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Golf guide • Morocco • Marrakech-Safi

Golf in Marrakech: fairways beneath the snows of the Atlas

Around Marrakech, four courses are enough for a trip: the Royal Golf Marrakech, opened in 1927; Assoufid, Niall Cameron's desert layout; and the 27 holes of Amelkis and the Royal Palm, both designed by Cabell B. Robinson, each less than half an hour from the medina. Golfers come to play beneath the snow-capped peaks of the High Atlas and dine in the old city afterwards, from October to May, when the days stay mild.

Plan this tripUpdated

Marrakech is an easy golf destination to reach: a direct flight, twenty minutes by taxi from the airport and first tees a few kilometres from the city walls. The courses form a ring around the city, along the roads to Ouarzazate, Amizmiz and Guemassa, where the Haouz plain begins to climb towards the Atlas. On a clear winter day, the snow-covered range closes the horizon behind almost every green.

The choice runs from historic garden to contemporary design. The Royal Golf Marrakech, the second-oldest course in the Kingdom, plays among century-old trees; Assoufid, opened in 2014, plants only as much turf as it needs in stony ground; Amelkis lines up its 27 holes around seven lakes; the Royal Palm unrolls at the foot of the Fairmont of the same name. Four courses, four characters, and never more than half an hour in the car.

The rest of the trip happens in town. You sleep in a riad in the medina or in a grand hotel on the edge of the gardens, dine on a terrace above the souks as the minarets light up, and keep a day for the Ourika Valley, some thirty kilometres to the south. Four to six nights allow three or four courses without giving up on the city.

The courses

Fairway lined with date palms and olive trees, a pale sand bunker and an ochre earth wall in the distance

Royal Golf Marrakech, Old Course

  • Architect: Gustave Golias, Arnaud Massy
  • Opened 1927
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Founded in 1927 and designed by Gustave Golias and Arnaud Massy, the Royal Golf Marrakech is the second-oldest course in Morocco. The par-72 Old Course measures only 5,871 metres, but it is played among some 15,000 trees, some of them a hundred years old, which make it a garden course rather than a test of length. Lloyd George, Winston Churchill and President Eisenhower all played here, and it was King Hassan II's favourite course. The club adds a nine-hole layout, the Ménara course, opened in 2008, more technical and with water in play.

Signature hole. The par 3s at the 3rd and 9th carry a nickname owed to Hassan II himself: here they are known as the "Brigitte Bardot" holes.

Official website

Assoufid Golf Club

  • Architect: Niall Cameron
  • Opened 2014
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Opened in October 2014 on the Guemassa road, about twenty minutes from the medina, Assoufid is the work of the Scotsman Niall Cameron, a former European Tour player. A par 72 of 6,440 metres, the layout follows naturally rolling ground where only 45% of the surface has been grassed: the rest is left to the desert and its native vegetation. The fairways are crisp, and misses are paid for in the rocks. Named Africa's best course several times at the World Golf Awards, it is probably the most demanding of the four, best kept for regular players.

Signature hole. The 17th, a par 3 played from an elevated tee at the highest point of the course, demands a carry over a chaâba, a dry ravine, to a green that is wide but shallow.

Official website

Amelkis Golf Club

  • Architect: Cabell B. Robinson
  • 27 holes

At kilometre 12 on the Ouarzazate road, on a 450-hectare private estate at the foot of the High Atlas, Amelkis lines up 27 holes designed by Cabell B. Robinson, in three loops of nine combined differently from day to day. The fairways are wide, American-style, and red-earth bunkers give the course its colour. Seven lakes and doglegs winding between the mounds are a reminder to aim rather than simply hit. A good course for a group of mixed abilities, with a clubhouse whose terrace looks out to the Atlas.

Official website

Royal Palm Golf Course

  • Architect: Cabell B. Robinson
  • 18 holes

At kilometre 12 on the Amizmiz road, the 18-hole course at the Fairmont Royal Palm also bears Cabell B. Robinson's signature. Well-kept fairways, a palm grove and an open view of the Atlas: it is the most convenient course for anyone staying on site, with a clubhouse, a restaurant and an academy for working on your game between rounds. It was nominated for Morocco's Best Golf Course 2025 at the World Golf Awards, and stays open all year.

Official website

Where to stay

La Mamounia

Marrakech's grand palace hotel, opened in 1923 by Henri Prost and Antoine Marchisio, a short walk from the Koutoubia. Its eight hectares of gardens, with rose beds, orange, olive and palm trees, were the estate of Prince Moulay Mamoun in the 18th century. Churchill stayed here from 1935 onwards and a bar bears his name. Four restaurants, among them a Moroccan and an Italian, and a spa with a hammam.

Fairmont Royal Palm Marrakech

The obvious choice for a golf-centred stay: 135 rooms, suites and villas alongside the Royal Palm course, on the Amizmiz road, fifteen to twenty minutes from the airport. Ask for an Atlas-side room: the terrace looks over the fairways and, in winter, the snow-capped peaks. After the round, the clubhouse has the Sabra restaurant and the Legends' Bar; for non-golfers, a 3,500 m² spa.

Riad Kniza

For a night in the heart of the medina, near Bab Doukala: an 18th-century house restored by the Bouskri family, who still run it; Haj Mohamed, antique dealer and long-standing guide, is happy to share his addresses. Dinner must be ordered at least a day ahead, so the chef can shop at the market that morning; ask to have it served on the roof terrace. The courses are reached by car.

Riad courtyard with carved stucco arches and green zellige, a fountain strewn with rose petals and a potted orange tree

Where to dine

Le Foundouk

In a former foundouk, the inn and warehouse of the caravans, restored in 2000 around its patio near the Hal Fès souk. Moroccan and international cooking in the evening only, and a candlelit roof terrace looking over the rooftops of the medina. Closed on Wednesdays.

Chez Lamine Hadj Mustapha

Since 1965 this house in the mechoui alley, just north of Jemaa el-Fna, has lowered whole lambs each morning into a wood-fired oven dug beneath the shop. The mechoui is ordered by weight and served on paper with cumin, coarse salt and bread; the tangia cooks for long hours in the embers of the neighbourhood hammam. No bookings, no alcohol: arrive before 1 pm, after an early tee time.

Beyond golf

The medina and Jemaa el-Fna

The medina of Marrakech has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. Its Jemaa el-Fna square changes face through the day: orange-juice sellers in the morning, storytellers, musicians and smoking food stalls after dark. The Koutoubia minaret is the landmark for finding your way through the souks, best explored with a guide the first time.

The Majorelle Garden

The painter Jacques Majorelle began this garden in 1923 and tended it for nearly forty years; Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé bought it in the 1980s. Come early for the cacti, the bamboo and the intense blue of the villa, which houses a museum of Berber arts. The Yves Saint Laurent museum, opened in 2017, is next door.

The Ourika Valley

Some thirty kilometres to the south, the Ourika Valley climbs into the High Atlas between earth-built Berber villages and terraced fields. The tarmac road ends at Setti Fatma, the starting point for a walk along the torrent to the waterfalls. On Mondays, the Tnine-de-l'Ourika souk draws people from the whole valley.

Ochre rooftops of an old medina at dusk, a square minaret, palms and snow-capped peaks in the distance

When to go

The golf season runs from October to May. In winter the days are mild, around 19°C in January, but the nights are cool and the Atlas is often snow-capped: it is the finest light of the year. Spring is very pleasant and much in demand, and so is autumn. From June to September the heat often passes 37°C in the afternoon in July and August, and golf is played only at dawn.

Getting there

Marrakech Menara airport (RAK), with direct flights from many European cities, is about twenty minutes from the medina by taxi. All four courses are less than half an hour from the central hotels; a car with driver is the simplest option. Trains also link Marrakech with Casablanca.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course in Marrakech?

Assoufid, Niall Cameron's 2014 layout, wins the most awards: it has been named Africa's best course several times at the World Golf Awards. The Royal Golf Marrakech, founded in 1927, is the one richest in history.

How many golf courses are there in Marrakech?

Several courses surround the city. For a trip, four stand out: the Royal Golf Marrakech, Assoufid, Amelkis (27 holes) and the Royal Palm, all less than half an hour from the medina.

When is the best time to play golf in Marrakech?

From October to May. Winter days are mild, around 19°C in January, but the mornings are cool; in July and August the heat often passes 37°C and golf is played only at dawn.

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

Four to six nights: three or four courses, a day in the medina and, if possible, an excursion to the Ourika Valley.

Which airport is best for a golf trip to Marrakech?

Marrakech Menara (RAK), about twenty minutes from the medina. The courses are less than half an hour from the central hotels.

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