The tourist town of Agadir lies on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, with a population of around half a million people. The local economy is centred on the port, where hundreds of small fishing boats land millions of sardines every year, but tourism also plays a big part in the town’s ongoing prosperity. It’s now the nation’s biggest seaside resort and Agadir As Massia airport is used by an increasing number of European low cost carriers to fly in foreign visitors throughout the year.
You can easily spend the best part of a week golfing here as there are 126 holes spread over five different golf facilities. Set aside a day for each of the four modern golf complexes in the town and at nearby Taghazout – but don’t forget the 9-hole Royal Golf Club Agadir where you’ll step back in time to savour its 1937 origins. If only the ultra-private Golf du Palais Royal d’Agadir layout (host venue for the Hassan II Golf Trophy 2011-2015) was so accessible to visitors…
Golf du Soleil - Championship
Golf du Soleil is the only 36-hole set-up in Agadir and it started out with three 9-hole circuits in the late 1990s which were designed by Fernando Mueller and Gerard Courbin. An additional 9-hole loop was added to the Blue nine in 2006 for form the 18-hole Tikida course, with the original Yellow and Red nines rebranded as the Championship layout. This course staged the LET’s Lalla Meryem Cup in 2011 so it obviously has the capability of testing the professionals as well as providing an entertaining challenge for resort golfers.
Golf du Soleil - Tikida
The shorter Tikida course also plays to a par of 72, with four par fives on the front nine. A couple of these holes are routed round the Tikida Palace hotel in the southern part of the property, close to where the Oued Sous empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Interestingly, a round here finishes (like the Championship course) with a terrific short par three across the little lake that fronts the clubhouse – it’s a fabulous setting for a post round drink on the terrace watching golfers complete their 18-hole journey round this golfing oasis.
The 5-star Tikida Golf Palace hotel was built when the course was extended 17 years ago and it offers 54 air-conditioned luxury guest rooms and suites, each with a minimum space of 60 square metres. Spa and fitness centre amenities include indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a sauna, Turkish bath, steam bath, jacuzzi, massage and spa treatments. La Table du Golf restaurant is open seven days a week serving high-quality cuisine for lunch and dinner.
Other Riu Group hotels in Agadir are also associated with Golf du Soleil; namely the Riu Tikida Beach, the Riu Tikida Dunas and the Riu Tikida Palace, along with the Riu Palace Tikida Taghazout on the other side of town.
Golf de l’Océan
Golf de L’Ocean is situated a short 5-minute drive from Golf du Soleil, with three 9-hole loops in play: “Desert,” “Garden” and “Dunes”. Designed by the American Belt Collins company and opened in 2010, the course co-hosted both the Trophée Hassan II and Coupe Lalla Meryem professional events for men and women just a year after it debuted. The Dunes and Garden nines are marketed as the premier 18-hole combination but either of these 9-hole layouts could be replaced by the Desert nine which is at least as good as both of them.
A couple of local accommodation providers are major partners with Golf de L’Ocean and they’re positioned close to each other on the other side of the Royal Palace, just a 15-minute drive away. The 470-room Founty Beach Hotel is spread over three buildings, with a large outdoor pool, a fitness centre and a spa. For those who might prefer a quieter stay, the 28-room Riad Villa Blanche is a great option. The spa provides beauty treatments with massages given by “magic” hands and the restaurant – organized in three atmospherically different rooms – serves French and Moroccan specialities.
Golf Les Dunes
Golf Les Dunes lies between Golf du Soleil and Golf de l’Ocean, with three 9-hole loops designed by Cabell Robinson in the early 1990s.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 set out on more open ground. All holes enjoy firm and fast playing conditions as they’re laid out across a landscape of pure sand which is many metres deep. At the moment, the clubhouse is closed for renovation.
The golf club partners a number of local hotels, including the 251-room Riu Tikada Beach, the 400-room Riu Tikada Dunas and the 343-room Robinson Club, all of which reside along the strand to the north of the Royal Palace. A little closer to the course, there are cosier places to stay like Villa Riadana and Riad des Golfs (which each have 8 suites) and an Airbnb establishment called Villa Phénix with 6 guestrooms for up to 12 people. These more intimate venues are ideal for small groups who’d like some privacy when they’re not on the golf course during the day.
Tazegzout Golf
The 27-hole facility at Tazegzout Golf is situated half an hour’s drive north of Agadir in Taghazout Bay, where it’s operated by Madaef Golfs, who also manage Les Dunes. Designed by Kyle Phillips, the original eighteen holes (Vert & Rouge) are set out on high ground above Taghazout Bay, climaxing with a fantastic 3-hole stretch along the edge of the escarpment that overlooks the Atlantic below. Tazegzout’s located a little out of town but it’s well worth the journey to get here and experience a course fashioned by one of the world’s leading golf course architects.
The 5-star Hyatt Place Taghazout Bay hotel sits next door to the golf course, with 152 guest rooms available for stay and play. Close by, there’s the 504-room Riu Palace Tikida Taghazout hotel and next door to it is the Radisson Blu resort with a variety of rooms, bungalows, and cabanas. Close by, the Hyatt Regency Taghezout just opened last year with 190 guestrooms, while further along the beach there’s the 170-room Hilton Taghazout Bay Beach Resort & Spa and the Fairmont Taghazout Bay which has a selection of 146 rooms, suites and villas with ocean views – you’re certainly not short of choice here!
Royal Golf Club Agadir
No golf trip to Agadir would be complete without a visit to the old 9-hole course at Royal Agadir, set out on a triangular-shaped property at the end of the main N10 highway heading west from town towards the airport. The club was founded in 1937 then a mysterious “Scotsman named Mister Wilson” is said to have improved the layout in 1952 before they were further refined in more recent times by a Colonel Kamili.
Recent bunker renovations add real challenge to the layout in the modern era – beware those who glibly claim to have played the best 9-hole course in the world elsewhere as they’ve probably never heard of this place never mind set a foot in it…
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Jim McCann
Editor
Top 100 Golf Courses