Golf trip to Marrakech: the best courses and where to stay

If you are looking for a destination that combines guaranteed sunshine during the cold European winter, immaculate internationally designed courses and an exotic yet completely safe setting, the answer is clear: your golf mecca is Marrakech. Imagine placing the ball on the tee, feeling the warm African morning breeze and making your swing with the imposing snow-capped peaks of the Atlas Mountains as your backdrop. Playing golf in Morocco is a sensory experience that goes far beyond the sport itself. Afterwards, relaxing in a resort with European standards in the heart of the Palmeraie is, quite simply, the perfect plan for your next holiday.

At Ona Hotels & Apartments, we know that organising a sporting trip requires special logistics. Travelling with equipment, arranging transfers and finding accommodation that understands a golfer’s needs can raise questions. That is why, through our fantastic Be Live hotels in Marrakech, we position ourselves as your trusted host. We want to remove every logistical barrier so that your only concern is improving your handicap and enjoying the 19th hole with complete peace of mind.

Throughout this complete guide, we will explain everything you need to know: which courses are essential, how to organise your trip without stress and where to stay so that comfort is absolute. Get ready to discover a fascinating destination that will win you over both on and off the fairways.

Why choose the red city for your next golf trip

Morocco has a long and deep golfing tradition, historically driven by the royal family itself more than a century ago. Today, Marrakech has established itself as one of the most powerful emerging destinations in the world for this sport. The reasons for choosing this destination over other classic European alternatives are numerous and highly compelling for the demanding player:

Climate that is unbeatable all year round: Marrakech’s main competitive advantage is its weather. While courses in northern and central Europe are unplayable because of frost, rain or snow, the red city offers you winters with clear skies and daytime temperatures pleasantly ranging between 18 ºC and 22 ºC. It is the ideal climate for walking the fairways without the thermal strain of midsummer.

A unique visual and scenic setting: the beauty of Moroccan courses lies in their contrasts. Most layouts combine perfectly maintained Bermuda grass with desert areas, century-old palm trees, olive trees, artificial lakes and, of course, the ever-present view of the imposing Atlas Mountains crowned with snow during the winter months.

Safe, top-level infrastructure: investment in golf tourism in the city has been massive over the past decade. The clubhouses are genuine palaces of Moorish architecture offering premium services. Security within the grounds is total, buggy fleets are modern and the maintenance of the greens competes directly with the best courses in southern Spain or Portugal’s Algarve.

Hospitality and gastronomy: after four intense hours of play, the catering services at the courses and in our hotels await you with the best fusion of local and international cuisine. All of this is always under the strictest European health standards for your complete digestive peace of mind.

The best golf courses in Marrakech (near your hotel)

The city offers more than a dozen high-level championship courses. However, if you want to optimise your trip and play on truly memorable layouts, we have selected those that stand out for their design, maintenance and strategic proximity to the Palmeraie area.

Royal Golf de Marrakech: history and tradition beneath the cypresses

This is, without any doubt, the course with the most soul in the whole city. Opened in 1927, it is one of the oldest in the whole of Africa and a favourite of historic personalities. Its original design, later masterfully updated, takes you through a dense forest of cypresses, eucalyptus trees, palm trees and fruit-bearing olive trees. It is a course that demands great precision from the tee, as its fairways are narrow and lined with century-old trees that severely punish mistakes. Playing here is like taking a beautiful walk through the history of golf.

Palmeraie Golf Palace: the strategic challenge close to home

Designed by the legendary architect Robert Trent Jones, this course is a masterpiece that blends perfectly with the natural surroundings of the Marrakech Palmeraie. It has 27 holes in total, which allows for different course combinations so that you do not get bored even if you play several days in a row in the same place. It stands out for its seven immense strategically placed lakes and its fast, highly undulating greens. Its huge advantage for our guests: it is literally just a few minutes from the Be Live hotels, allowing you to have breakfast at leisure and be on the first tee in the blink of an eye.

Amelkis Golf Club: the technical challenge for the boldest players

If you are travelling with a group of friends with an advanced level of play and are looking for a challenge that tests your strategy, Amelkis is the place for you. Designed by Cabell B. Robinson, this course is famous for its considerable technical difficulty. Its fairways are full of undulations that rarely leave you with a flat stance to strike the ball comfortably. It also has enormous, deep bunkers, along with numerous blind water hazards that will force you to think through every shot. It is a tough course, but tremendously rewarding when you manage to sign a good scorecard.

Al Maaden Golf: contemporary design and wide fairways

Created by the prestigious designer Kyle Phillips, Al Maaden offers a very different experience from the previous courses. It is a course that mixes a rolling parkland style with touches that unmistakably recall classic Scottish links, but adapted to the exotic Moroccan desert landscape. Its fairways are very generous and wide, forgiving occasional mistakes with the driver. Nevertheless, the real challenge comes on its enormous greens, designed with tiers and pronounced slopes. The course is also dotted with works of contemporary art, creating a unique cultural atmosphere while you play your round.

Comparative table: course characteristics

So that you can plan your green fees and organise your golfing itinerary with complete ease, here is a direct summary of what each of these spectacular Marrakech layouts offers:

Your oasis in the Palmeraie: where to stay after the 18th hole

The great secret of expert golfers visiting the red city lies in the smart choice of accommodation. Trying to stay in the very heart of the city centre (inside the Medina) when travelling with a bulky and heavy golf bag is a logistical mistake more common than it might seem. Narrow streets, constant bustle and the lack of vehicle access make daily transfers to the courses tedious.

For this reason, the strategic location par excellence for sports tourism is the Marrakech Palmeraie. It is an exclusive residential area immersed in nature, quiet, extremely safe and, most importantly, very close to the main routes out of the city. At Ona Hotels & Apartments, we offer you two outstanding options within this privileged location under our Be Live brand, fully adapted to your personal needs and your travel companions:

Be Live Collection Marrakech Adults Only (5 stars): the luxury of recovery

If you are travelling as a couple or with your usual group of golfing friends, this five-star adults-only resort is the paradise you are looking for. After walking the more than 10 kilometres required by an 18-hole round, the body needs urgent muscle recovery. The distinctive advantage of this spectacular hotel is its atmosphere of absolute peace and its impressive spa area. Here, you can enjoy an authentic Moroccan hammam, a traditional steam bath that will relax your deep muscles. Afterwards, you can book a decontracting massage for your back and shoulders, leaving you ready for your next day’s round. In the evening, its select à la carte restaurants and chill-out areas with Balinese beds offer the ideal setting to discuss the day’s best shots with a drink in hand.

Be Live Collection Marrakech Adults Only

Be Live Experience Marrakech Palmeraie (4 stars): the ideal solution for families

It is very common for the long-awaited golf trip to coincide with the annual family holiday. In this scenario, the key to absolute success is that every member of the family is equally happy during the trip. While you get up early to enjoy your great passion on the nearby courses, your family will be enjoying themselves in complete safety at Be Live Experience. This incredible resort stands out for its giant swimming pools, a very complete daily entertainment programme, children’s clubs for different age groups and a very high-quality all-inclusive package. When you return from the course at midday, you can join them for a relaxed lunch at the buffet. We guarantee healthy options, the use of filtered water and the peace of mind of our European food hygiene standards, allowing you to spend an afternoon of pure shared fun.

Be Live Experience Marrakech Palmeraie 

Practical tips: travelling with your clubs to Morocco without stress

For many amateur players, the simple idea of taking their own equipment on the plane creates an invisible barrier that holds them back from travelling far from home. However, with a little planning and the right information, travelling to Marrakech with your clubs is a surprisingly simple and safe process:

Flights and special check-in: Marrakech-Menara Airport is one of the most modern in the whole of Africa and is perfectly prepared to welcome golf tourism. The vast majority of European airlines operating direct routes have very clear and accessible policies for checking in your sports luggage. We recommend booking the extra for your golf bag online at the same time as buying your plane ticket, which will guarantee you the best available rate. Make sure you use a good rigid or semi-rigid travel cover. A very useful trick is to make use of the small gaps inside the bag to pack your golf shoes and some soft clothing, which will protect your club shafts even more during the journey.

Local transport and safety: as we mentioned earlier in this guide, ground logistics are of vital importance. Forget completely about trying to flag down a standard taxi in the street and haggle while carrying your bulky bag. From the reception desk of our Be Live hotels located in the Palmeraie, our multilingual staff can arrange private transfers for you. These are spacious, very safe vehicles operating at fixed rates, taking you from the hotel door itself to the clubhouse of any course you choose, and picking you up punctually at the agreed time.

The role of the caddie: a very important cultural detail and one that is characteristic of golf in Morocco is the wide availability of caddies. On some classic courses, in fact, hiring one is practically compulsory. Far from being a nuisance or an unnecessary expense, it is genuinely invaluable help. Local caddies know every green perfectly, will help you read complex breaks that seem indecipherable, will give you exact distances to the hole and will look after your equipment. In addition, by properly hiring their services, you are directly contributing to supporting the local economy and employment.

Playing clothes and etiquette: the etiquette required on Moroccan courses is exactly the same as at any prestigious European golf club: collared polo shirts, golf trousers or tailored shorts, and soft-spike shoes. Although the country naturally has more conservative dress codes in its more rural areas, inside the golf clubs and our hotel facilities the atmosphere is completely international, sporting and relaxed.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about golf in Marrakech

What is the best time to play golf in Marrakech?

The high season and, without doubt, the most comfortable period for regular golf runs from mid-October to the end of May. During these fantastic months, you will avoid the constant European rain and enjoy enviable spring-like temperatures. It is highly preferable to avoid organising your trip in July and August, as the heat on an open course with hardly any shade can be truly exhausting, easily exceeding 40 ºC during the middle hours of the day.

Is an official handicap required to play on these courses?

Yes, it is a common requirement, just as it is on the vast majority of prestigious courses internationally. The major 18-hole layouts in Marrakech usually ask you to present your federation licence with your current official handicap before going out onto the course. Typically, the handicap limit required to guarantee a good general pace of play is 28 for men and 36 for women, although this figure may vary slightly depending on each club’s rules.

Is it safe to leave my expensive golf equipment at the hotel?

It is a total and absolute reassurance. Our excellent Be Live hotels in the Palmeraie are closed, private sites with professional security teams and surveillance cameras 24 hours a day. In addition to this perimeter protection, the rooms and suites in the resorts are exceptionally spacious and comfortable, offering more than enough room to store your heavy golf bags properly and conveniently without obstructing your daily movement throughout your stay in Morocco.

What alternatives are there if a companion does not play golf?

The options are practically endless, which is what makes the city such an attractive destination. While you enjoy the courses, your companions can safely explore the souks of the Medina, visit the beautiful Majorelle Garden or take exciting desert excursions. Of course, they can also choose to stay in the facilities of our Be Live hotels, relaxing with a good book by the pool or enjoying our exquisite gastronomic and spa offering.