Golf guide • Morocco • Casablanca-Settat

Golf in El Jadida: Gary Player's links and eucalyptus by the ocean

El Jadida, on the Atlantic coast an hour from Casablanca airport, brings together two 18-hole courses five kilometres apart: Mazagan Golf Club, a links designed by Gary Player among the dunes, and the Royal Golf El Jadida, Cabell B. Robinson's layout in a eucalyptus forest. Golfers come for seaside golf and the old Portuguese city of Mazagan, ideally in spring and autumn.

Plan this tripUpdated 11 October 2026

El Jadida is a compact golf destination: two 18-hole courses north of town, on the Casablanca road, five kilometres apart. The Royal Golf El Jadida, opened in 1993, plays beneath eucalyptus; Mazagan Golf Club, opened in 2009 with the resort of the same name, runs between the dunes beside the beach. Two different styles, and never more than a quarter of an hour in the car.

The town itself is worth the trip. The Portuguese built a fortress here in 1514, then a fortified town they held until 1769; the Portuguese City of Mazagan has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004. Walk its ramparts at sunset, above the fishing harbour and its blue boats, before going down into the vaulted cistern where Orson Welles filmed scenes for Othello.

It is also an easy trip to organise: a flight to Casablanca, an hour on the motorway, and you are at the hotel. Three to five nights are enough to play each course at least once, or even replay the Mazagan links in a different wind, and keep half a day for the Portuguese City and for Azemmour, about twenty minutes to the north.

The courses

Tee facing a pond, a fairway lined with eucalyptus and araucarias in golden morning light

Mazagan Golf Club

Architect: Gary Player
Opened 2009
18 holes
Par 72

Designed by Gary Player and opened in 2009 within the Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort, between El Jadida and Azemmour, this is a true links: the fairways wind between low dunes covered in wild vegetation, along the beach. Nearly 7,500 yards from the back tees, par 72: it was the longest course in Morocco when it opened. The fairways are wide, the greens fast and contoured, and the Atlantic wind changes the round from one day to the next. The distances between holes are long: take a buggy.

Signature hole. The 15th, a par 3, is played over the dune vegetation to a raised green, with the ocean as a backdrop; the 16th and 18th then run along the beach.

Royal Golf El Jadida

Architect: Cabell B. Robinson; James H. Duncan
Opened 1993
18 holes
Par 72

Opened in 1993 to a design by Cabell B. Robinson, then renovated by James H. Duncan, the Royal Golf El Jadida winds through a forest of eucalyptus, araucaria and acacia beside the Atlantic: 6,117 metres, par 72. The front nine offers inviting but deceptive holes; the back nine proves kinder until the 16th. The ground is easy to walk, and the shade of the trees makes the round pleasant when the sun beats down. A resort course, playable at every level, run by Madaëf Golfs.

Signature hole. The last three holes, from the 16th to the 18th, border the ocean like a links and become a real test when the wind gets up.

Official website

Where to stay

Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort

Opened in October 2009 on an estate of more than 500 hectares between El Jadida and Azemmour, the resort has about 500 Moroccan-inspired rooms, a courtyard pool, a private beach, a thalassotherapy centre and a casino. Gary Player's course starts at its door: the most practical base for stringing rounds together. To dine in the Portuguese City, book a driver: the old town is a quarter of an hour away by road.

L'Iglesia

A former church, Saint Anthony of Padua, turned into a 14-room hotel in the heart of the Portuguese City: some rooms in the old convent, the others in an annexe that once housed the American consulate, facing the ramparts. Chandeliers, antique mirrors, furniture from all over Morocco. Ask for a Superior Luxe on the ocean side; for a family, the suite in the old harbourmaster's house sleeps two children. Listed in the Michelin Guide, fifteen minutes from both courses.

Roof terrace with wrought-iron chairs and lanterns at the foot of a stone bell tower, the ocean at sunset

Where to dine

La Capitainerie (L'Iglesia)

L'Iglesia's restaurant, at the foot of the ramparts, serves North African cooking, the fish of the day and seasonal fruit on a terrace planted with palms and olive trees. The bar opens at 6pm, with views over the ocean, the beach and the harbour: the right place for the first drink after a day on the course.

Ostréa

In 1950 Pierre Pincloux, an oysterman from the Vendée, set up Morocco's first oyster farm, Parc 007, on the Oualidia lagoon; his son Jacques has taken over the family business. At the water's edge, the restaurant serves the farm's oysters opened to order, local fish and vegetables from its kitchen garden, from noon to 11pm. At weekends it only takes bookings for dinner. About 75 kilometres south, for a day off the course.

Beyond golf

The Portuguese City of Mazagan

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, old Mazagan can be explored on foot in a morning. The highlight is the Portuguese cistern: a half-buried hall some thirty metres across, with Manueline vaults resting on twenty-five pillars, where a thin sheet of water reflects the light falling from a central opening. Orson Welles filmed scenes for Othello here. Finish on the rampart walk, above the fishing harbour.

Azemmour and the Oum Er-Rbia

Sixteen kilometres north of El Jadida, Azemmour overlooks the mouth of the Oum Er-Rbia. The Portuguese held it from 1513 to 1541 before falling back on Mazagan. The old medina, its bastions and its Portuguese citadel can be seen in half a day, combined with a round at Mazagan, which lies on the way.

Crenellated ochre ramparts and a turret above blue fishing boats, white houses and a bell tower behind

When to go

El Jadida has a Mediterranean climate tempered by the Atlantic: highs range from about 17°C in January to 28°C in August. Spring, from March to June, and autumn, from September to November, are the best seasons to play. Summer stays bearable thanks to the ocean, with dry, sunny days. Winter is mild and brings most of the roughly 370 mm of annual rain, December being the wettest month. The Atlantic wind gives both courses their character.

Getting there

Casablanca's Mohammed V airport (CMN) is about 75 kilometres from both courses, an hour's drive towards El Jadida on the motorway. Central Casablanca is about a hundred kilometres away, around 1 hour 15 minutes. Trains also link Casablanca with El Jadida. Once there, a car or pre-booked transfers are essential for getting between town and courses.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course in El Jadida?

Mazagan Golf Club, a links designed by Gary Player and opened in 2009, which runs along the beach between the dunes. The Royal Golf El Jadida, in a eucalyptus forest, is its ideal complement.

How many golf courses are there in El Jadida?

Two 18-hole, par-72 courses, five kilometres apart north of town: Mazagan Golf Club and the Royal Golf El Jadida, opened in 1993.

When is the best time to play golf in El Jadida?

From March to June and from September to November. Summer stays tempered by the ocean and winter is mild, but December is the wettest month.

How many days do you need for a golf trip to El Jadida?

Three to five nights: each course at least once, a second round at Mazagan, and half a day for the Portuguese City and Azemmour.

Which airport is best for a golf trip to El Jadida?

Casablanca's Mohammed V airport (CMN), about an hour's drive from El Jadida and both courses.

Tailor-made

Your golf trip: El Jadida

Tee times, suites, transfers and tables: your concierge replies within 24 hours with a proposal shaped around you.

Green on the edge of an ochre cliff above the ocean, wind-twisted argan trees and waves on the rocks

Souss-Massa