Marrakech or the Algarve? What actually changes
- 14 September 2026
If you already know the Algarve, you know what a golf destination is supposed to feel like: one base, a short drive to a different course each morning, and a season that runs when home is cold. Marrakech works the same way. What changes is not the format — it is the golf, the price of the day, and what happens when you put the clubs away.
This page does not try to tell you what the Algarve costs; you know that better than we do. It tells you precisely what Marrakech is, so you can hold the two side by side.
One base, thirteen courses
This is the part people do not expect. Marrakech has thirteen courses on this site, among them Assoufid, Amelkis, Al Maaden, Samanah, Royal Golf Marrakech, Atlas Golf, Noria, Palm Golf Ourika, Rotana, Argan Golf Resort, Fairmont Royal Palm, The Montgomerie and Golf Akenza.
You can play a different course every day for a week and sleep in the same bed. No other Moroccan city comes close: Agadir and Casablanca have four each, and everywhere else has one to three. If you have read that “Morocco” is a golf destination, the honest version is that Marrakech is one, and the rest of the country is a series of good days out.
The names on the scorecards
You will recognise the architects. Kyle Phillips laid out Al Maaden. Nicklaus Design is here. Tony Jacklin’s name is on Argan. Gary Player designed at Mogador on the coast. These are not municipal courses dressed up for tourists — they are the same signature work you would be paying for anywhere.
The caddie, and why it changes the round
Here is the difference you will feel on the first tee. In Marrakech the caddie is compulsory on every course, and always paid on top of the green fee: at Royal Golf Marrakech since 28 May 2025 (200 to 300 MAD for 18 holes depending on the number of players, in cash), and at Fairmont Royal Palm one caddie per group minimum (200 MAD, in cash; 2025-26 rate card; club website offline on 16 October 2026). That is not how European golf normally works.
What it means in practice: you walk, someone who plays that course every day carries your bag and reads your line. A buggy costs extra too: 350 to 450 MAD a round at the Marrakech clubs that publish a price. It is a more sociable round than you are used to, and usually a better-scored one.
The season is the inverse of yours
Marrakech averages 19–20 °C in the afternoon in December and January, with three or four rainy days a month (WMO 1991–2020 normals). That is the high season here, precisely because it is not at home. March and April are warmer, with average highs of 24–26 °C, though March is the wettest month of the season, with about five rainy days.
The trade is summer. June to August, Marrakech reaches the mid-thirties and beyond; you tee off at seven or you do not play. If your holidays fall in July, this is not your destination — the coast or the Atlas is, and that is a different trip. Full detail in our month-by-month guide.
Green fees, in the one currency we can vouch for
We will not put a number on the Algarve. What we can tell you is what Marrakech charges: 600 to 1,350 MAD for 18 holes at the public rates the clubs publish, from The Tony Jacklin Marrakech to Al Maaden in the 2026–27 high season; the few published summer rates are 23 % (Atlas Golf) to 38 % (Al Maaden) lower. Compare that against whatever you paid last time — the arithmetic is yours to do, and it is usually the reason people try Morocco once and come back.
Our green fee guide breaks it down by city, and the week-long budget prices the whole trip line by line.
What you do on the days you don't play
This is where the two destinations genuinely diverge, and it is worth being honest about it. The Algarve gives you the Atlantic, good restaurants and an easy, familiar rhythm. Marrakech gives you something less restful and more memorable: a medina that has been trading for a thousand years, the High Atlas within an hour, and the stone desert of Agafay about the same.
If you are travelling with people who do not play, that matters more than any green fee. A non-golfer has a considerably fuller week in Marrakech than beside a course.
The practical differences, plainly
You fly to Marrakech Menara, and several courses are close to the airport: Samanah says it is 15 minutes away. No visa for UK or EU passports. Currency is the dirham — cards work, but carry cash for caddies and clubhouses. Club staff work in French and generally English. Check the handicap rules before you book: Fairmont Royal Palm required a valid licence and a handicap of 28 or better (club website offline on 16 October 2026), Assoufid a maximum of 35 with a certificate. Dress code is what you would expect: collared shirt, no denim, soft spikes.
One thing to know that has no Algarve equivalent: Ramadan, whose dates move about eleven days earlier each year: check them before you book. Courses stay open and you play normally; clubhouse catering is reduced during daylight and the staff around you are fasting. Our booking guide covers it.
Who should not come
If you want to walk from the hotel to the first tee and never think about a car, a purpose-built resort does that better. If you travel in July and August, go somewhere cooler. If the point of the holiday is familiarity, Marrakech will be work.
If you want thirteen courses off one base, signature architecture, a caddie carrying your bag, and a city worth the flight on its own — that is the case for Marrakech, and it is a strong one. Our golf holidays in Marrakech are built on exactly that: a private villa as the base and a different course each day.
Frequently asked questions
How many golf courses are there in Marrakech?
Thirteen on this site, which is what makes Marrakech a single-base golf destination rather than a country you tour.
Is the golf in Marrakech good, or just cheap?
Both. The architects include Kyle Phillips, Nicklaus Design, Colin Montgomerie and Cabell B. Robinson, and the public 18-hole rates run from 600 to 1,350 MAD.
When should I go?
December to April for warmth when home is cold; March and April are warmer still, with average highs of 24–26 °C. Avoid July and August in the city itself.
Do I need a caddie?
Yes: since a Royal Moroccan Golf Federation circular of 29 May 2025, a caddie has been compulsory on every course, paid on top of the green fee: 200 to 300 MAD for 18 holes at Royal Golf Marrakech depending on the number of players, 200 MAD at Fairmont Royal Palm (one per group minimum, 2025-26 rate card; club website offline on 16 October 2026), both in cash. Other clubs publish their own rate, for example 250 MAD at Assoufid and 120 MAD at Atlas Golf.
Is it a good trip for a mixed group of golfers and non-golfers?
Better than most golf destinations. The medina, the Atlas and the Agafay desert are all within an hour, so the non-players have a real holiday rather than a wait.
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