THE GOLF OF MARRAKECH

Marrakech is renowned for its magnificent golf courses.

Many courses, most of them designed by renowned architects, welcome golf enthusiasts of all levels.

A must-visit golfing spot! Here are some of the city’s most beautiful golf courses:

1 Golf Al Maaden: Located at the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, this 18-hole golf course offers breathtaking panoramic views. Designed by renowned golf architect Kyle Phillips, Golf Al Maaden features undulating fairways, water hazards, and strategically placed bunkers for an interesting challenge for golfers of all levels.

As soon as you enter the club, which opened in February 2010, you are immediately struck by the square water hazards that border the 18th hole! “It’s a nod from architect Kyle Phillips to the Menara Gardens,” explains Patrick Widmer, the golf director. These same rectangular ponds can be found on the 6th and 12th holes, two par 3s where water is omnipresent. There are also square greens and bunkers. So, this is the hallmark of this “tribute” course to Marrakech, where the front faces the Koutoubia and the back offers views of the Atlas Mountains. Technically, the layout is molded in a Scottish style with mounds, tall grass, and landscaping featuring palm trees, lemon trees, orange trees, and olive trees. The fairways are punctuated by 104 bunkers that are surprisingly well-placed, always within driving distance or surrounding the greens. And the 19th hole? It stays in line with a brightly lit cubical clubhouse, offering a huge terrace overlooking the 18th green.

2 Golf Royal Marrakech: Located near the ramparts of the Medina of Marrakech, this 27-hole golf course is a true gem. Designed by Gustave Golias, Golf Royal Marrakech offers a combination of palm-lined fairways, sparkling lakes, and well-maintained greens. Straight from the imagination of the “Pasha of Marrakech,” Hadj Thami El Glaoui Mezouar in the year 1927, the Royal Golf of Marrakech is currently one of the most beautiful historic international golf courses and is certainly one of the most prestigious golf courses in the city of Marrakech. With prestigious golfers such as David Lloyd George, Ike Eisenhower, and Winston Churchill, the Royal Golf of Marrakech allows golfers from all over the world to “play a historic and legendary course.”

This magnificent course, populated with over 15,000 different trees (palm trees, orange trees, eucalyptus, pines, etc.), offers an unforgettable walk in a park of exceptional beauty that adds to the pleasure of the game. Not far from the city center of Marrakech and ideally located facing the Amelkis Golf Club, at the foot of the High Atlas, this unique 27-hole golf course consists of an 18-hole historic course named the “Old Course,” a par 72 of 5,937 meters opened and inaugurated in 1933, as well as a 9-hole course named “Menara,” a par 36 of 3,072 meters, which opened its doors in 2008.

The course is also equipped with several bunkers and water hazards, ensuring an exciting playing experience. It was the favorite golf course of King Hassan II, who did not hesitate to close the club when he came to play. Its course, traced in 1923 amid 14,500 century-old trees, is a true garden, obsolete for some with its lack of length but full of charm. The most famous hole, “Brigitte Bardot Hole,” is evocative with its 2 nipple-shaped bunkers!

3 Golf Amelkis: Designed by the renowned golf architect Cabell Robinson, Golf Amelkis is a 27-hole course located between the Palmeraie gardens and the Atlas Mountains. This course offers a mix of technical challenges with narrow fairways, well-placed bunkers, and fast greens. The panoramic views of the surrounding mountains add to the beauty of this course. Since its opening in 1995, its 27 holes have been in high demand. Slightly hilly and technical, this course has the advantage of being playful and varied. It boasts the highest number of bunkers: 237, large and jagged.

4 Palmeraie Golf: This 27-hole golf course is located in a beautiful setting in the midst of Marrakech’s palm grove. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., Palmeraie Golf features winding fairways surrounded by 100,000 palm trees. Natural obstacles, lakes, and strategically placed bunkers make it an exciting and aesthetically pleasing course. Its 18 holes, opened in 1994, are considered “collector’s items” as it is the last layout imagined by Trent Jones Senior before his passing. You can see the architect’s signature style with water, fairways weaving between hillocks and bunkers, and small undulating greens. In 2010, the club opened nine new holes, designed in a more modern American style, longer, with huge greens and even more water hazards.

5 Assoufid Golf: This 18-hole course is located in a peaceful oasis near the Agafay Desert, about a 20-minute drive from Marrakech. Designed by Niall Cameron, Assoufid Golf offers well-maintained fairways, a unique arid landscape, and stunning views of the Atlas Mountains. The course design seamlessly blends with the natural environment, creating an unforgettable golfing experience. Assoufid Golf Club Marrakech is a golf course with a unique atmosphere just a few kilometers from the city center. Its diverse 18-hole course, par 72, spanning 6,440 meters, provides a challenging experience for all players. Last but not least, Assoufid Golf Club offers an incredible panorama of the Atlas Mountains and an original eco-friendly course.

6 The Fairmont Royal Palm Marrakech Golf Course offers an intense golfing experience for all players. This 18-hole course, measuring 6,608 meters, par 72, features some interesting challenges. Designed by Cabell Robinson, the golf course spans 75 hectares of meticulously maintained terrain at the foot of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains. With a well-equipped practice area and a hedonistic Club House, everything is designed for your utmost pleasure. Featuring immaculate greens amidst an exceptional landscaped park, this gently undulating golf course and its exclusive country club are the jewels of the Royal Palm Marrakech. After a round of golf, there’s nothing like an exceptional country club to recharge. Whether you want to engage in sports or relax, this is the place to take some time for yourself. Exclusive fitness and leisure facilities at the golf and country club await you. After your workout, you can unwind at the bar or enjoy a delicious meal. The complex also includes a cardio room, a yoga center, and a large pool.

7 Samanah Golf Club This is the first – and to this day, the only – course designed by Jack Nicklaus in Morocco. A mark of quality. Very long at 6,800 meters, this 18-hole course was built to USGA standards, meaning it has all the qualities required to host a PGA Tour championship. This is evident in its final five holes, perfect for an exquisite finish. It’s also reflected in its greens, which can accommodate up to six different flag positions and are renowned as the best in Morocco for their design and maintenance. “This layout is straightforward, with wide and well-defended fairways, and you can see all the hazards from the tee,” notes the director, Nicolas Claverie. Opened in 2009, this desert golf course was also the first to grass only a portion of the course.

8 LE NORIA

The Noria Golf Club in Marrakech is an 18-hole par-75 course that opened its doors in early 2014. It features a highly diverse design suitable for various styles of play and skill levels. The Noria Golf Club course in Marrakech is a unique 18-hole layout located at the foot of the Atlas Mountains. The course is divided into three parts, primarily distinguished by their vegetation: a wooded and floral section with olive trees and lavender, an aquatic part surrounding the waterwheels, and a desert section featuring various cacti and wild grasses. What sets this 18-hole course apart is its exceptional panorama and rectangular-shaped greens, as well as the long water basin running through the course and minaret towers reminiscent of traditional Moroccan architecture.

Whether you are an experienced golfer or a beginner, these golf courses in Marrakech will provide you with beautiful landscapes and challenging courses for an exceptional golf experience.

If your incentive trip to Marrakech allows for some free time and customizable activities, MARRAKECH EVENTS can organize a half-day of golf for your guests.