TETOUAN, MOROCCO | Once again, I find myself back in Morocco, and happily so, for this North African kingdom never fails to enthrall a traveler with varied and spectacular scenery, its interesting and exotic culture, and the warmth of a very hospitable people.
I am also amazed that even after 15 trips since 1995, I continue to make discoveries that not only amuse me but also deepen my affection for this land, which in 1777 was the first to recognize America after it declared its independence from Great Britain.
We stayed at the newly opened Ritz-Carlton in the gleaming capital city of Rabat for the first three days of our latest adventure here, for a pro-am tournament I co-founded three years ago called the Morocco-America Friendship Cup. And I chuckled one morning as I noted some of the items on the laundry list as I prepared to send out a load of shirts and shorts. It included djellabas, the flowing robes that Moroccan men traditionally wear, and kaftans, which are classical garb for women. I only wished I had brought along a smoking jacket, just so I could have checked that box as well.
I headed after my arrival to Royal Golf Dar Es Salam – which the hotel abuts and features two superb 18-hole courses (the Red and Blue) and a nine-holer (the Green) – and was immediately reminded of the fun that comes with playing a round with one of its caddies. Many of them mete out on-course advice in French, Arabic and English, or some combination thereof. Having some aptitude for languages, I am pleased to discuss club selection and strategy with them in all three tongues, though I still do not understand why I insist on speaking English with a French accent when I do so.
I also like their responses when I ask if I will reach the green with the club they have just handed me. “Inshallah,” they will often say. That means “God willing” in Arabic, and I can only hope that He will indeed help me out.
Playing at Dar Es Salam, which King Hassan II founded in 1970, I also thought of Butch Harmon, who was the club’s first head golf professional, and his father Claude, who counted His Majesty as perhaps his most prestigious student as well as an occasional playing partner.
Driving around Rabat and other parts of the country, I marveled at the road signs in Arabic and Berber, a visually striking language that when written looks like something a primitive like Picasso or Matisse might have created. It also serves as a reminder of how a third of the populace in Morocco are from that indigenous ethnic group and that some 75 percent of Moroccans have some Berber blood.
The après-golf scene in Morocco is very strong, and it ranges from tours of Roman ruins in the ancient city of Volubilis to the treks through the bustling medinas of Marrakech and Fes. This time around, I checked out the American Legation in Tangier. Established in 1821 and housed in a traditional riad, it was a gift from Sultan Moulay Suliman to the nascent nation and was America’s first diplomatic mission overseas. Though it has not functioned in that capacity since 1956, when such operations were moved to Rabat, the building is still owned by the U.S. State Department and the only U.S. National Historic Landmark located overseas.
Morocco is also home to a trio of hotels, called Royal Mansour and situated outside of this Mediterranean town as well as in Marrakech and Casablanca, that are truly fit for a king, in large part because they are owned by one, in this case the current monarch of Morocco, Mohammed VI. His standards are as high as his pockets are deep, and I couldn’t help but think as I luxuriated in their rooms and restaurants that maybe having a head of state who is also in the hospitality business is not such a bad thing after all.
John Steinbreder
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