“I went on a golf camp last year. It changed nothing.”
I hear it almost every week at G.Spot. A week of golf in Marrakech, winter sunshine, superb courses, hundreds of balls hit. And three months later, the same slice.
The player concludes that golf camps are useless. In my view, that is the wrong conclusion. It is not the camp that failed. It is the way it was built.
Here is how I build my golf camps in Marrakech, and what I would check in your place before booking a camp, with me or with anyone else.
Hitting balls is not training
A typical camp often looks like this: one coach for eight players, general advice in the morning, and the afternoon alone on the range. You hit a lot. You improve little.
Why? Because nobody checked what you were working on. You can repeat a movement a thousand times. If it is the wrong one, you only make it more ingrained.
Look at the ranges of the PGA Tour. You will rarely see Rory McIlroy or Bryson DeChambeau practise without a radar behind them. The best players in the world do not train on volume. They train on verification.
A golf camp in Marrakech starts with a measurement
On my camps, we correct nothing on the first day. We measure. The TrackMan radar shows what your club does at impact. The CAPTO sensor shows what your putter does, to a tenth of a degree. Force plates show how you push into the ground.
The programme is only written afterwards. The measurement points to what costs you the most shots, and therefore where we start. I explain what this first session reveals in the article TrackMan Swing Assessment in Marrakech.
The key pointIf the number has moved by the end of the camp, the movement has changed. If it has not moved, we were on the wrong track, and we change it before you leave. Not three months later.
Four players, no more
Beyond four players, I can no longer see every swing. So I limit my groups to three or four, and I also offer the camp one to one.
The camp draws on five components. Which ones, and in what order, is decided after the first measurement.
| Component | Length | Tool |
|---|---|---|
| Swing analysis | 2 hours | TrackMan radar |
| Putting focus | 2 hours | CAPTO sensor |
| Balance and ground forces | 2 hours | Force plates |
| Short game mastery | 2 hours | Short game area |
| Coached round | 1 day | On a Marrakech golf course |
The day on the course is the one players remember most. We work on strategy and risk management. That is where you see whether the work holds up when the score counts.
Three, four or five days?
In Marrakech, there are no fixed dates. You give me the period, the number of players and the length, and I build the rest.
- Three days in a small group. The intensive formula, for three to four players. Three components back to back, with no idle time.
- Three days one to one. All the time is yours. You leave with a written summary and a thirty-minute follow-up call.
- Five days. All five components, practice sessions, and a free half day if you want one. It is the format that leaves time to absorb the work.
Why Marrakech helps you improve faster
People often choose Marrakech for the winter sun. It is a good reason, but not the best one.
The Atlas Mountains shape the greens. A putt that looks flat often breaks away from the mountains, and you learn to read a slope instead of guessing it. The city's courses are varied, from the Palmeraie to the newer courses on the Amizmiz and Ouarzazate roads. And when it is too hot or it rains, the work continues indoors at G.Spot, on the TrackMan simulators.
A camp that makes you play in these conditions teaches you more than a range where everything is perfect.
And elsewhere in Morocco?
If you prefer a fixed date and a group that is already formed, I also coach seven golf camps on fixed dates in Morocco, from October to May. They are organised with GGM Organisation in Ifrane, Bouznika, Rabat-Salé, El Jadida and Tangier.
Each course makes you play differently. In Ifrane, Golf Michlifen sits at more than 1,600 metres of altitude, and the ball flies further. At Mazagan, facing the Atlantic, the wind is in charge. All the dates are on the Camps page.
What you take home
The real test comes three weeks later, when you are alone on your home range. You should leave with two or three priorities, not twelve. For each one, you need a drill and a marker you can check without me.
That is a successful camp. Not a nice week, but a game that has changed and that you know how to maintain.
Not ready for a camp yet? Start with a lesson. I compare the formats in the article Golf Lessons in Marrakech.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time for a golf camp in Marrakech?
From October to May. The days are mild, so we play in the morning and train in the afternoon in comfort. In summer, sessions take place early in the morning and indoors at G.Spot.
Do I need a good level to join a camp?
No. The content changes with your level, but the approach stays the same. A beginner often improves faster on a camp than with isolated lessons.
What does the price of a golf camp in Marrakech include?
The price covers the coaching. Accommodation, transport and green fees are not included. The Green Society can organise the whole stay if you wish.
Can couples or friends of different levels come together?
Yes. The programme is written for each player after the first measurement. Shared parts, such as the coached round, are played together.
Does a camp guarantee that my handicap will drop?
No, and nobody can honestly promise that. What a camp guarantees is that you will know what limits your game and how to work on it on your own.
Your dates, your group, your camp.Give me the period, the number of players and the length, from three to five days. The programme is written after the first measurement session.
Alvin Pivaty is a PGA France Master Professional golf coach, certified TrackMan Master and CAPTO Expert. A former professional player, he coaches in Marrakech and works with elite amateur and professional golfers.
This article is also available en français.