Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Rabat, Morocco, a fairway lined by mature cork oak trees

Ranked · 7 courses · updated 2026

The Best Golf for a Buddies Trip in Morocco

Morocco is the short haul winter golf trip that still feels like an adventure, a few hours from Europe yet a world apart, where Robert Trent Jones cork forests, Kyle Phillips desert links and Atlantic coast resorts sit alongside the souks, riads and rooftop bars of Marrakech. The golf is better and more varied than most visitors expect, and the value and the warmth make it a brilliant group trip. Here are the seven courses we would build a Moroccan trip around, ranked, with our verdict on each and how to play it.

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By the GolfForKings editorial desk · How we rank · Last reviewed June 2026

Photograph: Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, via Google

How we chose them

Morocco's golf reputation rests on one course, the Red at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Rabat, where Robert Trent Jones Sr carved a championship layout through a forest of cork oaks back in 1971 and gave the country a course good enough to host the professionals every year since. But the modern story is Marrakech, where in the last fifteen years a run of ambitious courses by Kyle Phillips, Cabell Robinson and others has turned the red city into a genuine golf destination, played against the snow capped Atlas Mountains. Add the Atlantic links at El Jadida and Agadir and a group has real variety.

We weighed the quality and originality of the golf, the strength of the base around it and how easily a visiting group can play and enjoy the wider trip, because Morocco is as much about the evenings in the medina as the mornings on the course. We leaned toward Marrakech as the obvious hub, with Rabat and the coast as additions. The order is our editors' view, so reorder the Marrakech courses to taste. If you want any of these built into a costed trip with the tee times and riads secured, that is exactly what our concierge does.

The ranking

Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, Red Course

Rabat · Robert Trent Jones Sr · 1971

The most famous course in Morocco and one of the best in Africa, the Red Course was routed by Robert Trent Jones Sr through a dense forest of mature cork oaks on the orders of King Hassan II, opening in 1971. A long par 73 with tree lined corridors and a celebrated island green par 3, it has hosted the country's flagship professional event for half a century. A pilgrimage round worth the trip up to Rabat from a Marrakech base, and the historic heart of any Moroccan golf trip.

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Assoufid Golf Club

Marrakech · Niall Cameron

The most striking modern course in the country, a desert links laid out on rolling, sandy ground just outside Marrakech with nothing but scrub, dunes and the snow capped Atlas Mountains on the horizon. Designed by former tour player Niall Cameron and voted the best new course in Africa on opening, it is a clean, uncluttered, firm and fast round that feels a world away from the resort golf nearby. A favourite of golfers in the know and the connoisseur's pick in Marrakech.

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Al Maaden Golf Resort

Marrakech · Kyle Phillips · 2010

A Kyle Phillips design from the architect behind Kingsbarns, opened in 2010 and built to marry the spirit of a Moroccan oasis with the strategy of Scottish links golf. Water, contemporary art and bold green complexes run through a course framed by the Atlas Mountains and a luxury hotel, making it one of the most polished and photogenic rounds in Marrakech. Accessible, central and a comfortable, high quality base for a group.

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Amelkis Golf Club

Marrakech · Cabell Robinson

One of Marrakech's established names, a 27 hole Cabell Robinson layout among palms and olive groves that hosted the country's flagship professional event before it moved, and remains a reliable, well conditioned championship test. The three nines give a group flexibility, the setting is classic Marrakech with Atlas views, and the surrounding residential resort makes it an easy, central round to build an itinerary around.

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Fairmont Royal Palm

Marrakech · Cabell Robinson

The golf course at the five star Fairmont Royal Palm resort south of Marrakech, a Cabell Robinson design that plays through olive groves and orchards with lakes, generous fairways and the Atlas Mountains filling the skyline. Paired with one of the best hotels and spas in the region, it is the most luxurious stay and play base on the list, ideal for a group that wants the comfort and the service to match the golf.

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Mazagan Golf Club

El Jadida · Gary Player

A Gary Player links on the Atlantic dunes at El Jadida, between Casablanca and the coast, with firm turf, sea breezes and real seaside character set against a big resort and casino. The most genuine links experience in Morocco and a complete change of pace from the desert courses inland, it suits a group that wants beach, ocean golf and a livelier resort base. An easy add for a trip routed through Casablanca.

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Tazegzout Golf

Agadir · Kyle Phillips

A clifftop Kyle Phillips course on the Atlantic north of Agadir at Taghazout, tumbling through argan trees on a hillside above the ocean with sweeping sea views from almost every hole. Paired with a Fairmont resort on one of Morocco's best stretches of coast, it is the country's premier ocean golf and the obvious centrepiece for a sun and surf trip in the Agadir region, where the climate stays mild all year.

Read the Tazegzout profile

Designers, opening years and tournament history verified June 2026 from the clubs and recognized course databases; access, conditioning and green fees vary by season and year. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking. Check tee time availability.

Plan your Morocco buddies trip

Tell us the group, the rough dates and whether you want a Marrakech base, the marquee Dar Es Salam in Rabat or an Atlantic coast leg at El Jadida or Agadir, and we will build it. One concierge secures the tee times, sorts the riads and resorts and the transfers, and costs the whole trip to the head, with no obligation.

Morocco buddies golf questions

What is the best golf course in Morocco for a buddies trip?

The Red Course at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Rabat, the Robert Trent Jones Sr design of 1971 routed through a mature cork oak forest, is the most celebrated course in Morocco and the long time host of the country's flagship professional event. For a Marrakech based group the modern desert links at Assoufid and the Kyle Phillips course at Al Maaden are the standout rounds, with the Atlas Mountains as a backdrop.

Where should a group of golfers base themselves in Morocco?

Marrakech is the natural base, with the densest cluster of quality courses, the best nightlife and the medina, riads and restaurants to fill the evenings, all under three hours from most of Europe. Rabat is the place to add the marquee Dar Es Salam, while the Atlantic coast around El Jadida and Agadir pairs golf with the beach. Most groups base in Marrakech and add a day or two elsewhere.

When is the best time for a golf trip to Morocco?

Autumn, from October to November, and spring, from February to April, are the prime windows, with warm, dry days and comfortable evenings. Marrakech and the interior get very hot from June to August, while the Atlantic coast at Agadir and El Jadida stays milder and plays well year round. Winter is a popular escape and remains pleasant for golf. Always confirm conditions and tee times before booking.

The Tee Sheet

Moroccan golf, the Marrakech tee time windows and the trips worth taking. Every other week.

Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designers, opening years and tournament history verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.