, you should have less than 100yds to the green. There are bunkers on the right and the left but it is not a hard green to hit. Unless the pin is on the right then you are coming in over the bunker there.
Hole 13: Par 4, 413yds, index 11
And yet another one for the brave! You can cut the corner on the left hand side to leave 100yds or less into the green. The risk here is if you are too far left you are in the desert. If the ball hits this it will roll forever and you will have a very short shot to the green, but it’s not easy to hit out of! Aiming for the centre of the fairway will leave you a long to mid iron into the green. There are bunkers everywhere except on the front.
Hole 14: Par 3, 164yds, index 13
This hole is one of the tricky par 3’s on the back nine. The green has an extremely large bunker on the front right hand side. If you are right you will be in the large bunker beside the 17th hole. Hitting left will either put you OOB or leave you in the desert. There is a bunker on the back, and also on the front left. Even hitting the green doesn’t get you out of trouble! The fall is tough to judge and you could easily be looking at a 3-putt.
Hole 15: Par 5, 569yds, index 5
Standing back on the tee, you think how hard could this be? The tee is elevated giving you a good view of the very wide fairway below you. But for your second shot you need to be aware of the water on the right hand side, the OOB on the left hand side, and the ditch which is about 60yds in front of the green. The best option is to take a long iron and lay up to 100yds. The green is protected on the left and right by bunkers. And if you duff your approach shot you are in the ditch.
Hole 16: Par 4, 413yds, index 1
The toughest hole on the course according to the stats. You can see why when you stand back and look at it. The tee shot needs to go over a lake, while at the same time worrying about the stream on the left hand side. Be too far right and you are in the desert or one of the three fairway bunkers. Even if you crack a drive down the center of the fairway, you are still not finished. There is another stream about 40yds in front of the green. The green is also surrounded by bunkers except for the front. This is a good hole and a par here is a good result.
Hole 17: Par 3, 166yds, index 9
In my opinion, easily the toughest par 3 on the course! This green is so hard to hit with no bailout area whatsoever! It’s elevated and surrounded on all sides by bunkers. If you are going to miss the green its better to duff your tee shot so it only goes 50yds! The bunkers are hard to hit from and it’s likely you can even go across the green into another one! The green has some tough falls which can take your ball miles away from the hole even if you think you’ve played it perfectly.
This hole can make or break your back nine!
Hole 18: Par 4, 348yds, index 17
And so to the finishing hole. The drivable 18th. This is easily reachable from the tee with a good drive. There is a bailout area to the left which will leave you a short chip in. Even if your tee shot looks to be drifting right it may still be safe behind the green.
Playing out the middle with a fairway wood will leave you just over 100yds in and it’s not a hard shot. There are bunkers to the left and short right but they shouldn’t be a problem.
