Yasmine Valley

Tourists flock in great numbers to the golden beaches of Hammamet every summer but for those who choose to avoid the sand in favour of a round of golf then the resort’s an ideal destination as it also boasts three 18-hole courses, all of them designed by Ron Fream of Golfplan in the late 1980s.

The two Citrus courses (Les Oliviers and La Forêt) are stimulating and demanding in equal measure, with each complementing the other whilst the course at Yasmine Valley – laid out just off the main road from Tunis to Sousse – offers a great deal more than the normal type of resort golf experience one might expect through an undulating landscape of pine and olive groves.

Holes are routed in two returning loops around a large practice area and short Academy course sited close to the clubhouse. The 1st hole is the longest on the card, a 595-yard par five that doglegs round water to the right of the fairway. Like the other double doglegged par fives at holes 11 and 17, it serves notice that a strategic approach will offer rewards to those who think their way around the property.

The old uphill par five 6th hole has been shortened to a 377-yard par four that now plays to a shallow pulpit green. This change was made to accommodate holes on the new Nicklaus course but, unfortunately, recent political events in Tunisia have put that particular project on hold for the time being.