Tropicana Jul-Aug 2018 #119 Hot Stuff

THE SWING
“Built against the breathtaking
backdrop of the snowcapped
Atlas Mountains, SAMANAH GOLF
& COUNTRY CLUB is one of the
more popular courses
in Marrakech. ”
AMELKIS GOLF CLUB
Designed by Cabell B. Robinson and named after a Berber queen,
this famous 27-hole course sits at the foot of the Atlas Mountain.
Originally 18 holes, the popular course saw an additional 9 holes
being built, to offer guests three loops – Red, Blue and Green –
over a sprawling 450 hectares with visually stunning aesthetics
and holes amongst luxurious riads, lakes and palm trees. A superb
test of the game, the Amelkis development is a walled enclave just
outside the city and is hailed one of the finest in the region.
The course in itself is technical and challenging. Its hilly
terrain offers bumps, blind starts, pitfalls to each hole and huge
bunkers on every green. In keeping with an American course,
there are vast fairways coupled with red ground pits that signify
its natural beauty and originality of this route.
Hole 2 sets the tone early on in the game, with lakes and water
hazards dotted around. The back nine holes at Amelkis Golf
Club are dominated by even more water hazards, such as at the
447-metre 15th. The golfer will have to avoid many bunkers,
crushed bricks, tackle mounds of soil or venture into the blind
departures that add to the overall golfing experience.
The four tough holes feature from the 4 th to the 7 th on the
9-hole Blue Loop with each of these par fours measuring in excess
of 400 yards from tee to green.
AMELKIS GOLF CLUB
SAMANAH GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB
Designed by Jack Nicklaus, Samanah is the first of the famed golf
design company’s courses in Morocco and lies in the heart of the
developing ‘Marrakech Golf City’. The golf course has clinched
top honours in golf development and has been recognised as the
Best Golf Resort in the Arab region.
Built against the breathtaking backdrop of the snowcapped
Atlas Mountains, it is one of the more popular courses in
Marrakech. The design bears trademark Nicklaus features in
terms of length and the large bunkers alongside big waste areas
with stubby palms and grasses. The course is long from the back
tees (so best to choose your starting points wisely), flat, generous
and expansive with white sand bunkers. Golfers will notice that
the greens are fast but the ball will hold well, and the dry fairways
give the ball good distance if kept in play. Nevertheless, there are
water hazards that create a challenge.
At Samanah, there’s also a David Leadbetter Golf Academy for
a quick fix before getting back on the fairways in swinging form.
TM | JULY/AUGUST 2018
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