Novice and expert golfers alike are teeing off at Tunisia’s well-kept golf courses, the chief attractions being cheap green fees and a warm winter.
JMC product executive Una Juffkins said: “During the winter months the temperature in Tunisia is very pleasant, between October and April the temperature is an average 10C warmer than the UK and you don’t have to battle with dark nights. The British player is always looking for sunshine.”
The operator offers a pre-bookable round of golf from £23-£32, added to which clients need to book accommodation and flights. Packages lead in at £199 for seven nights in a two-star hotel in Hammamet, including breakfast.
The destination is competitively priced. Cadogan managing director Gary David said: “Tunisia has a lot of advantages over Spain and Portugal, where golfers are put off by the expensive green fees and the overcrowded courses.
“In Spain you pay roughly £70 for a round of golf, whereas it is only about £23 in Tunisia and our clients tell us the courses are every bit as good.
“In Spain you need to hire a car to get to the course, while in Tunisia you get free transport from your hotel. And a caddy costs from £4 a day in Tunisia, compared with around £20 in Spain,” he added.
Cadogan offers a three-day weekend package of four-star half-board accommodation from £299 including flights, with green fees extra at around £23 a day. Both Cadogan’s package and green fees are commissionable to agents.
As well as being cheaper on the green, Tunisian courses do not require you to pay a prohibitive membership fee like many UK clubs, hence the destination is ideal for clients who want to try the game without investing in kit and membership. Agents could encourage their clients to take golf lessons while on their sun, sea and sand holiday.
Panorama golf administrator Karen Clarke said: “We have a lot of people who try out golf for the first time in Tunisia – clients who have always fancied doing golf but not wanted to lay out on expensive membership fees back home. We have three-day and five-day learn-to-play packages.”
Three-day courses cost £115, a five-day course costs £179. Both include 2hrs tuition a day, free club hire, free balls and use of the driving range. For beginners, Panorama recommends the El Kantaoui course in the resort of Port El Kantaoui.
For serious golfers wanting to play every day of their holiday, Clarke recommends either the Aziza or Phenicia, both four-star properties in Hammamet.
“We steer die-hard golfers there as they both offer reduced green fees to guests. The rate goes down from £29 to £24,” said Clarke.
Her recommendation for professional golfers was the Citrus Complex in Hammamet.
“It is probably the best-kept green in Tunisia, it is very professionally run. It has two 18-hole courses and a nine-hole,” said Clarke.
Prices for the Aziza this spring start at around £355 for seven nights on a bed-and breakfast-basis, including flights.