This is Robert Trent Jones' most notable Moroccan creation. Set in a 1,000 acre forest of cork trees, this 45-hole complex is only 15-20 minutes from Rabat and comprises three courses.

Firstly, the Red course (7,462 yards, par 73) - no lover of great golf courses should go to his grave without having first tested his skills against this magnificent monster. Long, yes, but never, never boring and, from the front tees, it's a perfectly fair, if strenuous test.

The shelf-like greens surrounded by daunting bunkers make every approach shot a high test of nerve, the superb Bermuda grass fairways, true, fast greens and a finishing hole at No.18 that must rank as one of the toughest finales in the world.

For the lesser mortals there is the Blue course (around 6,600 yards but without the unforgiving Red courses plethora of fairway bunkers) which has a number of excellent holes. And lastly, the little Green course with its 9 charming holes set in wooded surrounds with plenty of shade on a steamy day.

The clubhouse is splendid - you feel pampered from the moment you arrive. There are excellent changing facilities, practice ground and putting green of the highest class, a swimming pool and superb French-influenced cuisine.

The quality of a course is judged not only by the bounty of nature at the heart of which it takes place, but also by the complexity and balance in its design. A successful alchemy can be found on each of the courses at the Royal Golf of Dar Es Salam.

Red Course

This is the crown jewel of the Royal Golf of Dar Es Salam, born for competition in 1971. Its layout was designated as the most difficult of the European circuit, which it now belongs to thanks to the Morocco Golf Open.

A very long course, it runs on for over 6 700 meters! A very technical course which obliges one to think and plan each swing with exactitude, to the great joy of strategists who find an adversary of size there! Its hole number 9 is famous worldwide: a large lake with the green at its centre and 172 meters to be played entirely over water or, even better, on the top of the water lilies.

Blue Course

Entertaining and varied, the Blue Course hides its greens behind dog-legs and fairway turns. The layout of the Blue Course drawn by the Trent Jones is not a place for improvisation!

If the Red Course is particularly long, the Blue course can turn into a long run as well. Par eleven is a par 4 for 405 meters, as captivating in its beauty as it is in its difficulty. Trees and brambles narrow the fairway flanked by a lake with two large mimosa trees which will not stop the ball, obviously intended to finish in water!

Green Course (9 hole)br>
This nine-hole course was thought of for fast tours during a lunch hour or as a good course for lessons, for a less competitive, more relaxed and friendly game.

Its layout is certainly built on simpler concepts, but without losing any variety or movement. Here, there is no room for a par 5, but four par 3s offer distances from 130 to 180 meters with which to vary the game options, at the heart of a park full of graceful Red-billed Oxpeckers, small white birds with long legs and bright orange beaks who call it home...

Luxury resort accommodation nearby

 • The Sofitel Diwan, Rabat
 • La Tour Hassan, Rabat