Eighteen-time Major championship winner Jack Nicklaus will help design a state-of-the-art championship golf course in Saudi Arabia‘s Qiddiya area, it has been announced.
The legendary golfer is the most decorated player in the game’s history, but also a globally renowned golf course designer in his own right. The latest project by his company, Nicklaus Design, looks set to bolster a growing collection of world class golf courses planned for the Kingdom.
Located 40 minutes from Riyadh, Qiddiya is considered the capital’s Entertainments, Sports and Arts’ district with the golf course set to be the centrepiece of an extensive private golf and country club set in the picturesque setting of the Tuwaiq mountain range.
“I am excited by this project and my first golf course design in the Middle East,”Nicklaus commented. “To be selected as one of the first international designers to work in the Kingdom is a great honour. I’ve already spent time looking at the topography of the land, images of the backdrop and terrain, and discussing with our design team a strategy for the course.”
According to the proposed plans, the design of the course will integrate the natural environment and the stunning Qiddiya landscape, bringing together green spaces and mountainous terrain to create “a beautiful and challenging golf course.”
Construction began on the Qiddiya project in 2019 and the golf development will include a high-end resort hotel and spa, as well as exclusive residences, that once finished will position the development as a leading Golf and Country Clubs in the Kingdom.
Commenting on Jack Nicklaus’ involvement, His Excellency Yasir O. Al-Rumayyan, Chairman of Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation said: “To have the greatest-ever golfer commit to making his mark upon our developing golf landscape in Saudi Arabia and at a project as significant as Qiddiya gives us great pride. To be part of the Nicklaus legacy will be something that we will always cherish, especially knowing the positive impact it will have on growing awareness of the sport at a domestic level, whilst increasing our national visibility as a vibrant new golf destination.”
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