Golf in Morocco: Golfweek’s Best raters go for the courses, fall for the flavors

Cliffside golf holes lead to exquisite dining experiences in Morocco.

MOROCCO – “You’re going where to play golf?”

That was a frequent response when a lucky group of Golfweek’s Best raters told friends about their next golf trip. The surprise was due to the fact that people just don’t think about going to Morocco for golf – at least not most Americans. But they’re oh so wrong. The country known for minarets and tagines, camels and Rick’s Café also has some incredible golf courses.

Near the end of 2023, 26 Golfweek’s Best raters from across the United States disembarked in Casablanca and headed to Rabat, the garden city of Morocco and home to King Mohammed VI. After a welcome dinner at the sumptuous Villa Mandarine set in an orange grove and a good night’s sleep, the group headed to the famous Royal Dar Es Salam golf courses to play the Blue the first day and the Red the second.

The Blue course, designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1974, offers a variety of hole designs. Trees and brambles narrow the fairway, and the greens are often behind doglegs and fairway turns.

A bus tour of the city followed golf and provided a glimpse of the Royal Palace, the Mausoleum of Mohammed V and the Kasbah of the Udayas. Delicious tagine dinners awaited the group at various local restaurants.

Morocco
Royal Dar Es Salam’s Red Course in Morocco (Special to Golfweek)

The Red course at Royal Dar Es Salam, located in the heart of a cork oak forest, meanders through more than a thousand acres of trees, flowers and water. This Jones Sr. masterpiece is a par 73, and almost all holes are surrounded by bunkers from mid-fairway to the greens. The ninth hole is located in the center of a large lake topped with water lilies.

After our tour bus loaded up all the golf bags and luggage, we were off to Marrakech – a four-hour ride. The Sofitel Marrakech hotel in the heart of the city offered breathtaking views of the indoor pool and garden, palm trees, bougainvillea and the Atlas Mountains. Our welcome dinner of tagines and other Moroccan dishes concluded with a beautiful and delicious chocolate dessert while we listened to a Moroccan musical group.

The Al Maaden Golf Resort hosted the group for our first of three Marrakech golf rounds. American architect Kyle Phillips combined the spirit of a Moroccan oasis with a Scottish touch. The course is inside the Al Maaden Sculpture Park, and 12 sculptures are positioned on and around the course. The unique artistic water feature on two of the holes blends into the terrain and offers a challenge off the tee and second shots.

The Safran Restaurant, which two groups of raters selected for the fantastic views and scrumptious cuisine, was empty when we arrived at 7:30, but by 9:00 every table was filled. That’s when we were surprised with music, belly dancers and Moroccan male dancers who were able to lure two of our raters into the aisle to dance with them. Who knew these otherwise mild-mannered group members were able to shake it with the locals?

The Assoufid Golf Club was one of the newer courses on the itinerary. The course winds through a naturally undulating desert landscape and has received several citations as among the best clubs in Morocco and Africa.

After golf, a three-hour walking tour familiarized the group with the Secret Garden, Ben Youssef Madrassa and the main square and souks. Our last dinner in Marrakech was set in the beautiful Red House located in the chic Hivernage area in front of the walls of the Medina. The luxurious dining area had incredible tiled walls, arches and columns with beautiful drapes and chandeliers. The chef prepared delicious couscous dinners accompanied by wine. Morocco is a former French protectorate, and one can thank the French for the wines throughout the trip that were quite drinkable, as was the Casablanca brand beer.

Our last course in Marrakech was the Old Course at Royal Golf Marrakech. One of the most senior layouts in the country, it was inaugurated in 1927 as a four-hole course for the personal use of El Haj T’hami el Mezouari el Glaoui and expanded to nine holes the following year. The current design weaves through some 15,000 Aleppo pines, eucalyptus, palm, orange and olive trees. The course was remodeled in 1933 by French professional Arnaud Massy, the first non-British winner of the Open Championship in 1907. Extended to 27 holes in 2007 by Thierry Sprecher, it is a charming old layout played by such golfers as Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George and Dwight D. Eisenhower.

After golf and a delightful lunch on the patio of the clubhouse, we boarded our bus for Taghazout Bay and the coastal town of Agadir. Popular as a vacation spot and retirement home for Europeans and Brits, the views from the hotel and most holes on the golf course were breathtaking and a dramatic contrast to the city locations of our previous stops.

The Tazegzout Golf Club, with a course designed by Kyle Phillips, opened in 2014. The routing meanders through natural Argan vegetation with deep rocky ravines and along a 260-foot cliff on the final three holes. The views of the Atlantic and the small fishing village were spectacular, and each hole offered a different challenge. This was definitely one of the favorite tracks of the group. Most unusual were the packs of dogs that roamed the course (sometimes playing on the greens with a golf ball recently hit by one of our raters), supposedly to keep away other unwanted animals.

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Golfweek’s Best course raters in Morocco (Special to Golfweek)

The little fishing village offered great restaurants with amazing fish entrees and views of the Atlantic.

By now we had mastered the on-again-off-again loading and unloading of the bus, and our final leg took us to the Agadir Al-Massira International Airport for a short flight to Casablanca and Mazagan Beach and Golf Resort. The 462-room, Moorish-style resort built around a beautiful pool area had everything you might want for a longer stay: restaurants, bars, casino, night club, spa and fitness center and a variety of other leisure activities.

The resort is on the Atlantic, and fog delayed our morning tee times unless you wanted to play blind, which a few groups chose to do. This Gary Player-designed course was the most “American” and offered golf with a view on almost every hole. The longest course in North Africa at 7,532 yards requires players to stay in the fairway, as ice plants line the fairways and gobble up any errant shots. With lush greens and immaculate fairways, it’s golf played to the sound of waves rolling onto the beach. The final three holes parallel the ocean and make for a memorable golf experience.

Our farewell dinner at the Bushra by Budha-Bar, curated by renowned chef Joe Barza, served an endless number of mezze dishes before the main course that included a variety of tagines. A Moroccan band played wonderful electric string instruments as our group enjoyed its final meal together.

Someone might ask, “Ashno ban lik?” Which in Moroccan means, “What do you think?” I believe all of us would say in English, “It was an incredible experience.”

A tour of Argentina: Golf, steaks, the tango and so much more for Golfweek’s Best raters

From Buenos Aires to Patagonia, a group of Golfweek’s Best course raters take in some of the best golf, food and scenes in Argentina.

The song goes, “Don’t cry for me, Argentina.” But tears sure weren’t the reaction of a Golfweek’s Best group during those players’ first outing to South America.

For 26 raters, the 12-day trip to Argentina in March was filled with the fine tastes of Latin America, including fascinating sights, delightful food and drink, enchanting scenic tours and wonderful golf to boot. 

A 12-hour flight from the U.S. usually means arriving bleary-eyed and hopelessly jet-lagged, but flights south to Argentina are blessed with minimal lag as the South American time zones aren’t much different from those of the States. As a result, the course reviewers could hit the ground running.

Reaching Buenos Aires, raters were shuttled to their hotel in the Recoleta area of downtown, the base of operations for the first half of the trip. Walking tours and taking in the charming sights of the “Paris of Latin America” were the first order of business. 

Some raters took half-day cruises to nearby Tigre, enjoying antique shops, riverside restaurants and bars, casinos, amusement parks and open markets, where they were able to practice their bargaining skills. Then it was dinners and early bedtimes, as the first round of the trip awaited the eager golfers.

Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play 2023: State-by-state rankings for public-access layouts

State-by-state rankings of the best public courses you can play in all 50 states.

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Want to play the best public-access golf courses in each state? Keep reading.

Fresh for 2023, we present the Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list for the top public-access layouts in each state, as judged by our nationwide network of raters.

The hundreds of members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them on 10 criteria on a points basis of 1 through 10. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings are averaged to produce all our Golfweek’s Best course rankings.

The courses on this list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or by staying at an affiliated hotel. If there’s a will, there’s a tee time – no membership required. (There are a handful of courses on this list that some players might consider to be private, but they do allow non-hosted, non-member guest play in some limited form, normally through a local hotel or similar arrangement.)

There’s one course of particular note this year. Of the dozens of courses new to this list, only Landmand Golf Club in Homer, Nebraska, debuts in the No. 1 spot in its state. Designed by Tad King and Rob Collins, Landmand opened in 2022.

KEY: (m) modern, built in 1960 or after; (c) classic, built before 1960. For courses with a number preceding the (m) or (c), that is where the course ranks on Golfweek’s Best lists for top 200 modern and classic courses in the U.S.

* indicates new or returning to the rankings

Editor’s note: The Golfweek’s Best 2023 rankings of top private courses in each state will be published Monday, June 12. More lists, such as the top 200 Modern and top 200 Classic Courses lists for 2023, will be published in the following weeks.

More Golfweek’s Best for 2023:

Golf’s most iconic building: Our trip inside the Royal & Ancient Clubhouse at St. Andrews

Thanks to Golfweek rater and club member Derek Dobbs, we received a grand tour of the facility.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – I still can’t decide what was the coolest piece of memorabilia on display at the R&A Clubhouse.

Was it the original oil paintings hanging on the walls? The prized silver Claret Jug that will be awarded to the Champion Golfer of the Year? Or the original Alister MacKenzie sketch of The Old Course surveyed and depicted in 1924? All spectacular and part of the rich history of the game, but then you see the original Challenge Belt that was awarded to the winner of the Open Championship from 1860-1870 until Young Tom Morris won the belt outright by winning the event three times in succession — that’s next level. 

Welcome to The Royal & Ancient Clubhouse, situated behind the first tee of the famed Old Course, and an iconic building whose exterior is known instantly to golfers around the world. Arnold Palmer once described it as “being admitted to the Hall of the Gods,” and thanks to Golfweek rater and club member Derek Dobbs, I received a grand tour of the facility, which was originally built in 1854 in the Georgian style of the day.

Dobbs joined the private club, with approximately 2,500 members worldwide, in 1989, or as he put it, “long enough ago to know my way around.” He usually comes over and plays once a year. (He’s also a member at Royal Dornoch #Jealous.)

The entrance to the R&A Clubhouse at St. Andrews. (Photo by Adam Schupak)

Jacket and tie are required for entrance and sadly no photos or video are allowed. In the main lobby is a cabinet that houses many of the most prized trophies in golf – from the Amateur and Ladies Amateur Trophy to the Claret Jug itself. There are two versions – the one awarded custody for a year to the Champion Golfer of the Year and the one I studied intently, which never leaves the grounds and was last given to Bobby Jones when he won in 1927, and didn’t want to risk taking it home to America.

On to the Trophy Room, where my eyes were drawn to the silver balls and led to Derek sharing the back story of an infamous club tradition. Every year since 1754, the new captain hits the ceremonial drive from the first tee and the local caddie who retrieves it is awarded a prize. A silver casing of the ball is then attached to the cluster hanging from a silver putter like grapes on a vine. (Captains of royal birth — there have been four — have gold balls.) Later that evening, at a dinner, new members are required to touch this ornament to their lips and kiss the captains’ balls.

The Big Room, the main social room on the ground floor, presents floor-to-ceiling bay windows and a stunning view of the first tee. We sat and watched Trey Mullinax and others tee off and had a drink. The room is adorned with paintings of Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Michael Bonallack, the five-time British Amateur champion, and Old Tom Morris. To have a locker in this room, you must have been a member for 50 years.

R&A members watch Tiger Woods before he tees off on the first hole from the R&A Clubhouse during the second round of the 150th Open Championship golf tournament at St. Andrews Old Course. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

Interestingly, members do not otherwise have their own lockers; rather, they find an empty one and pay a pound for its use. They’ve thought of most everything including a room for drying clothes in the locker facilities.

On November 30 or St. Andrews Day, the clubhouse is open to the public to take a tour of the ground floor, and I would encourage anyone to do so. But you’ll need a member to accompany you upstairs.

The walls heading up the staircase show off an impressive art collection that is rotated regularly. There were original oil paintings of The Great Triumvirate — Harry Vardon, John Henry Taylor and James Braid, the three leading British golfers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries — of Francis Ouimet, the American who won the 1913 U.S. Open at The Country Club and was R&A Captain in 1951, and a painting of the 2003 annual meeting when Prince Andrew was named Captain. Past Open champion Peter Thomson and course architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. were easy to pick out in the painting. Staff members were setting up for lunch as I admired the birds-eye-view of the first tee.

Spectators watch Tiger Woods (not pictured) on the 18th hole from the balcony of the Secretary’s Office at the R&A Clubhouse during the second round of the 150th Open Championship golf tournament at St. Andrews Old Course. Photo by Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

The clubhouse is a museum piece housing museum pieces from the great game. With chamber upon chamber of ancient hickory putters, mashie-niblicks, brassies and cleeks, you wonder why there is a need for the British Golf Museum across the street. Here are housed so many priceless antiquities such as Old Tom Morris’s baffy spoon and Allan Robertson’s rut iron, circa 1850. These clubs were crafted by true craftsmen but are so primitive that they look better suited for gardening. There’s a wall of unusual clubs as well, including a rake niblick, and the evolution of the golf ball from feather ball (1840), gutty ball (1890) and even a leather ball (1943) in the Billiards Room.

The list of honorary members, which already included the likes of former Open champions Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino and Tony Jacklin, grew by three this week with Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Paul Lawrie. As I made my way downstairs again, I spied a small wooden box with a slot cut out of the top. Tucked away on a table, it read, “Letter of support for candidates.”

Excuse me while I stuff it full.

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Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play 2022: Top 100 U.S. public-access courses ranked

Where are the best places you can play golf in the U.S.? Our rankings of the best 100 public courses for 2022 will be your guide.

Welcome to the Golfweek’s Best 2022 list of the Top 100 Best Courses You Can Play in the U.S.

Each year we publish many lists, with this selection of public-access layouts among the premium offerings. Also extremely popular and significant are the lists for Top 200 Classic Courses, Top 200 Modern Courses, the Best Courses You Can Play State by State and Best Private Courses State by State.

The hundreds of members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on 10 criteria on a points basis of 1 through 10. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings are averaged to produce these rankings. The top handful of courses in the world have an average rating of above 9, while many excellent layouts fall into the high-6 to the 8 range.

All the courses on this list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or by staying at an affiliated hotel. If there’s a will, there’s a tee time.

Each course is listed with its average rating next to the name, the location, the year it opened and the designers. Also included with many courses are links to recent stories about that layout.

KEY: (m) modern, built in 1960 or after; (c) classic, built before 1960. Also included with many courses are links to recent stories about that layout.

* Indicates new to or returning to this list.

Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play 2022: State-by-state rankings for public-access layouts

Where are the best places you can play golf in all 50 states? Our state-by-state rankings of the best public courses for 2022 will be your guide.

Looking to peg it up at the best public-access golf courses in each state? We have you covered.

With this 2022 list of Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play, we present the top public-access courses in each state, as judged by our nationwide network of raters.

The hundreds of members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on 10 criteria on a points basis of 1 through 10. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings are averaged to produce these rankings.

All the courses on this list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or by staying at an affiliated hotel. If there’s a will, there’s a tee time.

KEY: (m) modern, built in 1960 or after; (c) classic, built before 1960. For courses with a number preceding the (m) or (c), that is where the course ranks on Golfweek’s Best lists for top 200 modern and classic courses in the U.S. Also included with many courses are links to recent stories about that layout.

* indicates new or returning to the rankings

Editor’s note: The Golfweek’s Best rankings of top private courses in each state will be published Monday, June 6.

Coastal champs: South Carolina’s top five public-access courses

The best of South Carolina’s Low Country and Grand Strand is all about long marsh views, moss dripping from oaks and beachside living. Think shrimp boils, pickup trucks and Southern accents. And golf courses. From Myrtle Beach at the north end of …

The best of South Carolina’s Low Country and Grand Strand is all about long marsh views, moss dripping from oaks and beachside living. Think shrimp boils, pickup trucks and Southern accents.

And golf courses. 

From Myrtle Beach at the north end of the state’s beaches to Hilton Head Island near the southern end, it seems there are more fairways than back roads – and that’s saying something down here. 

It’s no surprise to most traveling golfers that South Carolina has great golf. Myrtle Beach is a long-time staple with its nearly 100 courses. Halfway down the state’s coast, Kiawah Island Golf Resort has hosted a Ryder Cup in 1991 and a PGA Championship in 2012, and the course is slated to host that major championship again in 2021. Harbour Town Golf Links at Sea Pines hosts the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage each April. 

What is somewhat surprising is that in a state that stretches inland some 250 miles with a diverse landscape that rolls up toward the Appalachian Mountains in the west, all the state’s top-ranked public-access courses are near the beach. Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play list includes 15 courses in the Palmetto State, and each of them is near the coast. 

My recent rounds on the top five on the list showcased the best of coastal South Carolina golf. Included with the highlights of my trip are comments from Golfweek’s Best raters, on whose opinions our comprehensive course-ranking system is built.