Samanah Golf & Country Club Wins Prestigious Award

Jan. 8, 2010 - PRLog -- Crowned “Best Golf Development” in the Arabia zone on 25th October in Dubai, Marrakech’s Samanah Country Club has now achieved international acclaim by winning the “2009 International Property Award” in its category.

The Samanah Country Club is a tourist community located near Marrakech, built around an 18-hole golf course designed by the reputed American firm Nicklaus Design. Once complete, the resort will boast 3 hotels, 450 luxury villas spread along the course, apartments and houses clustered around a residential hub, a square with 18 shops, a spa and much more.

The architecture and layout of this 300-hectare complex are the work of Alain Lelieur and Abdel Ilah Slimani, who drew inspiration from Morocco’s traditional earthen architecture. They have scattered the resort’s houses around the golf course maximising views of the Atlas at all times.

The golf course, which has been open since April 2009, will inaugurate its outstanding Club House on 5th December 2009. From 6th to 11th December, Samanah Country Club will be hosting its first major international tournament: the Samanah Masters, the promoter of which is none other than the Hassan II Trophy Association.

The Samanah Country Club is the first project set up in Morocco by the French property Groupe Alain Crenn, developed as part of an investment contract with the Moroccan State. A joint stock company with capital of 10,000,000 euros and whose head office is located in Paris, France, the group is directed by Richard Hennessy and it’s administration council chaired by founder Alain Crenn. Its capital is held to a total value of 50% by the Hennessy holding, 35% by Alain Crenn and 15% by certain executives of the group. The consolidated business volume of the group reached 201 million euros in 2008.

The group boasts a varied range of luxury products, selected and designed with the objective of securing investments over the long term. The quality of the site, of its construction and management are all key to the company’s objectives.

THE SAMANAH COUNTRY CLUB INVESTMENT PROGRAMME:

1ST INSTALMENT:
·   A 5-star hotel with 152 rooms and suites: 440 beds
·   A golf course and practice course: 18 holes
·   A village square: 17 shops
·   168 villas
·   108 semi-detached villas
·   A 5-star hotel with 62 suites: 246 beds

2ND INSTALMENT:
·   186 villas
·   A 5-star hotel: 400 beds

3RD INSTALMENT:
·   131 villas

In total, all the buildings, limited to two levels only occupy 5% of the total surface area (i.e. 240,000 m² for 300 hectares).

THE SAMANAH COUNTRY CLUB IN FIGURES:

·   Land surface area: 300 hectares
·   Duration of construction work: 5 years
·   Jobs immediately created: 1,500 workers on site plus indirect jobs (companies and craftsmen called upon for building, decoration and fitting out)
·   Jobs created on completion: more than 500 stable and direct jobs

CRITERIA USED TO CREATE THE SAMANAH COUNTRY CLUB:

·   Respect the culture via architecture that combines traditional and modern styles.
·   Train the young Moroccan staff in tourism, languages and customs of the different customers.
·   Involve the local population. The Group works in close cooperation with the craftsmen and suppliers from the town of Tamsloth and different regions of Morocco.
·   Protect plant species thanks to the creation of a 7-hectare plant nursery that hosts the plants present on the site beforehand and where new plantations grow and acclimatise before being used for gardens and communal areas.
·   Implement the necessary means to ensure safety and well-being for all.
·   Create the facilities required to recycle waste-water and save on energy.

SAMANAH GOLF CLUB, THE FIRST GOLF COURSE SIGNED BY NICKLAUS DESIGN© IN MOROCCO:

Spread over 100 hectares, the USGA-compliant Samanah golf course is the first Moroccan golf course designed by Nicklaus Design©. Combining technical proficiency, playability and beauty, the Samanah Golf Course lets players take part in their favourite sport either for competition or simply to relax.

The 18 holes are complete today, and the calibration, carried out by two international referees - Marc Chmielewski and Alain Rathery - revealed a very high level of course. Since the pre-inauguration last October 2009, the feedback regarding the course is hugely positive with the first players, amateurs and professionals alike, noting their complete satisfaction and astonishment at the quality of such a young course.

At least 63 Nicklaus Signature courses have been ranked in national or international Top-100 lists by major industry publications like Golf Digest, Golf Week and GOLF Magazine, and no fewer than 88 Nicklaus Signature courses have hosted a total of over 600 professional golf tournaments worldwide including events on the PGA Tour, the Champions Tour, the LPGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour, among others.

The course will be completely private and strictly limited to property owners & their guests/tenants and guests in the hotel (the latter limited to a 2 hour daily window). Golf membership can only be purchased with a property and will run for the lifetime of the property (can be inherited). Therefore this will also be an asset.

DAVID LEADBETTER ACADEMY:

The Samanah golf Club practice range has a David Leadbetter Golf Academy© that offers training and lessons for golfers of all levels. The David Leadbetter Golf Academy© is renowned worldwide for the effectiveness of its training courses and clinics. The Academy’s success is based on innovative teaching methods, a technical know-how gleaned from the elite as well as high-tech methods using the latest educational tools. In addition to training courses, the Golf Academy offers private lessons with professionals, as well as exclusive customised programmes.

CLUB HOUSE:

The Samanah Club House has a surface area of 2,000 m2. Its exterior architecture is inspired by the city walls of Marrakech and is enhanced with basins and fountains. It also includes a golfer’s bar, a TV lounge, a restaurant, a cards lounge, men and women’s changing rooms with high quality services, a pro shop and caddie master.

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Robert Shaw, Marketing Manager, Elite Morocco Properties. +44(0)2085293635. Visit The Morocco Property Specialists Today at http://www.moroccoproperties.net/ For Moroccan Villas, Riads & Apartments.