© Royal Golf

The sun as a playmate, mild temperatures during the day in winter, the snow-capped peaks of the Atlas as a backdrop, a French-speaking country, no jetlag, just over 3 hours by plane and numerous flights daily, courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, Colin Montgomerie, Robert Trent Jones Sr, Cabell Robinson or Tony Jacklin… Between October-November and March-April, it's hard not to resist the sirens of Marrakech when you have golf in your skin . In just a few short years, the flags may have even outnumbered the camels in this former imperial city in western Morocco. Golf in Marrakech is the assurance of playing on varied paths studded with bunkers, mostly fairly flat greens that keep the line well, wide fairways and clay or sand as rough. In short, that pleasure, whatever its index. A little alphabet book of the eleven routes.

Al Maaden

Opened in 2010, this 18-hole signed Kyle Phillips adjoins the Agdal Gardens and can be fierce, especially white boules if the wind picks up. To get a good score, you will have to slip between the water obstacles and the 104 bunkers that dot more or less undulating fairways, decorated with palm trees, cypresses, almond trees, olive trees and… a few statues. The 18 pew-shaped bunkers are a nod to the famous Church Pews bunkers on the Oakmont, Pa., Course.

http://www.almaaden.golf/

Amelkis

One of the oldest courses in Marrakech, designed in 1995 by Cabell Robinson (and host of the Moroccan Open in 2000). Hence the American touch of this scenic golf course with wide fairways, adorned with seven lakes and red earth pits. Watch out for hole 2, a par 5 lined with bunkers, which you have to play with skill and gritting your teeth. On the first leg, most par 4s flirt with the 400 meters and favor the big hitters.

http://www.golfamelkis.com/home/

Assoufid

Considered the most beautiful golf course in Marrakech, this little gem, sculpted in 2014 and maintained by around thirty gardeners, is a delightful exotic stroll, where no hole looks like another. Here the bunkers seem to attract each of your balls, but it's almost a pleasure because the fine sand is of excellent quality. The departure from the 1st at dawn, facing the sun which opens an eye on the snow-capped mountains of the Atlas, is a sacred spectacle. Special mention at 15, a charming right dogleg and at 17, a 3 m par 131 (yellow) which requires flying over a ravine from the highest point of the site. To design the course with precision, the architect Neil Cameron would have hit hundreds of balls in what was still a desert.

http://www.assoufid.com/en/

Fairmont Royal Palm

Another marvel, shaped by Cabell B. Robinson and open since 2013. This course in the shape of a gigantic garden marries beautifully the surrounding nature and in particular a wadi (small river), which accompanies you through the holes. The panorama is grandiose, especially on the way back, which is played in front of the Atlas, while the par 5 of 16 winds languidly towards the mountains. The dogleg par 4 courts of 3 and 8 are the other highlights of this delicious golf walk.

https://www.fairmont.com/marrakech/golf/

Montgomerie

This par 71 that came out of the Scottish champion's imagination in May 2014 is within driving distance of the airport and the city center. From the outset, you put your tee in the direction of the Koutoubia minaret, built in the XNUMXth^e century. The signature hole is # 3, a challenging par 5 where anything can happen. To hope for an eagle putter, you'll have to drive over a vast body of water, while avoiding… planes that almost seem to want to land on the fairway. After your game, you can taste the best burgers in town on the terrace of the O'Mammy restaurant, which overlooks the green at 18.

http://www.prestigiagolf.com/montgomerie-marrakech-golf/presentation

Noria

Another young course dating from 2014 and which is distinguished in particular by its three rectangular greens (on 8, 9 and 18), which evoke those of the Domaine de Manville in Provence. Another particularity, the golf course offers three totally different panoramas: a wooded part made up of orchards of olive trees and lavender, holes drawn around the basins of the water wheel (the noria) and fairways that go deep into the desert, with wild grasses and cacti that are best avoided. This relatively short par 72 allows you to discover some rather fun holes, like the 2 (par 5) and its heart-shaped green, the 5 (par 5) with the Atlas range and a pretty traditional Moroccan building. in the background, and the signature hole of 8, a par 3 where a water hazard, a green and a typical building - all rectangular - seem perfectly aligned. Without forgetting the 9 and the 18, which run along a rectilinear channel all along and are played almost in apnea.

http://www.noriagolfclub.com/Sites/noriagolfclub/fr/index.php

PalmGolf Ourika

A course in the middle of the desert, designed by the Canadian duo Neil Haworth and Stéphane Talbot, with undulating fairways, huge bunkers and bentgrass greens. Opened in the summer of 2015, it is the first golf course in Morocco to offer the latest interactive equipment, a GPS and a digital tablet being integrated into the carts.

http://www.palmgolfmarrakechourika.com/golf.php

PalmGolf Palm Grove

The only golf course in the north of Marrakech, this par 72 built in 1993 was designed by the architect with 500 courses: Robert Trent Jones. Suitable for all levels of play, 11 lakes and water obstacles spice up a course which was enriched with an additional 9 holes six years ago.

https://www.palmeraieresorts.com/fr/golf/

Royal Golf

It is an almost century-old wooded golf course - the second oldest in the kingdom - designed in 1927 by Arnaud Massy and surveyed among others by Ike Eisenhower and Winston Churchill. Populated by 15000 different trees (palm trees, orange trees, eucalyptus, pines), the "Old Course" offers a landscape and a challenge very different from other courses in the city. Here, it is better to be precise at the drive and this, from the start of the 1. The pretty par 3 of the 9, surrounded by palm trees and which cannot be easily conquered, would have been affectionately baptized "the Brigitte Bardot" by the king Hassan II ...

http://royal-golf-marrakech.com/

Samanah Golf Club

One of the most beautiful views of the Atlas Mountains and above all a course signed by the master, a certain Jack Nicklaus, in 2009. Sculpted in the heart of the desert, the route is adorned with cacti, olive trees, palm trees. , date palms and bentgrass greens, perfectly maintained, are billiards. The game ends in style with hole 15, the second shot of which must span a small natural ravine, and the 18, adorned with gigantic fairway bunkers and a large lake on the port side. The Samanah will host a PGA Tour Champions event at the end of January 2020.

http://www.samanah.com/

Tony Jacklin

The site, close to the city center and still under construction, is especially worthwhile for the possibility of playing a course drawn by Tony Jacklin. For the record, the winner of the British Open 1969 and the US Open 1970 would have himself inaugurated the course in October 2016 by hitting a drive on hole n ° 1, which - honor is safe - would have found the middle of the fairway. Better to get the muscles out here, on holes that often require playing wood on par 3s and second shots on par 4. Hole 16, a par 3 with an island green, looks like a l iconic 17 of the TPC Sawgrass.

Where to stay?

© Fairmont Royal Palm

Backed by an 18-hole course, the Fairmont Royal Palm is a 5 * oasis located 20 minutes south of Marrakech and has 6 restaurants, a 2000 m² swimming pool, an organic farm, a spa and a fitness center. The rooms are spacious and ultramodern. Special mention for the abundant and top-level breakfast. The ideal place for golfers looking for luxury and serenity.

Golf courses nearby: Royal Palm (on site), Samanah (6 minutes by car), Noria (9 minutes), Tony Jacklin (10 minutes) Assoufid (14 minutes), Montgomerie (14 minutes), PalmGolf Ourika (20 minutes).

https://all.accor.com/hotel/B147/index.fr.shtml

© Four Seasons of Marrakech

Ideally located near the airport, the Medina, the Majorelle garden and many golf courses, the Four Seasons of Marrakech is a 5 * resort where everything is done to make customers feel at home. Pretty ornamental ponds, fountains and Moorish gardens adorn this 16-hectare haven of peace which notably has 2 outdoor swimming pools, a superb spa, 2 tennis courts and 3 restaurants, including the delicious Quattro, which combines the flavors of Italy and Morocco. Strawberries, raspberries, melons and blackberries all year round for breakfast.

Golf courses nearby: Montgomerie (8 minutes), Tony Jacklin (15 minutes), Noria (16 minutes), Royal Golf (19 minutes).

https://www.fourseasons.com/fr/marrakech/?seo=google_local_mrk1_emea

© Sultana Marrakech

At the heart of the Medina and the golden triangle of the imperial city, the Sultana Marrakech is one of the jewels of Moroccan hospitality, elected by Forbes magazine among the 400 most beautiful hotels in the world. A pretty spa invites you to try the traditional "Royal Hammam", followed by an Argan oil massage. You can also taste the street food cuisine at La Table du Souk with a magnificent view of the monuments and the Atlas, sip a mint tea and a cocktail by the swimming pool nestled in the heart of the establishment or stroll in the typical shop, near the reception. Each room has its own decoration inspired by the Moorish style.

Golf courses nearby: Montgomerie (8 minutes), Tony Jacklin (11 minutes), Royal Golf (12 minutes), Noria (13 minutes), Amelkis (15 minutes), Al Maaden (17 minutes), Fairmont Royal Palm (19 minutes).

https://www.lasultanahotels.com/p/marrakech

© Club Med of Marrakech

Nestled in the Palmeraie, Club Med from Marrakech is the ideal refuge for golfers who appreciate the “all inclusive” services and entertainment of the famous trident brand. A driving range, a 9-hole pitch & putt course (between 40 and 108 m) and a team of 5 to 7 teachers led by Salah, the friendly manager of the golf course, will allow you to polish your swing in a good mood. Group lessons are offered every day on a different theme and packages including green fees on several courses are also available.

Golf courses nearby: PalmGolf Palmeraie (11 minutes), Royal Golf (16 minutes), Amelkis (17 minutes), Al Maaden (20 minutes).

https://www.clubmed.fr/r/Marrakech-la-Palmeraie/y?CMCID=SNN170574474162

And since it's not just golf in life ...

Nearly a thousand-year-old city, Marrakech is full of wonders to visit, starting with the Majorelle Garden, created in the 30s by Frenchman Jacques Majorelle and a source of inspiration for Yves Saint Laurent, who bought the place fifty years later. Marrakech is also the minaret of Koutoubia, 77 meters high, or the big place Jemaa El Fna and its countless sellers of fresh fruit juices. It's finally the famous Medina, this labyrinth of small alleys where you buy everything and where cars and mopeds do not hesitate to rush.

Close to Bahia palace, built in the XIX^e century by the Grand Vizier Sidi Moussa, do not hesitate to take a well-being break at the Cocoon of beauty queens, created three years ago by Corinne, a Frenchwoman from the Basque Country, who enjoys excellent word of mouth and attracts many golfers. You will be greeted by the smiles of Ouiame, Ikram and Khadija who will provide you with ancestral treatments based on donkey milk and essential oils. To be tested absolutely, the four-hand massage… of the feet, unprecedented and incredibly relaxing.

https://www.jardinmajorelle.com/

https://www.mosquee-koutoubia.com/

https://www.bonjourmarrakesh.com/palais-bahia

https://www.facebook.com/Le-cocoon-des-reines-de-beaut%C3%A9-145325682895121/

Frank Crudo

To go further, read our article on the same subject :

Assoufid Golf Club: awarded at the World Golf Awards 2018 best course in Morocco