The three 9-hole loops at les Dunes occupy a large 250-acre site adjacent to the du Soleil golf complex, to the south of Agadir, and the courses first opened for play in the early 1990s. Designed by Cabell Robinson, each nine has its own character: the fairways of the Oued are very tight and undulating, the Tamaris brings water into play at several holes whilst the Eucalyptus is more open, with wider fairways.
The championship 18-hole configuration at les Dunes consists of the Oued and Tamaris combination, stretching to 6,243 metres from the back tees, though the Eucalyptus nine shouldn’t be easily dismissed as it possesses a fine set of holes, the best of which is probably the 473-metre 8th, doglegging right and up to a raised plateau green from an elevated tee position.
The Oued nine, also known as the Jaune (yellow) circuit, lies within the more heavily forested portion of the property so tall, mature trees flank the fairways. Indeed, the only hole with a little width is the closing par five 9th hole, which is routed around a large irrigation pond. The par five 4th is the pick of the holes on this loop, veering left and up to a raised green from another elevated tee placement.
The Tamaris nine, also called the Rouge (red) nine, possesses an imaginative collection of putting surfaces, highlighted by the wonderful Biarritz green on the par four 7th hole, though the long, narrow three-tiered green on the par three 2nd comes a close second for ingenuity. Water also comes into play at the 4th, 5th and 8th, where small ponds protect the greens at each of these holes.
