Tom
Here’s a couple of snaps with the water feature in view from the tee box of the 12th and 18th holes at Al Maaden. They are probably the two most surreal images I’ve ever taken on a golf course, actually!
Par three 12th with square green on the edge of the water:
Par four 18th played at an angle of 45 degrees across the edge of the "hazard"
(note too the amount of construction work going on in the background):
Incidentally, I sent Kyle Phillips an email four days ago asking him to confirm that he had had to compromise his design in order to bring Fernando Caruncho’s "features" into play but I’m still awaiting a reply.
I’ve just submitted an article for the course to Keith Baxter, the editor-in-chief at Top 100, for publication. Part of it reads:
“The Al Maaden course is, like all these new golfing projects, the centrepiece of a residential development that surrounds the perimeter of the course. It’s laid out on a rather flat landscape with fairways routed rather uniquely around a couple of geometric water features - one on either nine at holes 5, 6, 12 and 18 - that are intended to give golfers the feeling of playing through a Moroccan garden.”
My review of the course includes:
“I loved the holes from 13 to 17 where fairways enjoy some rolling movement but the holes immediately before and after this section left me somewhat perplexed. The par three 12th and par four 18th play across the edge of a series of large, square concrete walled structures (which retain water for irrigation) but I’m not sure if this very modern “art meets golf” concept really works. A similar aquatic arrangement at holes 5 and 6 didn’t exactly get my pulse racing either – then again, these “Moroccan garden” features (presumably from the drawing board of landscape gardener Fernando Caruncho) will certainly get people talking about the course, I’m sure!”
Adam
I’d contacted Guy Maxwell at Assoufid beforehand to arrange a visit but in the end, I didn’t have the time to see the course after playing at Amelkis the next day. If I’m ever back there, I’d also like to have a look at the new Nicklaus layout at Samanah.
Good shout for Gary Player’s Mazagan; it’s also on my Moroccan hitlist as I’ve heard very good reports from a number of people.
Overall, I was a little underwhelmed by the golf on offer in Marrakech – then again, I had been spoiled by playing a couple of days earlier in the Trophée Hassan II pro-am on RTJ’s wonderful Golf du Palais Royal course in Agadir – now THERE’s a good course in Morocco!