Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects was hired to breathe new life into the layout of the Mena House Golf Course, one of the most stunning golf environments in the world. Mena House Golf Course is located less than 250 yards from the side of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.
The Great Pyramid of Giza can be seen from the Mena House Golf Course in Giza, Egypt.
Mena House began as a royal hunting lodge in the 1880s, and golf was played there from 1899 in the shadow of the Pyramids of Giza. The California-based architecture firm plans to introduce a more flexible golf experience while honoring the site’s history. Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects also designed Madinati Golf Course and Southmead Golf Course in Egypt.
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Mena House is owned by Legacy Hotels, which is 51% owned by ICON, the hospitality arm of real estate and hospitality development company Talaat Moustafa Group.
“Mena House Golf Course is unlike any other golf course in the world, combining tradition, hospitality and one of the most iconic environments imaginable,” said Omar Hisham Talaat, chief business development officer of Talaat Mustafa Group, in a media release announcing the project. “With the backdrop of the Pyramids of Giza, this course is unique worldwide and offers an incredible opportunity to create a golf experience deeply rooted in Egypt’s cultural heritage.
“Golf is an important part of our broader vision for sustainable development and healthy lifestyles. As we continue to expand our golf portfolio, which includes Madinati Golf Club, the 18-hole SouthMED course on Egypt’s north coast, and Sharm Bay in Sharm el-Sheikh, we see Mena House as a crown jewel worthy of the highest levels of design excellence and international attention.”
According to a media release, the renovations include:
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Completely redesigned course to best recreate the experience of playing under the pyramid
A social green that promotes family play and serves as a gathering place for resort guests
Ground contour lighting for night play
Installation of modern irrigation systems that support optimal conditions all year round
new lawn installation
“This is one of the most meaningful locations for golf in the world,” Robert Trent Jones III, chief operating officer of Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects, Inc., said in a media release. “We are honored to manage a course with more than 125 years of history and shape its next chapter with care, precision and creativity. Our vision is that as golfers play beneath the 4,700-year-old pyramid, they will be able to capture the history of this awe-inspiring environment. Embrace it. Mena House has all the elements that make golf memorable: history, scenery, atmosphere and an environment people will never forget. Our focus is to design a course that is worthy of its location.”
Jason Lusk is Golfweek’s travel and golf course architecture editor and the magazine’s creative director. He has written and designed Golfweek for more than 20 years.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Robert Trent Jones II redesigns course next to Egypt’s Great Pyramids
