Saïdia magical final of the Morocco Golf Tour 2023

This event masterfully organized by the Kalika agency, sponsored by the Moroccan National Tourist Office, Royal Air Maroc and the Moroccan golf chain Madaef was the culmination of a national competition comprising 14 stages.

It saw nearly 900 players compete in a doubles format. Each victorious pair, in addition to a nice prize, also won their ticket for the all-inclusive final in Morocco. 

From the first round, on the Golf des Lacs, the team made up of Thomas Ronné and Frédéric Diaz struck a big blow by posting an incredible 54 (-18 net) already relegating the team of Nicolas Jeanneau and Julien Galle to 7 strokes, who with a 48 (-12 net) thought they had done the job. Jean-Loïc Hervy and Eric Dallibert 46 points (-10 net) complete the podium.

Galvanized, even doped with oriental flavors, the next day, on the Teelal course, the leaders did not intend to rest on their comfortable lead, but rather to disgust their opponents by achieving a stratospheric 57 (-21 net) . Despite a tough clash for the place of runner-up, the positions of the day before will remain unchanged.

Saidia, The Moroccan Riviera: a new spot to discover

Nestled in the far east on Morocco's Mediterranean coast, Saïdia has made its reputation on its magnificent golden sand beaches and crystal clear waters. Nicknamed “the Blue Pearl”, this seaside resort is very popular with Moroccans for their summer vacations. Located 1 hour from Oujda Saïdia airport is accessible by direct flight from France from Paris, Beauvais, Toulouse, Montpellier and Marseille. It offers a perfect combination of aquatic and golfing pleasure. For some time now, she has wanted to open up to a foreign clientele and she has a few advantages to showcase...

The Saïdia Golf Courses: 

The Saïdia resort offers two distinct experiences in terms of golf courses, an important asset to be able to compete with the plethora of Moroccan offerings.

Golf Les Lacs: 

It is the oldest of the complex, built in 2009, it is very Floridian in its design. As its name suggests, it gives pride of place to water obstacles. Present on three quarters of the course, the lakes make the course very challenging. Target golf takes on its full meaning here. Holes 2, 9, 17 and 18 are the perfect example. Having said that, you can imagine very difficult golf. This is not the case, because Francisco Ségales, the architect of the course, has counterbalanced its pitfalls with wide fairways and welcoming roughs.

My favorite for hole 17, a dogleg par 4 which for the challenge can see its green hit in one... Provided you know how to fly your ball 190 m to put it dry...

Teelal Golf: 

The spirit of the Links floats on the Teelal course, which means dune in Arabic. This is Saïdia's second course, built in 2018 by Nicolas Joakimides, a former French pro converted to course architecture. 

There we find many of the codes attached to this type of land. The view of the sea, but unfortunately only on holes 2 and 3, wide fairways and fairly short holes. 

So, how does it defend itself, you might ask, first and foremost thanks to its perennial plants, carpobrotus, more commonly called witches' claws, which line the edges of the drive fallouts. No chance of being able to reach the green from this evil trapdoor. 

Second difficulty, the undulating greens and their buttresses, the specialty of this course. You will often have to forget to attack the masts, but rather choose an area where you can bounce your ball to finish close to the flags.

Overall, Teelal is very pleasant, fantastic support for match play thanks to its few short par 4s like 2, 3, 5 and 12

Another asset and not the least, the Saïdia golf courses are very reasonable financially. Count on €41 for an 18-hole course at Les Lacs or Teelal. These are certainly among the most attractive prices of all the major Moroccan tourist resorts…

By Jean-Francois Ball

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