[Steve Okula]

So I was in Tunisia a couple of weeks ago looking over a few golf courses, and I happened across this rough cut diamond that calls itself Tabarka Golf.

Designed by Ronald Fream, (who has about half of the dozen or so courses in the country) in 1992, it sits on a wonderful site, with pure, sandy dunes covered in windswept pines and junipers rolling down to a spectacular rocky, Mediterranean coast; it’s to die for.

Tabarka has struggled throughout its existence, owing to its remote location. It’s a 2-3 hour drive out of Tunis, or there is one commuter flight per day from Tunis to Tabarka, but no direct international flights.

The maintenance is a bit rustic at the moment.  After some fooling around they’ve settled on converting, as quickly as the limited resources allow, to a seashore paspalum, which appears to be thriving in greens, tees, and fairways, and I expect that in the next year or so it will be pure and allowing for a superior playing surface.

If you’re already in country then it’s worth a detour and the US$50 is a bargain.

[Jim McCann]

I was in Tunisia a couple of weeks ago and visited the resort courses at El Kantaoui, Yasmine Valley, Citrus and Tunis El Residence.

While I was there, several people mentioned to me that Tabarka was probably the best course in the nation but because of its relative remoteness in the north west of the country, not many golfers get to play it and appreciate just how good it is.

I know from corresponding with its architect, Ron Fream, that the course, with proper care and attention, could easily be tagged the
"Pebble Beach of North Africa".  

I did manage a quick visit to another Tunisian golfing gem, Carthage, which is the oldest layout in the country, dating back to the 1920s.

The club somehow managed to squeeze 18 holes into a 75-acte site and it just oozes charm from the moment you walk through the arched entrance at street level then climb the marble stairs up to the clubhouse:

 

Here's a snap of the 2nd green, sitting behind a rickety old wooden bridge that spans a rather sorry looking pond:



The 17th is the second of back-to-back par threes (one of six such short holes on the back nine):



It's a government run facility that could be a wonderful golfing attraction if only the new regime would invest
some money in the place - the greens were absolutely top notch; it's the tees, fairways and bunkers that are in
need of some TLC.

[Tom_Doak]

Steve:

Thanks for sharing.  That looks like a terrific spot, although I am not sure I'm going to book myself in anytime soon.

How safe / comfortable is traveling in Tunisia?

[Jim McCann]

Tom

There's a good rail and internal flight network within Tunisia and they have an excellent main highway (toll road) between Tunis and the resorts to the the south east of the capital.

I didn't feel unsafe travelling around the country by coach on my recent brief visit and the staff in the golf resorts could not have been any friendlier or more welcoming. Of course, because their jobs largely depend on tourist rounds, they'd love to see the recent 30+% drop in visitor numbers reversed pretty quickly.

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