Royal Anfa Mohammedia

The Moroccan port city of Mohammedia was, until 1959, known as Fedala but its name was changed that year in honour of King Mohammed V. Constructed by the French in 1913, it’s a popular holiday and leisure destination for residents of crowded Casablanca seeking a little time out in its relaxed, friendly atmosphere.

The 18-hole layout at Royal Golf Anfa Mohammedia was set out in the mid-1920s by the Biarritz professional Pierre Hirigoyen before it was subsequently modified by another Frenchman, Hugues Lambert. And until the Royal Dar Es Salam courses came along in the 1970s, Royal Tangier, Royal Mohammedia and Royal Marrakech were the only three jewels in the Moroccan golfing crown.

Located next to the Atlantic, holes run through avenues of pine and eucalyptus trees, progressing onto more links-like terrain along the shoreline where the landscape is reminiscent of an old-fashioned Scottish seaside course with small dunes and tumbling fairways. “Heavily bulbous because of its proximity to the sea” is the quaint way the course has been described by local commentators.