Golf holidays

A golf trip to Egypt and a golf trip to Morocco are organised differently. In Egypt, you choose a hotel built in the middle of its course, on the Red Sea, and play every day without getting into a car. In Morocco, you choose a city, Marrakesh above all, and play several neighbouring courses during the week. In Dubai, you stay by the beach and reach two championship clubs in a quarter of an hour, home to two European tour events. All three destinations share a mild winter, which makes October to April the golf season for Europeans.

Egypt: the hotel in the middle of the course

On the Red Sea, the courses were laid out at the same time as the resorts, and the hotels in Sabaro's selection open straight onto the fairways.

• Soma Bay has two courses. The Cascades course, designed by Gary Player and opened in 1998, is a par 72 with several holes along the sea; Hidden Coves, by the British architect Tim Lobb, is opening in stages. The wind, present almost every day, is part of the game.
• El Gouna also has two courses: the Steigenberger Golf Resort course, by Gene Bates and Fred Couples, and Ancient Sands, by Karl Litten, whose lagoons act as water hazards. At the Steigenberger, 18 holes cost hotel guests €85 from October to April and €50 from May to September, and a handicap of 45 or less is required in winter.
• Makadi, south of Hurghada, combines a championship course by John Sanford with the Steigenberger Makadi, a 93-room hotel for guests aged 16 and over: the choice for couples and golfing friends who want peace and quiet.
• Marassi, on the Mediterranean coast west of Alexandria, surrounds the Address Marassi Golf Resort, a 48-room hotel beside an 18-hole course designed by Peter Harradine's firm. Here spring and autumn suit better than summer, when the north coast fills up.

Around Cairo, Madinaty and Allegria let you add a round to a cultural stay; Sharm el-Sheikh has the Jolie Ville course.

Morocco: one city, several courses

Morocco has around forty courses spread over seven regions, according to the Moroccan National Tourist Office. The first greens were laid out in Tangier in 1914; the large-scale golf programme began in the early 1970s under King Hassan II, and the Hassan II Trophy is played at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Rabat.

Marrakesh has most of the courses: a dozen between the Palmeraie and the Ourika road. You stay on one course and play the others. The Fairmont Royal Palm sits in the middle of its own, a par 72 by Cabell B. Robinson facing the Atlas, open to licensed players with a handicap of 28 or less; its packages add the Noria and Assoufid. Amanjena is next to Amelkis, 27 holes, and its "Golf Break" package also includes the Royal Golf and a round at Assoufid. At Club Med La Palmeraie, a 9-hole pitch and putt and a driving range are a place to start. Sabaro's trip idea "Golf in Marrakech in 7 days" organises three courses in a week.

Rabat has Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, 45 holes on three courses by Robert Trent Jones, beside which the Ritz-Carlton opened in 2024.

Agadir and Taghazout offer winter golf by the ocean: three courses around Agadir and, at Taghazout Bay, the Tazegzout course, designed by Kyle Phillips, with holes perched on 80 m cliffs above the Atlantic. The Fairmont Taghazout Bay is five minutes away.

Ifrane, in the Middle Atlas, offers the opposite: a course at 1,650 m among cedars and holm oaks, Jack Nicklaus's first in North Africa, at the Michlifen hotel. You play in the cool in summer, when Marrakesh goes above 37 °C.

Dubai: the beach and two tournament clubs

In Dubai, Sabaro recommends staying at a beach resort in the Marina and playing the nearby courses. Two clubs each host an event on the DP World Tour, the European professional golf tour.

The Emirates Golf Club is 8 km and 13 minutes from Banyan Tree Dubai, according to the hotel, and Al Fardan Exchange station on the metro's Red Line is right outside its entrance. It has two 18-hole, par-72 courses: the Majlis, its flagship, and the Faldo, opened in 1996. There is also a par-3 nine-hole course, an academy and Topgolf. The Majlis hosts the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, founded in 1989 and the region's longest-running professional tournament, from 21 to 24 January 2027; general admission costs AED 85 (UAE dirhams) in advance, about €20.

Jumeirah Golf Estates has two courses designed by Greg Norman, Earth and Fire. Earth hosts the DP World Tour Championship, the season finale for the top 50 in the rankings, from 12 to 15 November 2026 and then from 11 to 14 November 2027; entry is free on Thursday with registration, and always free for under-18s.

On the Creek, the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club adjoins the Park Hyatt Dubai, which gives its guests access to the driving range and putting green; the hotel is closed for renovation and plans to reopen in the first quarter of 2027.

A golf week in Dubai fits November, for the tour finale, or January, for the Desert Classic. The Dubai Marina page presents the district's hotels.

Before you go

• The season. In Hurghada, the average high is 22.2 °C in January and 37.5 °C in August; in Marrakesh, 19.1 °C in January and 37.7 °C in July. From October to April you can play at any time of day; in summer Sabaro recommends the first tee time of the morning. Agadir stays around 27 °C in summer, thanks to the trade winds. In Dubai, the average high ranges from 24.4 °C in January to 41.9 °C in August: play from October to April.
• Handicap. Bring your licence and proof of handicap: several courses ask for them at the first tee, such as the Royal Palm in Marrakesh or, in winter, the Steigenberger course in El Gouna. Beginners go through the academies found at most courses in the selection.
• The non-golfer. Almost all the golf hotels in the selection have a spa and a beach or a large pool: thalassotherapy at The Cascades, a 3,500 m² spa at the Michlifen, a beach a few minutes away by shuttle at Makadi, a 500 m private beach and a spa at Banyan Tree Dubai.

Tunisia: golf and thalassotherapy by the sea

Tunisia has golf courses all along its coast, from Tabarka to Djerba. The season runs from autumn to spring, and the green fees recorded range from about €24 to €112 for 18 holes. The guide Golf and thalassotherapy in Tunisia presents the courses.

Near Tunis. In Gammarth, The Residence Tunis has its own 18-hole course, designed by the American architect Robert Trent Jones II between the sea and a salt lake, with a golf academy, as well as a thalassotherapy centre. Carthage and Sidi Bou Said are close by (the region).

Tabarka. La Cigale has a par-72, 6,306-metre 18-hole course at the foot of the hotel, opened in 1992, winding between forest and sea. The course is closed to bookings on some tournament days, including 24 and 25 October 2026.

Port El Kantaoui and Djerba. Near Sousse, the Iberostar Selection Diar el Andalous is next to the 36-hole Port El Kantaoui golf course. On Djerba, Djerba Golf Club is a few minutes' drive from the Radisson Blu Palace.