Powder-white sands, manicured grass and an ice-cold Phoenix to take the edge off the heat. It’s no wonder that South Africans love Mauritius. But I’m not talking about the resorts that lie like a pearl necklace around the island. Rather, the golf courses.
If you look beyond the turquoise lagoons and powder-soft beaches, you’ll find an island packed full of landmark courses, where signature designs and DP World Tour pedigree combine with the island’s resort polish to create one of the world’s finest golf destinations.
But don’t take my word for it.
Mauritius is a past winner of Golf Destination of the Year for the region, while 2024 shaped up to be a banner year for global accolades: Heritage Le Telfair Golf & Wellness Resort won Indian Ocean's Best Golf Hotel 2024 in the World Golf Awards, the La Réserve track was crowned World’s Best New Golf Course, and Constance’s Legend was named the Indian Ocean’s Best Golf Course 2024. Not bad for a tiny tropical island. But while there’s plenty of choice, you’ll also want to play smart. Here’s the Wanted pick of the six best tracks the island has to offer.
Anahita Golf Club
Framed by lush tropical peaks and fringed by a tidal lagoon, this championship layout by Ernie Els is generous off the tee but demanding on the greens. Throw in the gusty trade winds out of the east, and you have a course that demands respect. Six oceanfront holes crank up the drama, but the signature is without doubt the 4th: a risk-reward par-5 that will tempt you to charge the oceanfront green. The par-3 8th is almost as memorable, playing over mangroves to a slip of a green. Guests at Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita — which reopens in November 2025 after a dramatic refresh — enjoy one complimentary round per day.
Île aux Cerfs Golf Club
Arguably the course that set the bar for island golf in the Indian Ocean, Bernhard Langer’s par-72 layout is an unforgettable golfing experience. Your round begins with a boat shuttle from the mainland jetty to the clubhouse pier. On arrival, there’s a well-equipped practice range, and you’ll want to warm up before tackling this track. Langer tightens the screws with tidal edges, thick rough, and long carries over water. Signature moments include the par-4 fifth, but it’s the back-nine that I’ve always found most enjoyable. The 11th runs right along the beach to a heavily defended green, while the finish at 18 sees strategic bunkering testing your mettle in the island heat. Multiple tees provide options for four-balls of mixed handicaps. Guests at local resorts, including Four Seasons Anahita and Shangri-La, enjoy complimentary or preferential rates.
Constance Belle Mare Plage
One address. Two challenges. In the east of the island, the glorious Constance Belle Mare Plage resort offers guests seamless access to a pair of golf destinations. Legend was laid out by Hugh Baiocchi, and threads through parkland and forest to dish up a course where caution will trump DeChambeau-style swagger. Conditioning is immaculate, and you’ll especially love the par-3 17th, which leaps a seafront inlet to a tricky, bunker-guarded green. Short irons and calm nerves are required. Across the road, the Links course — perhaps my favourite of the two — rides hillier terrain, with plenty of volcanic rock to catch wayward shots. The par-5 second is often rated as Links’ signature risk-reward hole, but I love the par-4 13th with its green ringed on three sides by water. Constance guests receive complimentary green fees across both tracks.
Heritage Golf Club
The standout golf destination in the southern reaches of the island, Heritage offers a pair of courses, including the island’s newest addition: La Réserve Golf Links.
Designed by Louis Oosthuizen and acclaimed architect Peter Matkovich, La Réserve is stretched across windy ridgelines with infinity greens and backdrops of blues. Standout moments include the elevated fifth, tumbling about 60m from tee to fairway, and a photogenic front-nine that will reward those who play with caution.
A short drive away is another long-standing favourite, Le Château. Also designed by Peter Matkovich, this is perhaps the more approachable of the two, with generous fairways rolling across an old sugar estate. But don’t underestimate the water or the rough. Stay-and-Play packages offer the best value for keen golfers.
Paradis Beachcomber Golf Club
One of the shortest (5,924m) and oldest (first laid out in 1965) courses on the island is also one of the most enjoyable. While lacking the grandeur of more contemporary tracks, the setting in the shadow of Unesco-listed Le Morne Brabant and alongside a translucent lagoon makes it a delight to play. The headline act is the par-5 16th, curling around the lagoon to a distant postage-stamp green. Carry the water or play it safe? Your call. Charming practice facilities make it easy to trade the beach for the tee box, and the doorstep access from Beachcomber’s Paradis and neighbouring Dinarobin keeps tee-times fuss-free. Resident guests can also opt for the value-driven unlimited-rounds packages.
Mont Choisy Le Golf
The only championship course in the north of the island swaps seaside views for a sense of history on a course stretched across an old sugar estate. Mont Choisy is firmly a course of two nines: links-style swales and sprawling waste bunkers up front, then softer parkland feels after the turn. The par-3 15th is a stunner, with the green framed by a 200-year-old sugar-mill chimney. Conditioning is superb, so no wonder the DP World Tour’s AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open returned here in 2024. Staying with preferred hotel partners (including Trou aux Biches Beachcomber) makes it easier to access tee times, carts and lockers.
