Luxury Indian Ocean LUXURY INDIAN OCEAN #8 EDITION 2019 | Page 25

DOSSIER GOLF
In the Southern Hemisphere
Following the construction of two golf courses in India: the Calcutta
Royal Golf Club in 1828 and the Bombay Golfi ng Society in 1842,
the Gymkhana Golf Club in Mauritius, dating back to 1844, is
believed to be one of the oldest courses ever built outside Great
Britain – and the fi rst one in the Southern Hemisphere.
Th e course, built on British military grounds in Vacoas, was fi rst made
up of a few holes with a polo fi eld in the middle. In the interwar
period, golf overtook polo and the rounds went up to 9 holes, then 13
holes during World War II, until it fi nally became an 18-hole course
in the late 1950s.
Th e club, which was under military authority until 1976, unfortunately
lost its archives in a fi re in the early 1980s. It is now up to us to
imagine the fi rst games on the course, the fi erce competitions, the
mundane receptions at the club house... all of which have become
memories that only the 150-year-old elm trees around the course
can recall; they are the silent witnesses and the only guardians of two
centuries of history.
From island to island…
Th e wait was long before new golf clubs were built in the area:
Golf Club d’Antsirabe in Madagascar in 1935, followed by the
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Dodo Club of Curepipe in Mauritius and the Golf de Rova in
1951, and the Foulpointe Golf Club in 1967, both in Madagascar.
Th e short 9-hole courses were reserved for club members, and
essentially attracted a colonial audience as well as some locals
newly converted to the sport.
Reunion Island established its fi rst course, the Golf de Bourbon,
with 9 short holes, in the state-owned forest in Étang-salé, in
1969. Found in the middle of a luxuriant natural setting, the forest
was so dense that players needed to be accompanied by scout
caddies who were given the task of fi nding the lost balls!
Seychelles embarked on the golfi ng adventure in 1972 when the
Seychelles Golf Club was built on the East coast of Mahé to off er
a complementary activity to the tourists residing at Reef Hotel.
It is a narrow 9-hole course on the seaside that is often visited by
coconut crabs fond of white balls.
Fifty years later, the history of golf has taken a leap with more
than a dozen new golf courses added to the legendary rounds
mentioned. From Praslin to Villingili Island, extending towards Ile
aux Cerfs, tourism development has encouraged the establishment
of more sumptuous rounds... to the delight of all golf enthusiasts
around the world.
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