Cascades Championship Golf Course

Safaga sits on Egypt's Red Sea coast roughly 60 kilometers south of Hurghada, a port town better known for diving and kite-surfing than for golf. The Cascades Championship Golf Course is part of the Soma Bay resort peninsula, a large-scale development that transformed a stretch of arid coastline into one of Egypt's most ambitious leisure destinations. Designed by Gary Player, the course opened in the early 2000s and carries his signature design philosophy: strategic bunkering, firm and fast playing surfaces, and a layout that demands course management over raw power.

The setting is genuinely striking. Desert scrub and sandy waste areas frame almost every hole, the Red Sea visible from much of the back nine, and the sun and wind off the water are permanent factors in how you score. Player's design uses water features and manicured turf to create a sharp visual contrast against the surrounding desert — the "Cascades" name is not incidental.

For visiting golfers, this is essentially destination golf tied to a full resort experience. It plays host to regional amateur and professional events and functions as a serious test by any measure, not just by the standards of a holiday course.