First golf trip to Morocco: 10 mistakes to avoid
- 09 October 2026
Most first golf trips to Morocco go wrong in the same few ways: a passport too close to expiry, no handicap certificate for a club that insists on one, no dirhams for a compulsory caddie who is paid in cash, a green fee taken from last year’s rate card, or a course that turns out to be shut on a Monday. Every one of them is avoidable, and each is backed below by a rule the club or the government actually publishes. For the basics of the game and the etiquette, our guide to handicap, dress code and caddies goes further.
All rules and prices here come from the clubs’ official websites, the UK, Irish, Belgian and French travel advice pages and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) climate normals, read on 9 October 2026.
The ten mistakes at a glance
| Mistake | What the rule says | Who sets it |
|---|---|---|
| Passport too close to expiry | UK: at least 3 months left after arrival; Ireland: at least 6 months from entry | gov.uk; Irish DFA |
| No handicap proof | 28 or better plus licence; 35 maximum plus certificate; under 18 or under 28; under 36 plus proof | Fairmont Royal Palm; Assoufid; Dar Es Salam; Mogador |
| No cash | Compulsory caddie paid in cash, directly to the caddie | Royal Golf Marrakech, Cabo Negro, Fairmont Royal Palm |
| Trusting an old rate card | 2025 and 2025-26 grids still online on 9 Oct 2026 | Dar Es Salam, Fairmont Royal Palm |
| Not booking ahead | Tee-time booking compulsory; caddies and buggies 24 hours ahead; limited buggies | Dar Es Salam; Atlas Golf; Fairmont Royal Palm |
| Forgetting Monday | Course closed on Mondays; course open until 3 pm on Mondays | Dar Es Salam; Royal Country Club de Tanger |
| Jeans, gym shorts, metal spikes | Banned; soft spikes only | Dar Es Salam, Atlas Golf, Assoufid |
| Midday golf in July | Average July high of 37.7 °C in Marrakech | WMO normals 1991-2020 |
| Wrong driving permit | UK drivers need the 1968 International Driving Permit | gov.uk |
| Ignoring Ramadan | No alcohol on sale during Ramadan, expected in February 2027 | French and UK travel advice |
1. A passport that is about to run out
The Foreign Office is precise: to enter Morocco, a British passport must have an expiry date at least three months after the day you arrive, and you can stay up to 90 days without a visa. Damaged passports have led to travellers being refused entry, and border staff should stamp your passport on arrival; some visitors without the stamp have had trouble leaving. Irish travellers need at least six months’ validity from the date of entry, and the Irish Passport Card is not accepted. Check every passport in the fourball when you book, not the night before you leave.
2. No proof of handicap
Of the clubs whose official pages we read, four publish a handicap limit:
- Fairmont Royal Palm (Marrakech): the course is reserved for players with a valid golf licence and a handicap of 28 or better.
- Assoufid (Marrakech): maximum handicap 35, with a certificate shown at reception before you pay.
- Royal Golf Dar Es Salam (Rabat): under 18 for the Red course, under 28 for the Blue.
- Mogador (Essaouira): official handicap under 36, with proof required before any tee time.
A handicap index of 30 rules out the Royal Palm; 36 rules out Assoufid and Mogador as well. The classic trap is the society or mixed group where one player is over the limit and the fourball cannot go out as planned. List everyone’s index before you choose the courses, and pack your club or union card and a recent handicap record.
3. Arriving without dirhams
At Royal Golf Marrakech and Royal Golf de Cabo Negro, a forecaddie has been compulsory since 28 May 2025, following a note from the Royal Moroccan Golf Federation. You pay in cash, directly to the caddie, and the fee is per caddie rather than per player: 200 MAD for one or two players, 250 MAD for three, 300 MAD for a fourball over 18 holes. Fairmont Royal Palm required at least one caddie per group, 200 MAD a round, also in cash (2025-26 rate card; club website offline on 16 October 2026).
You will struggle to buy dirhams at home: the Foreign Office describes the dirham as a closed, non-convertible currency that is hard to exchange outside Morocco, and any foreign currency worth 100,000 MAD or more must be declared on entry or exit. Belgium’s travel advice adds that cash-machine withdrawals are limited to 2,000 dirhams per transaction. Draw or change money on arrival and keep small notes for every round.
Want your first Morocco golf trip to run smoothly? We build the trip to measure: courses, tee times, accommodation and transfers.
4. Trusting last season's rate card
Moroccan green fees are published season by season, and not every website is updated at the same time. This is what the official sites showed on 9 October 2026:
| Club | Visitor green fee, 18 holes | Period shown | Status on 09/10/2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assoufid | 1,300 MAD | 01/10/2026 to 30/09/2027 | Current |
| Al Maaden | 1,350 MAD | High season 05/09/2026 to 30/06/2027 | Current |
| Golf de l’Océan (Agadir) | 850 MAD | 01/10/2026 to 30/04/2027 | Current |
| Royal Golf Marrakech | 1,200 MAD | No period given | Undated |
| Atlas Golf | 650 MAD (500 MAD summer rate) | No period given | Undated |
| Royal Golf Dar Es Salam | 1,200 MAD (Red) | “Rates 2025” | Last year’s grid |
| Fairmont Royal Palm | No current grid | “Seasons 2025 – 2026”, low season to 04/10/2026 | Expired |
A price picked up from a forum, a booking site or an old blog post is likely to be wrong a season later. Do not budget on an undated rate, and always ask for the grid that applies to your dates. That is what we do for every quote.
5. Turning up without a booking
Walking up and asking for a tee time does not work everywhere. At Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, booking is compulsory (at reception, by phone or online), and fourballs, threeballs and two-balls take priority when the course is busy, so a single player is expected to let groups through. Atlas Golf asks you to book caddies and buggies 24 hours ahead. At Fairmont Royal Palm, buggies are limited and should be reserved in advance, and they are not allowed out in the rain; Dar Es Salam also reserves the right to restrict them in bad weather. If anyone in your group cannot walk 18 holes, book the buggy when you book the tee time.
6. Forgetting about Mondays
Royal Golf Dar Es Salam is closed on Mondays. At the Royal Country Club de Tanger, the club opens Tuesday to Sunday from 9 am to 6 pm, and the course only stays open until 3 pm on Mondays. Put your Rabat day on a Monday and you lose it. Check each club’s opening days before you fix the day-by-day plan.
7. Jeans, gym shorts or metal spikes
The clubs that publish a dress code all say much the same. Royal Golf Dar Es Salam requires clothing “in keeping with the traditions of golf” and bans jogging suits, tracksuits, jeans and short shorts, as well as metal-spiked shoes. Atlas Golf bans collarless vests, tracksuits and sports shorts. Assoufid allows Bermuda-length shorts and bans denim and trainers. A collared shirt per golf day, golf trousers or tailored shorts and soft-spiked shoes meet the rules at all three clubs.
8. Playing at midday in a Marrakech summer
WMO 1991-2020 normals put Marrakech’s average high at 37.7 °C in July and 37.4 °C in August, with an average of 22.9 days at 35 °C or more in July. On the coast at Agadir, the July average high is 26.7 °C. If you have to travel in summer, choose Agadir or take the first tee time in Marrakech. Some clubs price for it: Atlas Golf publishes a summer rate of 500 MAD for 18 holes. Our guide to golf in Marrakech in summer covers the tee times and green fees.
9. Trying to play too many far-flung courses
Morocco has courses from Saïdia in the north-east to Agadir in the south, and the temptation on a first trip is to tick off as many as possible. Every change of city adds a road transfer and a new hotel without adding a single hole of golf. For a first visit, one base in Marrakech, the city with the most courses, gives you a different course every day without repacking. If you want the coast as well, a second base is plenty.
10. The wrong driving permit, and forgetting Ramadan
If you plan to hire a car, the Foreign Office says UK licence holders need the 1968 International Driving Permit, which must be bought in the UK before you travel; the older 1949 permit is no longer accepted. Irish drivers need their full licence, an international driving permit and adequate insurance. As for Ramadan, the Foreign Office expects the next one to start in February 2027. It changes the trip more than the golf: according to the French government’s travel advice, alcohol cannot be bought during Ramadan, and the Foreign Office warns of erratic driving at dusk. No club publishes Ramadan hours, so we check them when we prepare your quote.
The fix: a plan checked before you pay
None of these mistakes is serious on its own. Together, they make a first trip where you spend more time on the phone than on the tee. Checking the group’s handicaps, the clubs’ opening days, the current rate card and the caddie rules before anything is paid sorts out most of them. That is how we put together our golf holidays in Marrakech.
Planning your first golf trip to Morocco? We build the trip to measure: courses, tee times, accommodation and transfers.
Frequently asked questions
How long must my passport be valid for Morocco?
For British travellers, at least three months after the day you arrive, according to the UK Foreign Office. Irish passports need at least six months from the date of entry, and the Irish Passport Card is not accepted.
Do I need a handicap certificate to play golf in Morocco?
Not everywhere, but at least four clubs ask for one: Fairmont Royal Palm (licence and a handicap of 28 or better; club website offline on 16 October 2026), Assoufid (35 maximum, certificate), Royal Golf Dar Es Salam (under 18 on the Red, under 28 on the Blue) and Mogador (under 36, with proof). Bring your card and a recent handicap record.
Is the caddie included in the green fee?
No. The caddie, compulsory on every course, is paid on top; at Royal Golf Marrakech, Cabo Negro and Fairmont Royal Palm you pay in cash, directly to the caddie: 200 to 300 MAD for 18 holes depending on the club and the size of the group.
Can I trust the green fees I find online?
Only if they are dated and still valid. On 9 October 2026, Assoufid, Al Maaden and Golf de l’Océan published 2026-27 rates, while Royal Golf Dar Es Salam still showed its 2025 rates and Fairmont Royal Palm an expired 2025-26 grid.
Which day should I avoid for golf in Rabat?
Monday: Royal Golf Dar Es Salam is closed that day, and on the other days tee times must be booked in advance.
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