Work on the El Ein Bay golf development in Egypt, where Thomson Perrett & Lobb have designed an 18-hole resort-style golf course, is well underway with six holes already shaped and being prepared for grassing.

The El Ein Bay complex, which will comprise the golf course, 200 luxury villas, three apartment precincts and a large golf practice facility, is ideally located and is the closest beach resort to the country's capital, Cairo.

Rough shaping on the par-5 7th hole at El Ein Bay Golf Resort, Egypt

Tim Lobb commented: "Construction started on the golf course in December last year and we've continued to make excellent progress. This is going to be a special, fun-to-play resort-style golf course, serviced with some great facilities."

Watch a video discussing the forthcoming development and view plans of the resort here.

Five times Open Champion and Chairman of Thomson Perrett & Lobb, Peter Thomson, predicts this year's Open Championship at Turnberry represents one of the toughest tests of golf...especially if the wind decides to blow.

Peter last played Turnberry in the '77 Open, eventually won by Tom Watson, but this year he'll watch with special interest as Irishman Padraig Harrington tries to emulate Thomson's yet-to-be-repeated back-to-back hat-trick of Open wins (Peter won the Championship in '54, '55 and 1956).

He said: "The course is as tough as any on the current roster and its position on a big, long, lovely piece of coastal land makes it a superb championship course for the modern golfer. To make it a real challenge though, the wind has to blow."
 

Peter Thomson believes this year's Open Championship venue Turnberry is one of the toughest tests in golf

But Thomson still harbors a concern about how Majors are being ruined by the continued development in equipment, primarily the golf ball, and makes an example of this year's Masters tournament at Augusta.

"It is such a shame to see a great golf course like Augusta belittled by the developments in the golf ball. Anyone that is deeply involved in the game wants to see a tournament golf ball introduced as a matter of urgency.

"Augusta has been stretched and stretched and it's made no difference whatsoever. The ball is the culprit here and until that is adjusted Augusta will never get back to its very best. Tour players are, quite simply, driving the ball too far these days," he added.

Thomson also fears that modern day golfers don't need some of the skills players in his era had to combat to become Major winners.

He continued: "We had to learn how to hold the golf ball against the wind, especially on the links courses, but the modern golf ball and its ability to cut through any gust means players today don't have to master this skill. This is a serious matter in the administration of the game, as far as I'm concerned."

Watch a video of Peter talking about Turnberry here.

* This year's Open Championship at Turnberry takes place on the Ailsa Course between July 16-19.