22 Jeremy Pern routes Benin’s first course around sacred grove and voodoo shrines TEE BOX Construction firm Gregori International has started work on Avlékété Golf Course, a new 18-hole golf layout by Jeremy Pern, near Cotonou, the largest city in Benin. “With government procedures in Africa being quite lengthy, I started working on the project on an unofficial basis around 18 months ago, producing sketches and looking at sites,” said Pern. “After going through all the procedures, we got the official green light at the beginning of the year. We more or less started building the course straight away.” The site for the golf course is one kilometre from the coast. “It’s a long, thin stretch of land of about 100 hectares,” said Pern. “Parts of the land are great, and parts are a bit of a challenge. About half of it is rolling sand, very ‘linksy’, plus or minus a couple of metres in height, where farmers were growing tomatoes, peppers, manioc, maize and all sorts on the sand. Surrounding the sandy area is swampland and a coastal lagoon. There’s also a wide range of trees – including a variety of palms, coconut and mango. Photo: Jeremy Pern Avlékété Golf Course will occupy a long, thin stretch of land of about 100 hectares
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