The Best Golf in Mauritius
Although the island’s tropical feel and luxury resorts make it a fine place to “relax and enjoy”, some of the courses are very good indeed. Here’s my suggested list of must-play courses when on a golf holiday in Mauritius…
The Legend
Part of the Belle Mare Plage resort, The Legend is perfect for holiday golf - well-maintained and with several razor sharp teeth, you need to drive well and take the right club to the smallish greens. And if you lose a couple of balls, so what…You’re in Mauritius and the sun is shining. Plus, there’s good food and cold beer in the thatched-roof club house. With its sister course and the super hotel, this is arguable the No.1 golf-resort in the country.
The Links
A more “Championship” design than The Legend, The Links is a fine course. Designed by Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas, you can taken your driver on most holes but that usually doesn’t win you much….This is a thinkers course with raised and small greens and craftily-placed trees and water hazards.
Golf du Chateau
Golf du Chateau offers fantastic Pacific Ocean views and a fine variety of challenges. It’s a clever layout that warms you up and gets you going before hitting you hard around the turn and towards the end. Set in 100 hectares of lush parkland and adjacent to the 1500 hectare Bel Ombre Nature Reserve, Golf du Chateau was the first really serious/modern design course on the island and has won many admirers.
Tamarina Golf
With such a beautiful backdrop, any course on Mauritius is going to be enjoyable but the designers have neither rested on their laurels nor Mother Nature. Tamarina is another top-quality course with golfers needing to draw and fade to get the right angle into the large greens. The bunkers are plentiful and very large and the mature woodland provides shade from the sun and, unfortunately, access to the greens if you’re not on song! Another beautiful course in paradise and a splendid example of golf in Mauritius.
Le Touessrok
I’ve been saving the most exciting till last - Le Touessrok Ile aux Cerfs is one of the Top 10 most glamorous courses in the world. You take a private launch to the island where only the course and its sumptuous clubhouse are, you freshen up with cool towels and maybe a rum cocktail and then you tackle the Bernhard Langer-designed gem. It’s very hard, in fact it’s too hard but who cares! Take lots of balls and a camera and enjoy. A brilliant golf course but not one to play regularly as it’s neither classic golf or good for your ego.
And one for the road…Hot off the press is the Ernie Els-designed course at Four Seasons. Four Seasons don’t do things by half and Ernie is a first-class designer. I haven’t played it yet but a good friend (and fine professional golfer) thinks this course is the new “hot one” on what is hot, hot, hot island for great golf.
If you’ve previously dismissed Mauritius golf, think again. It’s the perfect excuse to please the family whilst you play your favourite sport on some sensational courses.
Morgan Clarke is the Managing Director of GolfPlanet Holidays, a company that has been providing bespoke golf holidays for over 25 years. The award-winning specialist tour operator is privately-owned and determined to ensure that both experienced golfers and novices can enjoy unforgettable golf in Mauritius.