Hicham Khouatmi: ‘Golf is a very important support for the development of the region and the country’

Atalayar has spoken with Hicham Khouatmi, manager of the Cabo Negro Golf Club, one of the courses available to players in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region. 

¿Qué características tiene este campo de golf?

What are the characteristics of this golf course? 

The Cabo Negro Golf Club was designed by the architectural firm Hawtree & Sons in 1976 and was later renovated and expanded by the American architect Cabell B. Robinson in 1994. 

It is an 18-hole golf course, with an area of about 6,500 square metres, located on the Mediterranean coast. 

How many golf courses are there in Morocco? 

Our company, Maroc Golf, manages three golf courses, including Cabo Negro, in Cabo, in the region of Tetouan; Bahía Golf Bach, between Casablanca and Rabat, in the town of Bouznika, also with 18 holes; and a third, in the south, in the city of Marrakech, called Amelkis Golf Club, with 27 holes. 

What is special about the Cabo Negro course? 

What is special about the Cabo Negro Golf Course is that it is an 18-hole course, the first nine holes of which are in the middle of the forest, which means they are a bit complicated. And the second nine holes are very pleasant and have a panoramic view over the Mediterranean Sea. 

Do you have to be a member to play at Cabo Negro? 

No. There are several types of green fee at the Cabo Negro Golf Club. That means that you can either pay the green fee and play on our course without any problem, or there are also annual fees. It's for everyone, so you don't necessarily have to be a member. 

As well as playing golf, do you have a restaurant, space for events or conventions? 

There's a restaurant, a bar, a putting green, a driving range... so there's everything you need to play golf. 

What type of player comes here and what nationality? 

There are two types of golfer. On the one hand, there are the passers, that is to say, the golfers who pay the green fee directly. We have several types of green fee, for nine, 18 and 27 holes. And then we have the members who pay an annual fee. There are golfers and members from the Tetouan-Tangier-Al Hoceima region and then there are members from Casablanca, Rabat, who come mainly on holidays and at weekends. And we have a very good proportion of golfers from the city of Ceuta. 

Do you organise competitions? 

Of course, we organise competitions, especially in summer, because here it's the high season for us, between the beginning of May and the end of September. So we organise competitions in collaboration with the Royal Moroccan Golf Federation. 

Do you think golf is important for investors and tourism? 

Of course; golf is now a very important support for the development of the country, the city and the region. You see, the policy in Morocco today is to have many golf courses in Morocco. Golf is important for the economy of the region in general. 

What message do you want to send to Spanish investors? How would you encourage them to come to Morocco? 

I would emphasise the proximity of the Cabo Negro Golf Club to Ceuta, to Spain. So I would love investors, especially golfers from Spain, to come here and try a bit of golf. This is a magnificent 18-hole golf course, right on the Mediterranean coast, with some magnificent beaches. 

There is also the city of Tetouan, which is an imperial city. You can take trips around the city and see things that don't exist in Spain. There is also the proximity of Tangier and Larache. 

There are currently several golf courses: the Ritz Carlton Golf Club will open its doors very soon; in Tangier, 60 kilometres from Cabo, there are the Royal Tangier Golf Club and the Al Houara Golf Club. There is also a nine-hole course in Asilah, about 20 kilometres from Tangier. In addition, in the city of Larache there is an 18-hole course, so golfers have plenty to enjoy.