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Morocco
On
the Southern Royal Golf Road
Where to play (2)
- at Agadir
At about 10 kms on the road to the airport, the Agadir
Royal Golf Club opens its pink-coloured doors
onto a deliciously romantic golf course. It all began when,
in 1955, a certain Scottish golf enthusiast, named Wilson,
dug a hole in what was then only a field. The Agadir
Royal Golf Club is a par 36 course 3,600 metres long
with fairways perfumed by pines, eucalyptus and mimosa fragrances
that blend with the tang of the nearby ocean ... It is a delightful
course, but beware of the trees and the dense undergrowth.
Greens are broad, well defended by deep bunkers and palm trees
that close off the angles. The club house is buried in a the
bougainvillaea.
The magnificent Club Méditerranée Dunes
Golf Course is the result of the talent of
a disciple of Robert Trent Jones, Cabell Robinson. It is a
superb stretch of gently rolling land with abundant growths
of eucalyptus punctuated by expanses of water. Cabell B. Robinson
has incorporated a number of remarkable surprises into these
three nine hole par 36 courses. On the Eucalyptus, the blue
course, hole number 8 is a gem: on the green there is magnificent
view of Inezgane. The
Wadi, the yellow course, needs much more skill. Its narrow
green is guarded by a lake, an embankment, a bunker and a
deep depression. Good luck! For the Tamarisk, the red course,
all clubs and best strokes are needed. The last hole is imposing:
a narrow par 5 climbing uphill through the trees before gently
sloping down to the green all along a lake.
At the next door, along a party wall, stays the Golf
du Soleil which has been created in 1999.
It is also a three 9-holes designed by the Spanish architect
Fernando Muella. As close to the Dunes, the nature and environment
are similar but the architecture is slightly different. The
blue course is good for those who master draws and fades.
Water hazards are present on #4,6,7,8 and 9 where the second
shot has to overfly water to reach the green. If the yellow
course is less wooded, its fairways are narrower and the greens
smaller and undulated. The left side of the #5 and 6 are out
of bonds (along the party wall). The red course is going on
ups and downs on undulated dunes. Moreover with long par-4
and narrow undulated greens, it is obviously the most technical
of the three courses with also some fantastic views to the
Atlas mountains in the background.
- at El Jadida
The Sofitel Royal Golf El Jadida
has been created in the years 1994/1995 along the northern
seashore. The hotel is five-star and the golf course has been
said to be the best in Morocco. In fact, there is a fierce
competition between the new Moroccan golf courses to become
the best one. Let us say that El Jadida is really a great
course. One of those you don’t forget in a golfer’s
life time. First of all its setting is exceptional between
the forest of eucalyptus planted by the French to stabilize
the dunes and the seashore where Atlantic waves die day and
night in white foam on the sand following the rhythm of tide.The
invigorating fragrance of pine and eucalyptus carried on the
sea air... Falcons fly over the trees along the course to
catch field mice and slip away into the blue of the sky and
clouds take the still waters of the lake at 12th as a mirror...
On the 14th, magnificent araucaria sare standing like rows
of strange vegetable sculptures along the fairway while from
the 17th, one can contemplate the shimmering white town of
El Jadida... And the number 18 overlooks the unspoiled beaches
and dunes flowering with tamarisk and mimosa... Wherever the
golfer may be on the Royal El Jadida course, Cabell B. Robinson
has ensured that he will be surrounded by stunning natural
beauty.
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Golf des Dunes #9 blue
Dunes hole 4 & 5
Golf du Soleil hole 6 blue
Golf Soleil putting green
El Jadida hole 17 near the ocean
El Jadida view from the club-house
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