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Destination: Golf in Tunisia

By: Golf Shake | Wed 16 Jan 2013


When you think about golf in Africa, most people’s thoughts immediately turn to the plethora of world-class tracks in the south of the continent. Whilst courses like Leopard Creek and Durban Country Club – the only African course ranked within the world’s top 100 – in South Africa are rightfully considered some of the continent’s best, the north of Africa is coming to the for as a genuine rival. Over the last decade or so, a number of championship-quality courses designed by world-renowned architects have opened in Morocco, and now, on other side of the striking Atlas Mountains, Tunisia is jumping on the bandwagon.

Transport links, climate and geography

Golf in TunisiaBeauty and variety aside, it will take you more than ten hours to fly to South Africa, and at considerable cost. In contrast, Tunisia is a three-and-a-half hour journey, with British Airways and Air Tunisia flying direct from a selection of airports across the UK. And it isn’t a surprise that more and more people are taking advantage of these transport links and choosing to play golf in Tunisia.

The affable and temperate North African climate is undoubtedly one of the main draws. Temperatures can often reach 40 degrees during summer on the Mediterranean coast, where a number of the country’s golf courses are situated. These heats are often offset by cooling ocean zephyrs that sweep in from the sea, providing idyllic conditions through the summer months. Easter time is arguably the best time to visit, with limited rain and glorious sunshine, and clement conditions remain throughout the winter months.

The southern part of the country is very arid and predominantly desert, with the northern regions home to the arresting Atlas Mountains and miles and miles of olive groves. Most of the country’s golf courses are centred around the main tourist hubs which, unsurprisingly, have sprung up along Tunisia’s 800 miles of Mediterranean coast. The green fees across the country are more than reasonable, and the golf courses themselves wind between olive groves and water features, providing wonderful vistas of the Mediterranean coastline. 

Hammamet

Yasmine ValleyHammamet is situated in the north east of the country, on the south side of the Cape Bon peninsular. It is the most popular tourist town in Tunisia, as well as being the oldest and most established destination for visitors. It also possesses arguably the best golf course in the country, Yasmine Valley, named after the town’s famous jasmine supply.

One of the golf courses here is currently rated number one by www.top100golfcourses.com, and it is easy to see why. Yasmine Valley, designed by Ronald Fream, gives the quintessential Mediterranean golfing experience, with the course set out over a plot filled with lakes, scented pine trees and olive groves. The glorious views of the Mediterranean only serve to add to the experience. Whilst the undulating fairways are wide, there are a number of tricky holes, and fast, tiered greens, tactically placed bunkers and intrusive trees and shrubs make for a testing challenge. The first hole, for example, is a whopping 595-yard dogleg played around one of the course’s two large lakes, with a sloping green making approach shots and distance perception hard to judge.

Ronald Fream also designed the two courses just down the road at Golf Citrus, La Foret and Les Oliviers. The former is currently ranked as the second best course in the country by the same website, with the latter coming in at sixth place. A stand out feature of La Foret is the number of doglegs it possesses, and course management is more important than any other attribute around a track laden with sand, waste areas, pine trees, olive groves and significant undulations, both in terms of fairways and greens.

It is also home to two of the best golf holes in Tunisia. The 170-yard par-6th hole will instil fear into any golfer, with tee shots played across a gully to a relatively small and plateaued green. On the back nine, the 12th sweeps beautifully downhill, with views of the rugged countryside and tranquil Mediterranean coming into view behind a green that’s protected on three sides by cactus-filled waste areas.

Les Oliviers is a slightly easier track, and provides a good test for players of all abilities. The fairways are much wider than La Foret, encouraging players to open their shoulders on almost all the holes. The character of the course is slightly different as well, with less undulation and more olive groves coming into play. The course also tends to be more affected by wind, meaning some of the tracks’s par 5s are reachable in two for most golfers. The par-5 18th plays into the wind, though, and out of bounds on both sides of the fairways adds to the unique and tough challenge of the closing hole.

Tunis and around

Whilst Hammamet is the obvious choice, you’ll also find some other great golf courses further south down the coastline, as well as in and around Tunis, the nation’s capital city.

The Flamingo Golf Course just outside the old fishing port of Monastir has just reopened after extensive renovation work, and features sloping greens, ample water and a number of holes carved through rugged cliffs. Further to the south, the stunning island of Djerba is home to 27 holes of sea-view golf between sand dunes and salt water lagoons.

The oldest course in the country, Golf de Carthage (1920), is located in the nation’s capital, along with the long, Robert Trent Jones-designed Residence Tunis, which offers panoramic views of the Mediterranean and salt flats that run parallel to the coastline.

Off-course

Off-course, Tunisia is home to a wonderful array of historically and architecturally significant buildings and monuments, including The Colosseum, the sprawling Medina of Tunis and the impressive El Djem Roman amphitheatre. The Tunisian culture, a component of African, French and Arabic influence, is fascinating, and you’ll be sure to receive a warm and friendly welcome from the moment you set foot in a country that has everything you need for a great golf break. And with seven nights all-inclusive, including three rounds of golf, at the Riu Palace from £449 with Golf Breaks, Tunisia is just waiting to be explored. 

For more information on golf courses in Tunisa click here

For those interested in the 2013 Tunisia Festival of Golf visit: http://www.golf-travel.co.uk/Tunisia_Golf_Festival.html

 


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