Morocco
Is this the next really big thing in golf travel? We believe it has all the ingredients to be exactly that…
In Golf Escapes, we always like to delve deeply into a destination that we think could make a really significant mark on the golf travel scene. Sometimes it is somewhere especially obscure, other times it is an area or country that has a toehold in golf travel but would rather like to get more of a grip. In the past those featured have included Argentina, Slovenia, Malaysia, Slovakia, and back in the day, Belek. In 2016, our ‘One to Watch’ is in Africa, and it would fall into the category of ‘trying to get more of a grip’. Morocco already caters for thousands of travelling golfers every year – but would like to attract even more… and we think it has every chance of doing so. Why? Because if you listed the ingredients required to make a destination successful in attracting lots of golfers, Morocco ticks all the boxes. We’ll explain why that is the case for each aspect…
Don’t worry about the weather
One key aspect is the climate. For lovers of British and Irish links – and there are plenty of us who have no qualms about packing our Galvin Green waterproofs and heading off at any time of the year – this is clearly not important. But for the majority of golfers who want to travel to play, being greeted by weather better than what you have left is a key consideration. That feeling when you disembark a plane and the weather is worse than that which you waved goodbye to in Britain is not a nice one. In Morocco that is very, very rarely going to be a problem. It is located on the westernmost tip of north Africa, bordering Algeria to the east, Mauritania and the Western Sahara to the southwest and southeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Mediterranean to the north.
Mountains play a big part in its geography and thus its weather. The Atlas range runs through the middle of the country and the forested Middle Atlas range rises to over 3,000m from the south. The Rif Mountains run along the north. Morocco has a gorgeous stretch of Atlantic coastline – with lovely sandy beaches kept cool by a regular breeze – as well as being lapped by the Mediterranean (the courses of Sotogrande are an hour away by ferry). To the south, the Sahara conjures up images of barren swathes of sand drifts but in fact it is punctuated with traditional villages and lots of oases. This is worth explaining because it impacts on the diverse weather Morocco enjoys. It has a generally tropical climate, and thus temperatures can be up to a sizzling 35°C – but in the Sahara they can be down to 5°C. Within these broad diameters comes variation: the coast has a warm, Mediterranean climate cooled by southwest trade winds while inland areas have a hotter, drier climate. In the south, it is very hot and dry most of the year, with the aforementioned desert lows by night during the ‘winter’ months of December and January. Rain does fall November to March in coastal areas but not to the kind of degree that threatens to wash out a golf break; indeed, whether inland at Marrakech or on the coast at Agadir, you will relish the average temperature of 21°C during the winter (same as ours). Those 35°C summer temperatures mean this is a brilliant winter and spring destination, with April and May, then September to November outstanding times to visit. For a flight time of around four hours (it can be slightly more than that going but bizarrely as little as two-and-a-half hours coming back), this is clearly a tremendous boon – imagine being able to guarantee terrific weather when you step off a shorthaul flight in April and November? So the weather is very much in Morocco’s favour – and that is frankly a vital factor to have in your favour if you want to battle with the golf travel industry’s giants. Belek would not have developed so successfully, so quickly, if it had a miserable climate!
Tourist infrastructure
Next, the off-course infrastructure that makes a golf holiday work properly. Again a comparison can be made with the British and Irish links enthusiast; this person doesn’t mind painstakingly making their way along winding roads to get to a remote seaside course. They don’t mind the last ferry back from a western Scottish island being totally ill suited to their preferred tee time that day. Those going on sunshine golf breaks do, though, and again, Morocco is well equipped as a result of a legacy in tourism. As one of the most politically stable countries in North Africa, its tourism has developed steadily and continually. In the late 1980s and the early 1990s, over one million Europeans visited Morocco – not a poor figure by any means… but by 2008 that was up to eight million, and climbing. As a result, there are plenty of flights to its numerous, well-located airports and efficient ground services once you are there. Given the wide range of flights, taxis, transfers, prices are attractive too. Low-cost carriers fly into Agadir, Essaouira, Rabat, Casablanca and especially Marrakech from a number of UK airports. You won’t be short of options, or budgets.
Attractions for the non-golfer
These come in the form of both the amenities we now expect of first-class resorts and the historic attractions of the country at large. In all the resorts we will mention in the next section over the page, you enjoy sumptuous spas, excellent food, superb leisure facilities such as tennis courts and swimming pools, amazing beaches… we all know what to expect. In such an historic country, it is not surprising that there are plenty of attractions to discover. Casablanca is Morocco’s largest city and home of the Hassan II Mosque; for many film lovers alone it will be a must visit. Other cities that will interest include sprawling Tangier – like Casablanca, a popular port of call for cruise liners – and Ouarzazate, a noted film-making location where Gladiator among many others was shot. Agadir and Tarfaya are packed with beach resorts. Marrakech, in central Morocco, is a popular tourist destination for those seeking a taste of Morocco’s history and culture. Its hustle and bustle has charmed thousands of visitors, including fashion icon Yves Saint-Laurent, who liked it so much he bought the Majorelle botanical garden. You need not go so far as to display your affection for the country… El Jadida, called Mazagan by the Portuguese, was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004 for its part in fusing Europe and African influences. One more point before we move on and that is that Morocco is relatively inexpensive because of the devaluation of the dirham. The luxury, the attractions, the weather and the quality golf do not come at Caribbean prices… they are more in line with those you enjoy in great-value Belek.
Now, the golf courses…
The last attraction is the actual golf. No one raves about a golf holiday if the courses were not up to scratch, even if everything else was absolutely sensational. So it wouldn’t be a golf holiday without proper courses – but Morocco is very well stocked in this regard. It is actually not impossible that you can play all of the key courses we mention in the same trip. However in reality it should be broken up into two separate visits: one to Marrakech and one to the Atlantic Coast resorts. We’ll start with the golf on offer in Marrakech first.
Let’s begin with the Montgomerie Marrakech, designed by the European Ryder Cup legend in association with European Golf Design on a 75-hectare site in 2013 right in the heart of the city. It enjoys views of the Atlas Mountains as well as the iconic Koutoubia Mosque. The Montgomerie also has a cool clubhouse, literally, with the ‘First Ice-Bar in Africa’! On the outskirts of Marrakech is a relatively new course by a relatively new designer – and both are impressing good judges. Assoufid by Neil Cameron enjoys a more interesting landscape than most in the area and its ‘traditional’ design features have made their mark at home and abroad. Royal Palm by American Cabell B
Robinson is a ‘garden’ course with real quality while Samanah is a Nicklaus design characterised by rippling fairways and large bunkers in its desert-style setting. Al Maaden by feted American designer Kyle Phillips is predictably well thought out, among deep bunkers and around water hazards. It also offers terrific views of the often snow-capped Atlas Mountains. Another world-famous architect laid out Palmeraie, in 1992. Robert Trent Jones Snr crafted this relatively short but exacting course, toughened up by water features and large greens with subtle and not-so subtle slopes. The mature Royal Golf and nine-hole Atlas Golf are other options in this well stocked city. Next, to the Atlantic coast, where the courses are perhaps less established but very possibly more exciting.
They are also within a couple of hours’ drive of Marrakech, hence the possibility of doing all within the same trip. Exhilarating, but busy! Mazagan Beach, near El Jadida, was opened in 2010 to a design by Gary Player and this is a thrilling slice of holiday golf. With a ‘look’ of a links course, it is a proper test at well over 7,000 yards and with the coastal breezes to contend with, is a serious examination. Towards the end of the front nine the pulse raises as the holes play alongside the coast in a manner that you imagine will make this a very popular course. It is a tremendous all-round resort too, and you could happily base yourself here for your entire trip. Nearby El Jadida by the aforementioned Robinson offers an alternative interest if you do just that. Moving down the coast you come to Mogador near Essaouira. The North course has been open since July 2009 and was designed by Player in what was once a dense pine forest. It is not unlike Player’s work at Mazagan, with wide playing corridors and a forgiving nature for travelling golfers. Plus, of course, it offers equally spectacular Atlantic views. There are fewer residential properties in view than on some similar courses, and the back nine here is especially strong. The Agadir area is home to some good golf resort options, with the star of the show the new one just north of the city within the Taghazout resort. The Tazegzout course is located 15 minutes north of Agadir in the heart of the Taghazout Bay resort. This awesome new design by Phillips hugs the coast spectacularly for a number of holes in its 76 hectares; others are cut through indigenous Argan forest. All at least offer a glimpse of the coastline. This environmentally friendly clifftop course is laid out 80m above sea level and offers a tremendous finale of holes routed over ravines or the bluff.
Travel essentials
THE CLIMATE The coast is cooler and will get a little more rain – but nothing to make you wary. This is a year-round destination with a pleasing climate akin to the Canaries.
WHEN TO GO April and May or September to November are terrific times to visit.
GETTING THERE Fly to Marrakech, Agadir and Essaouira.
CURRENCY Dirhams
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