Mauritius
A feature from the IAGTO Directory
2019
Mauritius
Mauritius An extraordinary tropical island with exceptional golf The magical island paradise of Mauritius is known for its tropical island allure, with glittering cerulean waters, picture-perfect beaches lined with coconut palms and opulent luxury resorts that unfurl along magnificent stretches of this wonderful holiday destination. But besides being an extraordinary destination for couples or families, Mauritius is an outstanding golfing destination. In and among the undulating volcanic hills and tropical forests, the island is now home to over 12 exceptional courses, many of which boast challenging courses designed by golf legends including the likes of Ernie Els, Peter Matkovich, Bernhard Langer and Rodney Wright. Underlining its excellence, Mauritius was named Africa, Indian Ocean and Gulf States Golf Destination of the Year in the 2019 IAGTO Awards – having won the same accolade in the 2008 and 2016 Awards. This is where to play golf in Mauritius:
Paradis Golf Club Paradis Beachcomber is home to one of the most beautiful golf courses in the Indian Ocean. With its 18-hole par 72 spread over 5,924 metres, the Paradis Golf Club course snuggles between the imposing Le Morne Mountain and one of the most breathtaking lagoons of Mauritius. Technically top-notch and playable, the golf course mirrors the beauty of the setting; tropical and simply spectacular. Flamboyants (fire trees), araucarias, bougainvillea and poinsettias give a local flair to the greens. Much of the creative design of the bunkers and fairways is attributable to international golf legend Tony Johnstone. Guests tee off just 30 metres from the beach and reception area while the last nine holes are spread along the coastline where five water hazards offer a challenge to both professional and amateur golfers. Its elegant clubhouse, serving guests of Paradis Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa and Dinarobin Beachcomber Golf Resort & Spa, includes a pro shop stocked with international brands. The Paradis Golf Academy offers training and technique refinement with instructors who can help improve a golfer’s game. Facilities comprise a driving range plus chipping and putting greens. Unforgettable is the only word to describe a round of golf at the Paradis Golf Club.
Paradis Golf Club's lagoon-side location
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Heritage Golf Club
Heritage Golf Club - 9th hole
The Heritage Golf Club is a multi-award winning championship golf course. Located in the south of Mauritius, the course occupies an idyllic setting between rolling mountains and a turquoise Indian Ocean lagoon. Beautiful vistas from every green and tee make it one of the most spectacular golf courses in Mauritius. With five teeing options on each hole, the course offers a truly exceptional and enjoyable experience for golfers of all handicap levels. It also hosts the only tri-sanctioned professional golf tournament by the European, Sunshine and Asian Tours – the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.
Heritage Golf Club - 5th hole
Heritage Golf Club prides itself on having a customer-centric and service-oriented philosophy and boasts multiple awards including being voted the number one golf course in the Indian Ocean for five years in a row at the World Golf Awards. A second championship golf course, signed and designed by Major champion Louis Oosthuizen in conjunction with Peter Matkovich, will open in 2021. Set on the slopes of the Savanne mountain range, this course promises to be a spectacular addition to Heritage Golf Club’s already world-class golfing facilities. They include: a championship golf course, a par 3 course, a double-sided driving range, putting and chipping greens, a restaurant, a fully-stocked pro shop, changing rooms, a golf academy with Flightscope, and hire items including golf buggies, trolleys, golfskate caddies, clubs and shoes. Heritage Golf Club offers services in six languages: French, English, German, Italian, Creole and Afrikaans (Dutch). 43
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Deer Hunter restaurant
Constance Belle Mare Plage Located on the east coast of Mauritius, the Constance Belle Mare Plage offers stylish accommodation and two golf courses. Constance Golf Legend Opened in January 1994 and melding into the exceptional, wild surroundings, the Constance Golf Legend course was built according to PGA specifications and Constance’s equally-exacting requirement. Just a few steps away from the Constance Belle Mare Plage, the championship golf course is adjacent to one of the most beautiful white-sand beaches in Mauritius. Set in the heart of an indigenous forest originally intended for deer breeding, it was designed by Hugh Baiocchi and features lagoons and lakes at every hole with dense, natural vegetation. Herds of Java deer are found in few places on earth but at Legend, they live and wander freely, sharing the green with the players. Host of the MCB Tour Championship since 2009 as the final leg of the European Senior Tour, now known as Staysure Tour, Constance Golf Legend is a challenge for golfers at every level.
Constance Golf Legend
Constance Golf Links
Constance Golf Links Perfectly in tune with nature, Constance Golf Links was designed following PGA specifications under the care of Rodney Wright and Peter Aliss. Undulating fairways and greens give way to breathtaking views of the country. Surrounded by Mauritian forest, it is dotted with natural ponds, plants, volcanic rocks and craters. After playing on its signature hole, the stunning and challenging 18th, the sunset from the clubhouse is a sight to behold. The Links Golf Academy can ensure golfers go home with a lower score, relaxed and energised at the same time. 44
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Tamarina Golf Club Open since October 2006 and designed by Rodney Wright, Tamarina Golf Club is an 18-hole, par 72 championship course set in a stunning environment in the area of Tamarin on the west coast of the island. A lot of emphasis was placed on designing Tamarina Golf Club as a fair and enjoyable course, particularly from the white and yellow tees. Thanks to its various teeing positions, the golf course is a fun and challenging test of all golfing skills. The course measures 6,886 metres from the professional tees, which makes it among the longest golf courses in Mauritius. Tamarina has the standard four par 3s and four par 5s with the remaining 10 holes par 4s. Due to the climate and terrain, the preferred and recommended means of playing there is with a golf buggy, especially during the summer season. Tamarina’s clubhouse comprises a pro shop, changing rooms and Le Dix-Neuf restaurant, which offers spectacular views of Le Rempart Mountain and Tamarin Bay. Adjacent to the clubhouse, a panoramic driving range and the services of a PGA pro provide for practice opportunities and individual tuition. Le Dix-Neuf restaurant
Le Rempart mountain towers over Tamarina Golf Club
Tamarina Golf Club welcomes about 60% local residents and 40% tourists each year.
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Avalon Golf Estate's clubhouse
Avalon Golf Estate Avalon was the idyllic, mythical wood where apples grew of their own volition and rolling verdant fields produced crops without the intervention of man. It is to this rich history of Avalon that this golf course – which opened in 2016 – was masterfully sculpted into the island’s lush, forested central plateau by internationally-renowned golf course architect and ex-European Tour professional, Peter Matkovich. Set on the slopes of the dormant Grand Bassin volcano at 400 metres above sea level and surrounded by tea plantations, Avalon is situated in the most picturesque of settings. The views of the southern coastline, lagoon and azure Indian Ocean are simply unprecedented and, on a clear day, are visible from all 18 holes. In the true tradition of the legend of Avalon, we believe that members are to be treated as royalty and guests are members for the day. ‘’Avalon is more than just golf, it’s an experience for all of your senses with incredible surroundings, beautifully manicured gardens and some of the most spectacular elevation changes found anywhere on the island’’ – Peter Matkovich.
4th hole, Avalon Golf Estate
Magic Spoon, the restaurant at Avalon, is considered one of the finest in the south of Mauritius and many visitors come simply for the food. A nice cold beer and lunch after a round of golf in this spectacular restaurant is an absolute must!
13th & 14th holes, Avalon Golf Estate 46
Mauritius
Ile aux Cerfs Golf Club
Ile aux Cerfs golf course is set on an island
Ile aux Cerfs Golf Club is a picturesque 18-hole, par 72 championship golf course located on its own island and designed by the two-time Masters champion, Bernhard Langer. Ile aux Cerfs represents a unique "island" golfing experience, surrounded by a shimmering turquoise lagoon and accessible to players of all levels. The course covers 38 hectares on the southern half of the Ile aux Cerfs Island with the holes snaking up and down the length of the island, featuring undulating topography with volcanic rock outcrops, lakes and gullies, and tropical trees and plants. All 18 holes have views of the ocean, some coming close to the shore. Expansive white-sand bunkers and water set off the natural backdrop of trees and vegetation perfectly.
Golfers even have their own beach
Water is an essential feature of the course. There are nine lakes in all, and three holes require tee shots across sea inlets to the fairways. The luscious Salam Seashore Paspalum turf is resilient in the tropical climate and allows the highest standards of course conditioning.
Tropical vegetation on Ile aux Cerfs
Since upgrading work in 2013 to offer a better experience for golfers, feedback has been enthusiastic and positive. The unique Ile aux Cerfs island golf course is one of the world’s most stunning golf courses; a “must play” as Colin Montgomerie puts it. The golf experience on the spectacular island is extended to its breathtaking beaches, the best place for an after-golf drink, including the exclusive golfers’ beach of La Flibuste. To complete the experience, spend a night on the iconic island in the magical Bubble Lodge. 47
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Anahita Golf & Spa Resort Situated within a very large 530-acre property on the east coast of Mauritius, between the hilly interior and the sparkling Indian Ocean, the golf course at Anahita Golf & Spa Resort was constructed to USGA standard in 2008 in association with Alteo Properties. The Ernie Els-designed course makes the most of its tropical setting. It is set out on generously proportioned fairways on a former sugar plantation in two distinct loops of nine, incorporating some old dry-stone walls and a links-like stream into the layout. Backed by lush mountains and fringed by the crystal-clear lagoon, it has six stunning oceanfront holes with the final three fairways hugging the rugged coastline back to the clubhouse to culminate in a final shot that is among the most spectacular in the world. “One of the strengths of this golf course is we were able to maximise the visual impact of the surrounding scenery, but at the same time preserve the coastline's natural beauty,” commented Els. “The hole routings move in and out of the trees, along the water, and back, giving players great variety and magnificent views of the ocean.” Anahita Golf Club first hosted the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open (ABMO) in 2016 and most recently in November 2018 as the golfing world’s first Trisanctioned tournament endorsed by the European Tour, Sunshine Tour and Asian Tour. Golf is complimentary and unlimited for all Anahita Golf and Spa Resort and Four Seasons Hotel guests.
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Ocean views from Anahita's course
Anahita Golf & Spa Resort's scenic setting
Mauritius
12th hole, Mont Choisy Le Golf
Mont Choisy Le Golf Mont Choisy Le Golf is the only 18-hole championship course in the north of Mauritius, conveniently located near the seaside resorts of Grand Baie and Trou aux Biches. Designed by the prolific golf architect, Peter Matkovich, the newest course in Mauritius opened in November 2017 and occupies 250 acres of what was once a sugar cane plantation. Mont Choisy Le Golf is above all a Mauritian golfing asset that enhances the natural beauty of the island and the historical heritage of the area. All over the course, distinctive Mauritian landscaping, such as black volcanic sand, palm-fringed fairways and endemic plants, add to the enjoyment of playing. From beginners to pros, the course is suitable for all golfers. The golf academy consists of a magnificent driving range facility with excellent practice, chipping and putting greens. There are three PGA professionals in attendance. After 18 holes, the clubhouse restaurant provides the golfer with all the necessary conveniences and is also a place to relax after an enjoyable round while savouring the panoramic view.
Mauritius Golf Pass The Mauritius Golf Pass is available to all golfers staying in Mauritius and offers a choice of seven championship golf courses. Each course is carefully sculpted in idyllic surroundings from views of the turquoise lagoon, coconut palm trees and the natural reef to the sprawling green mountains and tea plantations of yesteryear. All seven courses offered within the Mauritius Golf Pass are unique, having been designed by some of the world’s greatest and most knowledgeable golfers including Ernie Els, Peter Matkovich, Rodney Wright, Peter Allis, Hugh Baiocchi and Tony Johnstone. The quality of the golf courses in Mauritius is second to none and with the beautiful island as the perfect backdrop, golfers will return home having experienced the best that golf can offer. • • • •
Price: 60 euros per golfer per round (commissionable at 10% for tour operators) Validity: May to September 2019 Bookings: www.mauritiusgolfpass.com/booking Courses: Anahita, Avalon, Belle Mare Plage Links & Legends, Heritage, Paradis, Tamarina
For more information on the golf courses in Mauritius, visit the Mauritius Golf Tourism Association website: www.mauritiusgolftourism.com Copy supplied by the golf courses of Mauritius 49
Cover Photo: Al Mouj Golf at Al Mouj Muscat • www.almoujgolf.com
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