The final of the Canal+ Trophy took place from Friday to Sunday in Morocco on the magnificent courses of the Golf Royal Dar Es Salam in Rabat. The opportunity to rediscover a historic destination of the great country of golf in the Maghreb!
After having passed, in their respective region, the qualifications which brought together nearly 4,000 golfers, 130 golfers and golfers of all levels had made an appointment in the Moroccan capital under a generous sun to conquer the title of this 16th edition.
whose success is undeniable. The hospitality of the host country, the organization of the Canal and Kalika teams, the staff and equipment of the Sofitel Rabat as well as the exceptional red and blue courses of the royal golf course have been the keys to an annual meeting intended to long-term, in the words of Frank Cadoret, a retired Canal executive who is still passionately involved in the golf industry.
The top 20 winners are listed at the end of the article. Let us simply point out that the ladies were well represented and that personalities had slipped into the list of guests such as the former number 10 of the Blues Michel Platini, the rugby players Cédric Heymans, Abdelatif Benazzi, the former French number 1 Gery Watine or the actor filmmaker Lucien Jean-Baptiste.
Here are the reactions we gathered on the spot.
Rabat, statements
Frank Cadoret (Canal+): “The result of this Canal L’Occitane Aquarelle + 2022 trophy is very positive since we have beaten the number of participants with almost 4,000 participants.
It is the most important golf competition in France. In addition, this final which has just taken place in Morocco on the wonderful and difficult courses of the Royal Dar Es Salam was a great moment according to the finalists who, moreover, benefited from very sunny weather…
As for the future, I can say that golf is more and more important for Canal. We have made a lot of progress on the production of the golf show, for example by making it possible to clearly visualize the trajectory of the balls.
France is doing well with nearly 500,000 licensees and as a result, we will, of course, continue the Golf Trophy in the coming years”. Hicham Berdai, director of the Royal Dar Es Salam golf course: “On the initiative of King Hassan II, the Dar Es Salam golf course was built in 1971 by one of the greatest architects in the world, Robert Trent Jones Sr, on a site of 350 hectares.
If golf has existed in Morocco for more than 100 years, it was only in the 1970s that its capital was able to acquire a golf course. But what golf! An extraordinary complex in a cork oak forest with 45 holes: a very demanding red championship course on which several international competitions have already taken place such as the Hassan II trophy or for example, the Asian Tour which was with us last week .
Renowned course with 120 bunkers and difficult-to-negotiate green slopes: each hole is a real postcard! The blue course is narrower and more technical: its configuration makes it possible to reduce its difficulty by setting up more affordable tees.
As for the green course, it is a little gem of 9 holes, made up of par 4 and par 3, always very popular with golfers. High-level players like to frequent it to sharpen their game…. The courses benefit from perfect maintenance thanks to the permanent presence of 80 gardeners, not to mention the seasonal workers, who in particular take particular care of the greens and tees which are planted with bentgrass.
Note that the 45 holes are watered by water from two treatment plants that treat and recycle wastewater from the surrounding area… The Royal Golf Dar Es Salam is part of the heritage of the capital of Morocco: we have 1 700 members, not all players, and welcome golfers from all over the world, all year round.
We are a tourist destination and our green fees range between 85 and 120 euros. There are also 5 to 6 golf courses within an hour’s drive.
Finally, know that we will soon have a hotel on site and that our Robuchon catering will delight gourmets…”
