POSTE DE FLACQ, MAURITIUS | It is common for golfers to combine the history of the sport with their travels abroad.
Typically, however, that means a jaunt around the coastline of Scotland or Ireland, to tread the linksland overlooking the North Sea, the Irish Sea or the Atlantic Ocean.
Not many would think of venturing in another direction entirely: south to the Indian Ocean and the small island nation of Mauritius.
A volcanic island, close to the equator, off the southeast coast of Africa and blessed with year-round warm temperatures, Mauritius (pronounced muh-RISH-us) hardly could present a more striking contrast with the cold, gray, rainy-swept days common to Britain and Ireland that would make any golfer despondent were it not for the consolation that “this is how the game was first played.”
All the original linksland and Mauritius have in common, you would imagine, is a more or less constant blustery sea breeze.
Well, maybe, not all because a small historical thread does link them with the Mauritius Golf Federation website claiming: “The founding of the Mauritius Gymkhana Club in 1849 resulted in Mauritius becoming the fourth country where golf was played.” The Gymkhana Club itself reveals golf was first played there in 1844 when it was introduced by British military officers traveling to and from India.
For the next 130-odd years, this original outpost of golfing progress was more or less all Mauritius had to offer locals and visitors alike, but the late 20th century produced a boom in tourism of both a general and golfing kind.
“I’ve played a lot of golf in Hawaii, and there’s a lot about these islands that reminds me of there. They’re volcanic, the weather is fantastic, the resorts are superb and the people are just wonderful.”
Tom Lehman
Today, the island is an especially popular destination for golfers from Britain, France and South Africa. The Europeans have colonial links with the island (English is the official language, French and Creole the most widely spoken). For the Africans, proximity and courses soaked with paradise island vibes provide the pull.
The number of layouts on the island has reached double figures, all of them capable of accommodating resort golfers while also testing elite-level performers. Indeed, the DP World Tour and Europe’s senior circuit, the Legends Tour, have made the island a popular and regular stop on their schedules in the 21st century.
Nor is Mauritius alone. Seychelles, the archipelago of 115 islands about 1,000 miles to the north, also has been a part of the Legends Tour itinerary, and American Tom Lehman, a former world No. 1 and the 1996 Open Championship winner, has become a regular visitor to both.
“We love these Indian Ocean islands,” Lehman told GGP during last year’s MCB Tour Championship at Constance Belle Mare Plage in the north of Mauritius, an event he won in 2011. “It’s a long journey from the States but absolutely worth it. The golf courses are beautiful and in world-class condition.”
Asked if Seychelles and Mauritius reminded him of anywhere, he said: “I’ve played a lot of golf in Hawaii, and there’s a lot about these islands that reminds me of there. They’re volcanic, the weather is fantastic, the resorts are superb and the people are just wonderful. In fact, the people might just be the most welcoming I’ve ever come across in all my travels around the world.”
Constance Belle Mare Plage’s Legends Course was the original host of the Mauritius Open, an event played from 1994 to 2008 as an out-of-season opportunity for European Tour golfers. Ian Poulter played in it, and his fellow European Ryder Cup veterans Peter Baker and Jamie Donaldson won the final two editions.
Since 2009, the course has hosted the senior tour’s season finale, and it has proved to be a fine test, with David Frost, Colin Montgomerie, Barry Lane and Thomas Bjørn among the quality winners.
It’s a wonderfully fun routing, yards from the ocean yet sneaking through the woods of a former hunting reserve. A recent redesign has removed many trees, increasing air flow to improve the quality of grass, but the island’s famous flame trees remain, the vivid red flowers providing a stunning backdrop for many of the greens. It was the winner of the Best Indian Ocean Course at the 2022 World Golf Awards.
The resort also boasts the Links Course, which calls for shots played between (and sometimes over) huge volcanic rock deposits, all in front of the stunning backdrop of the island’s Moka mountain range, which is bat-like in shape.
In 2015, the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open was revived as a co-sanctioned DP World, Sunshine and Asian tour event and has visited three different resorts.
Heritage in the south of the island has played host three times on its Le Château Course, which is notable for being hillier than most courses on the island. The ninth hole, a short par-4, features a significant elevation change with a tee high above a narrow fairway protected by water left and right.
The resort’s new La Réserve Golf Links, co-designed by Louis Oosthuizen, will host the tournament for the first time this month. It is situated beside a UNESCO biosphere reserve on former sugar cane fields.
Visually stunning, the terrain has been shaped into rolling links-like fairways and dunes, with native grass permitted to grow high to give the appearance of wild fescue.
The other two host venues of the Open have been Anahita and Mont Choisy, both resort courses with dramatic oceanside locations defended by trade winds.
Perhaps the best-known course, however, is Île aux Cerfs, previously known as Le Touessrok.
As an experience, it is unique in being situated on an island that demands a boat ride from the mainland to reach the clubhouse and first tee. Bernhard Langer designed a cunning route allowing for almost no errors either from the tee or into greens.
Lost balls are, however, a minor inconvenience given the outrageous views and proximity of white sand beaches. It feels like golf played in a luxury magazine photoshoot.
It might be argued the entire island feels much the same way.
The resorts are mostly located beside the Indian Ocean’s blue waters, and every meal is a rich, bright fusion of African, French, Indian and Mauritian produce and flavor. Sightseeing trips to the dramatic Black River Gorges National Park and Chamarel Seven Colored Earth Geopark provide vivid National Geographic-style contrast to the beach life.
In terms of dramatic views, Île aux Cerfs is unsurpassed in Mauritius, but Constance Lémuria in Seychelles equals it.
If golf in the Indian Ocean is reminiscent of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, then the front and back nines at Lémuria call to mind the first two events of the calendar year on the PGA Tour.
Before the turn, the course presents a flat and tight routing among the trees, much like Sony Open host Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. After the turn, the course climbs and descends a hill not once but twice. The significant elevation changes resemble another PGA Tour stop in Hawaii, Kapalua Resort’s Plantation, venue for the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
The tee at the par-3 15th hole might be among the most remarkably stunning spots in world golf. It calls for a blow from the top of the hill to a green at its base. In all directions, there is rainforest. Beyond is the Indian Ocean. Tucked behind the green is Anse Georgette, a beach regularly voted among the finest on the planet.
Every group is permitted to go for a dip after holing out and return to the 16th tee with the honor. Many take advantage of the quirky local ruling.
The course is remote. There is a nine-holer on the main island but not another 18-hole layout within 1,000 miles.
Like all of the Indian Ocean islands, it is not easy to get to but very easy to love.