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Golf guide • Tunisia • Cap Bon

Golf in Hammamet: pines, olive groves and jasmine by the gulf

Hammamet, on the south-east coast of Cap Bon in Tunisia, has three 18-hole courses designed by Ronald Fream: La Forêt and Les Oliviers at Golf Citrus, the country's first 45-hole complex, and the Yasmine Golf Club, opened in 1991. Golfers come to play round after round among pinewoods and olive groves, then return to the medina and the beach in the evening, ideally in spring (March to May) and autumn (October and November).

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Hammamet is one of Tunisia's great seaside resorts and one of the easiest for a golf trip. The town lines the gulf that bears its name, south-east of Cap Bon, some sixty kilometres south of Tunis. Sandy beaches stretch for about twenty kilometres, and the hinterland, planted with olive, citrus and pine trees, gave the architects gently rolling ground, ideal for laying out fairways sheltered by trees.

The American Ronald Fream designed all three of the resort's courses: the Yasmine Golf Club in 1991, then the two 18-hole courses at Golf Citrus in 1992, completed by a 9-hole executive course. The layouts are technical rather than long, around 6,000 metres from the men's tees, and the north-easterly wind often changes how a hole plays from one day to the next. Golf Citrus takes its name from the lemon groves which, along with the forests, surround the town.

Everything else is close at hand: the small fortified medina by the water, George Sebastian's villa and its open-air theatre, the Roman remains of Pupput. Four to seven nights are enough to play all three courses, replay one, and keep a day for the medina or for El Kantaoui, an hour's drive to the south.

The courses

Fairway lined with pines and eucalyptus, white-sand bunkers and a small lake under a hazy sky

Golf Citrus, La Forêt

  • Architect: Ronald Fream
  • Opened 1992
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

The resort's most demanding course, named Tunisia's best golf course by the World Golf Awards in 2017 and 2018. A par 72 of 6,066 metres from the men's tees, La Forêt winds through a pinewood on rolling ground, with doglegs, a few blind shots, water hazards and undulating greens well defended by bunkers. The prevailing winds, from the north-east and north-west, are part of the design. This is the layout for experienced golfers, ideally in the middle of the stay.

Signature hole. The 6th, a par 3, is played over a ravine of about a hundred metres to a plateau green surrounded by out of bounds; from the back tees, the 18th demands a drive of more than 220 metres over water.

Official website

Golf Citrus, Les Oliviers

  • Architect: Ronald Fream
  • Opened 1992
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Golf Citrus's second 18-hole course, a par 72 of 6,106 metres from the men's tees, is set in a typical Cap Bon olive grove. The fairways are wide, dotted with olive trees and bunkers within driving range, and the raised greens, guarded by sand, call for precise approaches. More forgiving than La Forêt off the tee, it is still a real challenge when the breeze picks up, notably on the 8th, a par 5 played into the prevailing wind. The ideal course for a first day or for a group of mixed ability.

Signature hole. The 15th, a 525-metre par 5 and the only hole to run alongside the motorway, demands a long, straight drive to clear the hill, before a green guarded by a lake on the right and a bunker on the left.

Official website

Yasmine Golf Club

  • Architect: Ronald Fream
  • Opened 1991
  • 18 holes

Opened in 1991, the Yasmine Golf Club is Ronald Fream's first course in Hammamet. The layout rolls through pinewoods and olive groves in two loops arranged around the driving range and practice area, near the clubhouse. The par 5 1st, 11th and 17th all dogleg and require you to choose your line from the tee. The club has added padel courts and a restaurant, The Swing, making it a good stop for a round followed by lunch.

Official website

Where to stay

La Badira

A member of The Leading Hotels of the World, La Badira is reserved for adults over 16. The hotel, a modern building, revisits the spirit of the 1930s, when painters and writers came in search of Hammamet's light: its legendary suites bear the names of Paul Klee, Jean Cocteau and Wallis Simpson. Several categories of suite have sea views, and the Spa by Clarins has a heated, semi-covered pool facing the bay. A quiet address; check the dress code before arrival.

Dar Hammamet

A house in the medina, bought in 2014 and restored by heritage architects with stone carvers from Dar Chaabane El Fehri. Only six rooms, some with a small private patio, and a roof terrace facing the sea and the ramparts: go up at sunset. It is reached on foot through the lanes, from the café Sidi Bouhdid by the kasbah: with golf bags, arrange your arrival with the house beforehand. Golf Citrus is about ten minutes away by car.

Whitewashed arcaded gallery with blue shutters, oleanders and bougainvillea, a pool facing the sea at sunset

Where to dine

Adra

La Badira's Tunisian restaurant, beneath pierced stucco ceilings of immaculate white, among ornate mirrors and a hammered door. The menu, led by chef Ramzy Bouguila, takes up the classics of Tunisian cooking and adds more personal creations. Service starts only at 7pm and the room is closed on Mondays; book, and be punctual: the table is released after fifteen minutes.

Restaurant Ettahrir

A family restaurant in the town centre, on avenue de la Libération (Ettahrir in Arabic), where people from Hammamet come for home cooking: mechouia, kafteji, lamb mosli, octopus couscous, grilled sea bream. Five or six small complimentary starters arrive with the bread, so order less than you think. A plain room with plastic tablecloths, open from noon to midnight, about ten minutes from Golf Citrus and Yasmine.

The Swing

The Yasmine Golf Club's restaurant, in the clubhouse, lends itself to lunch after a round: you go from scorecard to table without changing scene. Mediterranean cooking, several gluten-free dishes, a proper wine and cocktail list, and service straight through from 10am to midnight. One caveat: on match nights the big screen goes on, so lunch is the quieter choice.

Beyond golf

The medina and the kasbah

Hammamet's medina, enclosed by ramparts in the 15th century, measures barely two hundred metres on each side. Its whitewashed lanes shelter craft workshops and shops, and the kasbah, whose origins go back to the 12th century, offers views over the sea and the town from its walls. Come in late afternoon, as the light softens on the stone of the ramparts.

Dar Sebastian and the festival

The villa built by the Romanian George Sebastian is now home to the Hammamet International Cultural Centre. Close by, a 1,000-seat amphitheatre facing the sea hosts the Hammamet International Festival, founded in 1964, every summer in July and August. Paul Klee, passing through in 1914, was struck by the town's light and colours.

The remains of Pupput

South of town, in the Hammamet Sud tourist zone, the archaeological site of Pupput preserves traces of a city raised to the rank of Roman colony under the emperor Commodus, in the late 2nd century. You can see baths, houses decorated with mosaics and the site of a vast necropolis. An hour's visit, easy to fit between two rounds.

Crenellated ramparts of golden stone beside a beach, palm trees and fishing boats on the sand

When to go

Spring, from March to May, and autumn, in October and November, are the best seasons: the weather is mild, the fairways are in good condition and the resort is quiet. Winter remains playable, cooler and damper, and the wind counts for more. Summer is hot, the resort fills up and the town lives to the rhythm of the festival: you then play only in the early hours.

Getting there

Enfidha-Hammamet airport (NBE), the closest, lies some forty kilometres south-west of town, about 40 minutes by road; it mainly receives holiday and charter flights from Europe. Tunis-Carthage airport (TUN), about 70 kilometres away, offers more scheduled flights. A car or driver remains the most practical way to reach the courses.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course in Hammamet?

La Forêt at Golf Citrus, voted Tunisia's best golf course by the World Golf Awards in 2017 and 2018. It is a Ronald Fream par 72, laid out through a rolling pinewood and best suited to experienced golfers.

How many golf courses are there in Hammamet?

Three 18-hole courses, all designed by Ronald Fream: La Forêt and Les Oliviers at Golf Citrus, which adds a 9-hole executive course, and the Yasmine Golf Club. The two courses at El Kantaoui, near Sousse, are about an hour's drive away.

When is the best time to play golf in Hammamet?

From March to May and in October and November, when the weather is mild and the courses at their best. Winter remains playable; summer is hot and best played early in the morning.

Which airport is best for a golf trip to Hammamet?

Enfidha-Hammamet airport (NBE), about 40 minutes by road. Tunis-Carthage (TUN), about 70 kilometres away, offers more scheduled flights.

How many nights should I plan for a golf trip to Hammamet?

Four to seven nights: enough to play all three courses, replay one, visit the medina and, if you wish, spend a day on the courses at El Kantaoui.

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