Royal Golf de Marrakech
OFF-COURSE ATTRACTIONS
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Go haggling in the souqs of Marrakech for carpets, slippers, metalwork, home decorations, ceramics, leatherware and more.
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the most for visiting golfers. First, there’s the Samanah Country Club, a Jack Nicklaus design already open for play and Al Maaden, a high-end developer of golf resorts, who commissioned Kyle Phil- lips, arguably one of the hottest designer of the modern era, to take on the task of making their course a Moroccan star.
The Road to Agadir
The next day we load the clubs into
the rental car and head to Agadir. As the last dwellings of Marrakech are left behind, expansive stony plains open up and offer a window on Moroccan rural life. We observe more donkeys by the side of the highway than on Blackpool beach at summertime. Berber nomads sit on rocks keeping a watchful eye on their goats and sheep; women carry bundles of firewood back home and kids play football on dusty pitches at the foot of soaring mountains, where simple earthen houses cling defiantly to their precipitous slopes. Sitting by a vast sweep of protected
beach, with an average of 300 days of sunshine per year, Agadir is perhaps best known as a short stay holiday destina- tion for package tourists from Europe. However, Agadir is fast developing into
monuments and places of interest such as Koutoubia Minaret, Badia Palace, the tanneries out by Bab Debbagh, Jardin Majorelle (Majorelle Gardens) and the Menara in Marrakech.
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Eat traditional spice-laden Moroccan food from a restaurant in the Medina.
Go skiing or trekking in the Atlas Mountains.
Relax at the Cascades d’Ouzoud (one of Morocco’s best waterfalls about 103 miles northeast of Marrakech) where the three-tiered falls drop 110m into the river below.
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Go to a hammam for a traditional Moroccan bath or massage.
In Agadir visit the Kasbah of Agadir for fantastic views over the city.
Take a trip to the
relaxed coastal town of Essaouira and take a walk through the historic center and port area. With a magnificent beach Essaouira is also Morocco’s best-known wind and kite surfing center.
Marrakech’s golf rival, and the existing Royal Agadir Golf Course (9 holes), Golf Les Dunes (27 holes) and Gold Du Soleil (36 holes) will soon be joined by the Ocean Golf Club (27 holes) and Taghazout, a 36-hole facility currently under construction about six miles north of Agadir right by the crashing surf of the Atlantic on the coastal road to the popular seaside town of Essaouira. Our home in Agadir is the five-star
Tikida Golf Palace, where the luxury suites open onto Golf Du Soleil’s splen- did 36 holes that feature water fountains and several lakes with water coming into play on 10 holes. There are also plenty of bunkers to negotiate and if you take a caddie get used to one of their favorite comments: “You’re in the Sahara again.” The beauty here is that you can just stroll from your room to play a few holes on the Blue course, which is especially pleasant later in the afternoon when it starts to cool down. With warm weather, an exciting
culture and a strong golf development program with many big-name designers, Morocco is set to become an increasingly popular destination for the traveling golfer.
Andrew Marshall is a freelance writer who focuses on international travel, food, wine and golf. His work has appeared in publications across the world.
View additional Morocco photos:
SPRING 2010 NCGA Golf 59
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