Women's Golf Takes Morocco
8/17/2022
The Rutgers women's golf team visited Morocco this month for friendly international competition and clinics with the First Tee of Morocco.
Along with the competition and training programs, the trip consisted of cultural visits and city tours lasting until August 27.
Follow along as the women's golf program provides daily updates and photos to capture a memorable trip!
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Rutgers Golf Visits Morocco
Day 1
- Traveled from JFK to Casablanca, Morocco
- From the airport, we drove to the capital city of Morocco, Rabat, and toured the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam complex where we will be training later in the trip. The complex has three golf courses, designed by Robert Trent Jones. It has hosted European Tour and the Ladies European Tour events
- Met players and staff from the Moroccan Golf Federation and the UAE National Team, who we will be competing against in friendly matches this week
- Drove east into the Atlas mountains to Akhawayn University in Ifrane, where we will be staying this week
- Will be training and playing at the Michlifen Country Club (designed by Jack Nicklaus) with the Moroccan and UAE national teams
Day 1 Journal: Nicole Ewing
It’s great to be back together with the team and this is such a fun way to start our year. We landed early in Casablanca and hit the ground running. We went to Rabat, the capital city and saw the amazing practice facilities at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam where we got to meet players from the Moroccan and UAE national teams. The drive from Rabat into the mountains was filled with amazing views and we even saw a pack of camels! The Akhawayn campus where we are staying is beautiful and we have already been warmly welcomed by many locals. We all can’t wait to get out on the course tomorrow to train and play!Nicole Ewing
Day 2
- Spent the day at the Michlifen Golf Resort with the Moroccan and UAE National teams
- Enjoyed dinner with the national teams on the Akhawayn campus and explored downtown Ifrane
- Utilized the practice facility in the morning before playing a mixed-foursomes match in the afternoon with one player from each team
- The Michlifen Country Club is located in the Atlas Mountains at an elevation of 1650 meters and features natural landscapes as it is set in the Ifrane National Park. The course opened in 2018 and was designed by Jack Nicklaus as his first course in North Africa
Day 2 Journal: Rikke Nordvik
We really enjoyed our time at Michlifen today. The practice facilities are incredible and we had a good practice session before playing. This golf course is one of the most unique that we’ve ever played and conditions were perfect out there today. It was a lot of fun to be paired with the national team players for the afternoon matches and after seeing the course, we’re excited to play again tomorrow with the national teams as we are all more familiar with the challenges of MichlifenRikke Nordvik
Day 3
- Returned to Michlifen Country Club to practice and play
- Competed with national teams in mixed foursome matches
- Traveled to Fez for a guided tour through the city and the local Medina (market)
- Within the Medina, we saw the gates of the University of Al-Qarawiyyin, which some consider the oldest functioning university in the world
- A bustling trade center, the Medina houses a wide variety of local craftspeople
- Finished the evening with a spread of Moroccan cuisine in downtown Fez
Day 3 Journal: Leigha Devine
Today was a day full of culture and sightseeing as we toured the city of Fez and visited the world’s oldest market, which is a winding maze of small streets and shops built into the city walls. We stopped at local leather and silk shops and learned about how the goods are made. The night was capped off with a traditional dinner spread and we all enjoyed trying the new foods. These opportunities and adventures as something we could never recreate and we are having a blast!Leigha Devine
Day 4
- Returned to Michlifen for practice and play
- Participated in matches with the Moroccan women’s team
- Held a clinic with 15 local junior golfers from The First Tee in the afternoon on the driving range
- Shared dinner on campus with the Moroccan and UAE teams
Day 4 Journal: Maeve Rossi
The course was more challenging today with the greens firming up and the wind blowing harder, but it made for good competition. And after golf we had a great afternoon on the range with the junior golfers from The First Tee of Morocco. Getting to see the young kids enjoying the sport we all love was such a pleasure and we even got to hit a few shots with them!Maeve Rossi
Day 5
- Played singles matches at Michlifen against the Moroccan and UAE players
- Departed Akhawayn University and traveled to Rabat
Day 5 Journal: Anna-Maria Diederichs
We had a fun last day at Michlifen. We played singles matches with the other teams and enjoyed the head-to-head competition. The course gave us good opportunities to make a lot of birdies and play aggressively which was good practice for us. Now we’re off to spend a few days in Rabat!Anna-Maria Diederichs
Day 6
- Practiced at Royal Golf Dar Essalam in Rabat
- Traveled to Casablanca for a guided tour of the Hassan II Mosque.
- The mosque is 200 meters tall and is the 7th largest mosque in the world, and second largest in Africa.
- The mosque was completed in 1993 and sits on the coast looking out over the Atlantic Ocean. 25,000 worshippers can gather in the hall with another 80,000 outside.
Day 6 Journal: Lucrezia Rossettin
We had a really good practice this morning at the Dar Essalam practice facilities with the Moroccan team. After training, we traveled to Casablanca to visit the Hassan II mosque and tour the city. Impressive does not begin to describe how beautiful the mosque is. It was so interesting to learn more about the mosque’s history and the architecture was amazing. This trip has been unbelievable thus far and we’re all enjoying the experience. We can’t wait to see what’s next!Lucrezia Rossettin
Day 7
- Practiced at the Royal Golf Dar Essalam facilities in the morning
- Played the Blue Course and did a mixed scramble with the men’s team
Day 7 Journal: Rikke Nordvik
We had an enjoyable day out at RGDES. Today’s format was a friendly competition and scramble with the men’s team and our staff after working at the practice facilities in the morning. The Blue Course was a different look for us compared to Michlifen with a lot of dogleg holes and sloped green complexes. After the round, we were able to relax and recover in the pool to get ready for more golf this week!Rikke Nordvik
Day 8
- Spent the morning at the Royal Golf Dar Essalam practice range and short game area
- Played 9 holes as a team on the Blue Course for practice in the afternoon
- The coaches helped with instruction at a First Tee Clinic for 20 junior golfers on the driving range
Day 8 Journal: Nicole Ewing
It was another great team practice this morning using the entire practice facility at RGDES. We were able to work on all areas of our game for a few hours and then we put that work to the test in the afternoon. We revisited the Blue Course and scored well out there today.Nicole Ewing
Day 9
- Trained at Royal Golf Dar Essalam and played on the Red Course for our afternoon round with some players from the Moroccan men’s team
- The Red Course at RGDES was designed by Robert Trent Jones in the 1960s and began hosting the European Tour’s Hassan II Trophy in 2010
- After golf, we toured downtown Rabat and visited the Hassan Tower and the Mohammed V Mausoleum.
- The Hassan Tower is the minaret that was projected to be the largest in the world in the late 1100s before the mosque’s construction was halted
Day 9 Journal: Maeve Rossi
The Red Course was a good test for us today. The bunkers are very deep and the greens are quite sloped, and a few of us shot under or even par and earned our golf bags for the season. It was fun to see more of downtown Rabat and to see the historical architecture of the Hassan Tower up close. While the mosque was left unfinished, the site was beautiful and we had great views of Rabat and Salé.Maeve Rossi
Day 10
- Had an early morning round on the Red Course at Royal Golf Dar Essalam
- Practiced at the short game facility after 9 holes
- Drove south from Rabat to Marrakesh for the final stop of the trip
Day 10 Journal: Leigha Devine
Today was a productive final day of golf for us. We played a quick 9 holes this morning and got in some more practice at the Academy facilities for a final tune up. It’s always a treat to play championship golf courses to challenge ourselves and this was a great few days for the team. We are excited to visit Marrakesh and to enjoy the sights and culture in one more city before we head back to the States.Leigha Devine
Day 11
- Toured the Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech, a botanical garden with exotic plants from across the world
- Visited Royal Golf Marrakech, the second oldest golf course in the kingdom of Morocco and a favorite of the late King Hassan II
- Shopped at the medina downtown where local vendors and tradespeople gather and line the city center with their goods. The medina in Marrakech is recognized as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations.
Day 11 Journal: Lucrezia Rossettin
We started our morning with a tour through the Majorelle Gardens. The grounds were amazing and beautiful to see. After the gardens, we had an awesome lunch where we all had traditional couscous and enjoyed rooftop views of Marrakesh. In the evening, we walked and shopped through the massive medina. The market was incredible with so many things to see, including snakes, monkeys, and all of the little shops and vendors. We finished the day with more Moroccan food and I got to enjoy more couscous!Lucrezia Rossettin
Day 12
- Had coffee at La Mamounia hotel and walked through the royal gardens
- Revisited the medina in the city center for more shopping
- Rode camels outside of Marrakech
- Enjoyed traditional barbecue for dinner on our way north to Casablanca
Day 12 Journal: Nicole Ewing
It was a memorable last day in Morocco as we experienced a lot of culture in one day. The gardens at La Mamounia were incredible and then we returned to the market for henna art and to shop for more souvenirs. The highlight of the afternoon was spending time riding camels together! It was an action-packed trip through Morocco and we will never forget this once-in-a-lifetime experience!Nicole Ewing
