Christmas and New Year golf in Marrakech: weather, tee times, fees
- 12 October 2026
Yes, Christmas and New Year are a good time for golf in Marrakech: December averages a high of 20.1 °C with 4.1 rainy days in the month (WMO 1991-2020 normals). The real limit is daylight. The sun sets at about 5.35 pm, and clubs such as Samanah and Assoufid stop 18-hole tee times at around 2 pm. Book morning or early-afternoon tee times, and check high-season rates and cancellation terms before you pay.
Late-December weather in Marrakech
The figures below are the World Meteorological Organization’s climate normals for the Marrakech weather station, averaged over 1991-2020. They are thirty-year averages rather than a forecast, but they give a fair picture of a festive week at the foot of the Atlas.
| WMO 1991-2020 normal (Marrakech station) | December | January |
|---|---|---|
| Average daily high | 20.1 °C | 19.1 °C |
| Average daily low | 7.3 °C | 5.9 °C |
| Rainy days (1 mm or more) | 4.1 | 3.0 |
| Total rainfall | 24.2 mm | 25.0 mm |
| Days reaching 25 °C or more | 1.9 | 0.9 |
| Frost days (low below 0 °C) | 0.0 | 0.2 |
In practice that means polo-shirt afternoons around 20 °C and chilly mornings. With an average January low of 5.9 °C, an 8.15 am tee time starts in a jumper or a windproof that comes off by the turn. Frost is rare (0.2 days in an average January). Spread over a week, the December figure works out at about one rainy day.
Rain has one practical consequence: at Fairmont Royal Palm, buggies are not allowed in wet weather. If someone in your fourball does not walk 18 holes, keep a spare day in the plan. To compare December with the rest of the winter, see our guide to winter golf in Morocco.
Sunrise, sunset and the last tee times
Morocco went back to GMT all year round on 20 September 2026. In December, Marrakech is therefore on the same time as the UK and Ireland: no jet lag, no mental arithmetic for tee times. All times below are local.
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 December 2026 | 7.24 am | 5.30 pm | 10 h 06 min |
| 21 December 2026 | 7.27 am | 5.33 pm | 10 h 06 min |
| 25 December 2026 | 7.29 am | 5.35 pm | 10 h 06 min |
| 31 December 2026 | 7.31 am | 5.39 pm | 10 h 08 min |
| 1 January 2027 | 7.32 am | 5.39 pm | 10 h 07 min |
About ten hours of light makes for a short playing window, and the clubs say so:
- Samanah Golf Club publishes a first tee time of 8.15 am and a last 18-hole tee time of 2 pm for December, with a twilight rate from 1 pm. The club says it is open seven days a week, 365 days a year, so Christmas Day and New Year’s Day included.
- Assoufid Golf Club runs tee times at 10-minute intervals from the 1st tee between 7.30 am and 2 pm, noting that times may vary with the season. Members have priority until 9.30 am.
Assoufid expects 18 holes to take no more than 3 hours 50 minutes, and asks groups that take longer than 1 hour 45 for the front nine to speed up. A 2 pm start can therefore finish around 5.50 pm, after sunset (5.35 pm on Christmas Day). To finish in good light, aim for a tee time between 9 am and 12.30 pm.
Fancy a round between Christmas and New Year? We build the trip to measure: courses, tee times, accommodation and transfers.
Christmas green fees: what the clubs publish
Late December falls in high season at the clubs that publish seasons. Most Marrakech clubs, however, show a single rate with no festive surcharge. These are the visitor 18-hole rates on the clubs’ official websites on 12 October 2026, in Moroccan dirhams (MAD), as published.
| Course | 18-hole green fee | Published validity | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al Maaden Golf | 1,350 MAD | High season, 5 September 2026 to 30 June 2027 | Low season (840 MAD) only from 1 July to 4 September 2027 |
| Assoufid Golf Club | 1,300 MAD | 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027 | Maximum handicap 35, certificate required |
| Royal Golf Marrakech | 1,200 MAD | No period stated | Forecaddie compulsory: 200 to 300 MAD per caddie, cash |
| Samanah Golf Club | 1,100 MAD | “Seasonal variations” announced | Group rates on request |
| Amelkis Golf Club | 950 MAD | No period stated | 27 holes |
| The Montgomerie | 700 MAD | No period stated | Operator’s visitor rate |
| Atlas Golf | 650 MAD | Standard rate (summer rate is 500 MAD) | 9 holes played twice; book caddies and buggies 24 hours ahead |
| The Tony Jacklin Marrakech | 600 MAD | No period stated | Plus a 9-hole par-3 course |
| Fairmont Royal Palm | 2026-27 rates not published | Page showed the 2025-26 season; site offline on 16 Oct 2026 | Handicap 28 or better; one caddie per group minimum, 200 MAD |
Two things stand out. For a festive week, the price gap comes from which courses you pick, not from the date: Al Maaden costs 750 MAD more per player per round than The Tony Jacklin. And because Al Maaden and Atlas Golf publish a summer reduction, December is clearly charged at the full rate. The full course-by-course comparison is in Marrakech golf courses compared.
The festive calendar: who travels when
Three calendars overlap in Marrakech at the end of December, which is why everyone wants the same days.
- UK bank holidays: Friday 25 December, Monday 28 December (the substitute Boxing Day) and Friday 1 January; Scotland adds Monday 4 January. School holiday dates vary by council, so check yours before you fix the week.
- French school holidays: Saturday 19 December 2026 to Monday 4 January 2027, the same dates for all three zones of mainland France.
- Moroccan public holidays: 25 December is not one. 1 January is, as are 11 January (Proclamation of Independence) and 14 January (Amazigh New Year).
New Year’s Day is therefore a Moroccan public holiday and a travel day for many Europeans. If your dates allow, play your headline courses on ordinary weekdays in the week of 21 December, or after 4 January once French schools are back.
As for competitions, none of the clubs we checked publishes a Christmas or New Year event for 2026. Amelkis’s online fixture list stops at dates in 2022 and 2023, and Assoufid’s rules allow the club to close the course for professional or federation tournaments, exceptional maintenance or bad weather. Before you lock in a date, ask the club to confirm that no members’ competition has the course that day.
Booking a festive golf break
Clubs publish few booking rules, but the ones they do publish matter at year end:
- Cancellation: at Fairmont Royal Palm, bookings cancelled or reduced more than 7 days out were free; between 7 days and 48 hours, 50% was charged; inside 48 hours or for a no-show, 100% (terms on its website, offline on 16 October 2026). A credit card guarantee was required.
- Buggies: Fairmont Royal Palm has a limited number and asks you to reserve ahead. At Atlas Golf, caddies and buggies should be booked 24 hours in advance.
- Caddies: compulsory on every course since a Royal Moroccan Golf Federation (FRMG) circular of 29 May 2025; at Royal Golf Marrakech, one forecaddie per group, 300 MAD for a fourball; at Fairmont Royal Palm, at least one per group, 200 MAD (2025-26 rate card; club website offline on 16 October 2026). Both are paid in cash, so get dirhams before Christmas Day.
- Handicap: 28 or better at Fairmont Royal Palm, 35 maximum at Assoufid, with a certificate. A beginner in the family is better off on The Tony Jacklin’s par-3 nine or Samanah’s pitch and putt.
A simple rhythm for a festive week: four or five rounds over seven days, all in the morning, with Christmas Day and New Year’s Day kept free or played at Samanah, which says it opens every day of the year. We build the trip to measure from that kind of plan: tell us each player’s level and the evenings you want to keep for celebrating on our golf holidays in Marrakech page. For the city and its courses, see our page on golf in Marrakech.
One last check before you go: for UK travellers, your passport must have an expiry date at least 3 months after the day you arrive in Morocco, and you can stay up to 90 days as a tourist without a visa.
Planning golf in Marrakech over the holidays? We build the trip to measure: courses, tee times, accommodation and transfers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the weather like for golf in Marrakech at Christmas?
According to the WMO 1991-2020 normals, December in Marrakech averages a high of 20.1 °C and a low of 7.3 °C, with 4.1 rainy days in the month. Expect polo-shirt afternoons and a jumper for early tee times.
Are Marrakech golf courses open on Christmas Day and New Year's Day?
Samanah Golf Club says it is open seven days a week, 365 days a year. Other clubs do not publish festive opening hours, so ask them directly. 25 December is not a public holiday in Morocco; 1 January is.
What is the latest tee time for 18 holes in December?
Samanah sets its last 18-hole tee time at 2 pm in December, and Assoufid runs tee times until 2 pm. Sunset is around 5.35 pm, so a tee time between 9 am and 12.30 pm leaves a comfortable margin.
Are green fees more expensive over Christmas?
None of the Marrakech clubs we checked publishes a festive surcharge. Late December is charged at the high-season rate where one exists, such as 1,350 MAD at Al Maaden, and at the single year-round rate elsewhere, from 600 to 1,300 MAD for 18 holes.
Is Morocco on the same time as the UK in winter?
Yes. Morocco returned to GMT all year round on 20 September 2026, so in December and January Marrakech is on the same time as London and Dublin.
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