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THE SWING<br />
Rugged mountains, large desert tracts and the lengthy<br />
coastlines of the Atlantic Ocean, plus the Straits of<br />
Gibraltar and the majestic Mediterranean Sea, are what<br />
characterise the Kingdom of Morocco. So, it comes as no<br />
wonder that one of its major cities, Marrakech is home to golf<br />
courses that don’t just make for a picturesque play but also a<br />
challenging one.<br />
Marrakech has rapidly become the new golfer’s destination<br />
and with 300-plus days of sunshine annually, why not? We<br />
present the top five golf courses in Marrakech that offer golf<br />
enthusiasts a good run for their money.<br />
THE ROYAL GOLF OF MARRAKECH<br />
Inaugurated in 1927, The Royal Golf of Marrakech is one of<br />
the most ancient golf courses of the Kingdom and is a frequent<br />
haunt of King Mohammad IV, one of Morocco’s keenest golfers.<br />
It is situated at the feet of the snow-covered Atlas Mountains.<br />
Level terrain provides for an easy walk through the 100-yearold<br />
vegetation, comprising more than 15,000 trees such as<br />
eucalyptus, palm trees, olive trees and orange trees. While each<br />
hole remains an unforgettable experience, its most famous is<br />
nicknamed Brigitte Bardot because of its beautiful shape.<br />
The Royal Golf Of Marrakech is a unique course made<br />
of a historical 18-hole “ Old Course” (par 72 of 5,937 metres)<br />
inaugurated in 1933 and a 9-hole “ Menara” (par 36 of 3,072<br />
metres) opened in 2008, which was designed by French<br />
European Senior Tour player Gerry Watine. The original 18<br />
is an “English style” course with strategically placed bunkers<br />
protecting its greens and tall testing trees and palms whilst the<br />
Menara features only lakes.<br />
A veritable Garden of Eden, the Royal Golf of Marrakech<br />
has been attracting players from all over the world for 80 years.<br />
Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George and Ike Eisenhower<br />
have enjoyed playing here.<br />
PALMGOLF MARRAKECH-OURIKA<br />
This 18-hole golf course is the newest and by far the toughest<br />
course in Marrakech. It combines performance and pleasure<br />
with stunning views of the Atlas Mountains’ snowy peaks and<br />
is surrounded by olive and palm trees. Managed by Troon Golf,<br />
PalmGolf offers fantastic practice facilities as well as exemplary<br />
service on a course designed by Canadians Neil Haworth and<br />
Stephane Talbot, who conducted extensive research on the best<br />
varieties of grass to use.<br />
The course is riddled with many holes that have long carries<br />
over extensive waste areas; adding to the challenge are narrow<br />
fairways running around deep lakes. It extends over 6,692<br />
metres and is Par-72. This course is the first ‘buggy only’ course<br />
in Morocco, and each cart has a modern GPS system which helps<br />
golfers on their club selection and strategy as well as offers the<br />
ability to monitor speed of play for all. Full concrete paths were<br />
built throughout the course offering all-year round play.<br />
The course is well maintained, with somewhat dry fairways<br />
and six lakes to add variation to its desert concept. There are<br />
a lot of holes that make good use of the water element. The<br />
signature hole is the Par-3 17th, which is an elevated island green<br />
surrounded by a sea of sand which adds to the difficulty factor.<br />
PALMGOLF<br />
MARRAKECH-OURIKA<br />
TM | JULY/AUGUST <strong>2018</strong><br />
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