Has anyone played there?
https://royalgreens.net/golf/the-course/
Yes. It just opened not even 2 years ago. It is a Troon managed course and the conditions are very good IMO.
It has a lot of bunkering, too much IMO. The greens have quite a bit of shaved runoffs, particularly long and towards the water hazards. Greens have bunkers left and right many times, with short being a desired missed. Here is a brief hole by hole opinion from an amateurs perspective.
Hole 1 - par 4, 360 - short and relatively easy starting hole. Fairway bunker left to a wide fairway. Green is back to front tilt with a bunker right for those slicing approaches.
Hole 2 - par 4, 400 - water right all the way down, PGA West Stadium type of hole with fairway bunkers left. Very tough hole.
Hole 3 - par 3, 205 - bunkers left and right with water on the right again. Kidney shaped green and a reverse bowl green with slopes off on many approaches.
Hole 4 - par 5, 570 - bunkers fw left and right, big bunker down the right layup area which needs to be avoided. The green is docile and flat, but again bunkers both left and right at the green. Theme here of bunkers around the greens L/R?
Hole 5 - par 4, 430 - bunkers left, sloping fairway right to left. Big trouble short right with deep waste bunker. Interesting green with the first 2/3 sloping back to front with fall off the back 1/3 portion.
Hole 6 - par 4, 470 - narrow landing area, bunker short right 200 yards, long left 275 for a driving corridor. Long bunker short right with shaved rolloff at the green a la Pinehurst.
Hole 7 - par 4, 340 - Driveable for some perhaps, carry 260 over bunker slight left to right hole with green tucked over a bunker. Green runs off long with bunkers L/R. Not and easy approach.
Hole 8 - par 3, 155 - narrow with bunkers left middle with part of the green wrapping around back left, thus you have to carry this bunker to those pins. There is a ridge / tilt that funnels balls from the right to the back left as well.
Hole 9 - par 5, 530 - tough shorter par 5, wide fairway, only long hitters can carry the fairway bunker on the left which isn't needed IMO. water the last 1/3 right side to the green. 2 fairway bunkers in the layup area 110-80 yards away. Bunkers short and long left with water right and tilt towards the water. Caution here as there are so many hazards.
Hole 10 - par 4, 370 - small centerline bunker around 260 which seems out of place to me and not needed. Waste bunker down the entire left side which pinches at 190 into the fairway. Greenside short left/right bunkers to a flat green.
Hole 11 - par 3, 165 - heart shaped green which is large. There is a bunker green side left, but a hidden run off bunker back right that can really cause you problems as it is pretty deep.
Hole 12 - par 4, 460 - very tight driving hole, slight dogleg left. Waste bunker entire right side with fairway bunkers at 240-260. Long narrow green with the last 25% sloping away which make back pins tough. One of the hardest holes on this course for sure.
Hole 13 - par 5, 530 - dogleg right around a lake with fairway bunker at 270 down left side. There is a lot of room left to layup short and left of green. Angle for 3rd shot is going across a bunker left/middle of green with water long and sloping back to front but also to the water and runs off if you get close to the edge. If you are downwind it makes it very difficult.
Hole 14 - par 4, 400 - true dogleg left to right, waste bunker down entire right side which forces you down the left. Dramatic green with a top shelf and bottom, thus it gives a backstop to shots hit running into the green. There is a hidden bunker left middle and 2 front right bunkers which are deep.
Hole 15 - par 4, 430 - dogleg right to left now, huge waste dunker down entire left side where the fairway ends at 280-290. Large green with slight back to front tilt. Only 1 short left greenside bunker here
. Ocean view is behind hole and there is a runoff long.
Hole 16 - par 3, 180 - right on ocean and their signature hole for good reason. Very picturesque hole with many selfies / photos taken here. There is a bunker front left which needs to be carried for middle/back pins or aim for the bump short right which will kick ball onto green.
Hole 17 - par 4, 350 - slight dogleg left and plays downwind, but which forces a layup 200-225. A big carry of around 300 is needed to go for green over a large waste bunker left. Green tilt back left to front right with runoff to a hidden back bunker. This green was one of the fastest on the course because of the tilt.
Hole 18 - par 5, 570 - double dogleg that bends around a lake on the left all the way to the green. You need a hero carry 40 yards short of the green to have a chance with a big bunker on the right side of the green. Go short here as there is runoff back and right to this green.
All in all there aren't a lot of golf courses here in KSA and this is certainly the best. We have one on our compound on the opposite side of the country (eastern province close to Bahrain), but this layout is pretty good. We wished they used site to add more water holes as they built it in the middle of nowhere and building a master built community there, which is very unusual for KSA. They are saving the beach for other things apparently, but had they been afforded more water views it would no doubt add to the experience. Top notch facilities and restaurant here as well, but a pain in the butt to get to as it is outside Jeddah by an hour or so. We shall see how the tournament does for this year they actually allow tourism, whereas they haven't had tourist visas since the 70's.
Who is coming to play a round with me as I can accept visitors now?
EDIT: I'm adding a Doak 5 for this course.