Above: The par 3, 4th hole with the Indian Ocean as a backdrop
As AC/DC once sang, “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll)”, but when you finally reach the 1st tee at La Reserve golf links and take in that magnificent view you realise you are in for a very special treat. The blue skies and clear blue waters of the Indian Ocean tell you that your’re not on a links course in Scotland or Ireland, but fescue and mounds on the golf course tell another story.
The starter gives me a line off the 1st tee and I smash my driver just to the right of the left hand bunker as he had advised and as I reach my ball I am in the middle of the fairway. The opening to the green sits in between two more mounds and as I look back up the fairway after holing my putt, I can see the influence that links courses have had on course designer Louis Oosthuizen.
That becomes become even more apparent on the 2nd hole as the fairway meanders between mounding on both sides of the fairway and then you play to a narrow, long, three-tiered green that sits in an amphitheatre of mounds, very much reminiscent of dunes on links courses.
The course slightly changes pace on the 3rd hole, which is all risk and reward depending on how much fairway you decide to cut off, and then you play to an infinity raised green with the ocean as its backdrop.
The first of the par 3s arrives at the 4th and is played to another raised green that also has four bunkers protecting it; precision is key here. The 5th hole is a real show stopper. Played from an elevated tee, it is a stunning view looking out to the ocean and there is no better feeling than watching your ball sail through the air and hitting the fairway below.
Left to right: 2nd, 3rd and 16th holes
The second par 3 on this nine comes at the 7th and is played over water. You can play from 175-100 yards depending on what one of five teeing options you have chosen to play from.
The back nine closes with another wonderful driving hole played from an elevated tee with that beautiful ocean backdrop.
The homeward nine gets underway with the tee shot again played through mounding to a slightly elevated fairway and then you play to another raised infinity-type green and like the 3rd and 4th holes, hitting the green here is key or you will have a tricky chip shot back up to the green on those run-offs.
Above: Looking down the 1st fairway
The first of three par 3s on the back nine arrives at the 11th, which is played to another green that looks like it is floating on the ocean. At 197 yards from the back tees and with the wind today it is a tough hole. The other two par 3s at the 14th and 17th both sit in amphitheatres and must have been perfect viewing points for spectators here when the Afrasia Bank Mauritius Open was held here in 2023.
The course comes to a close with yet another stunning view from the tee out to the ocean, but this par 5 can wreck a scorecard as it is all risk and reward when you get down to your tee shot. Do you take on the ravine and go for the green or do you lay up and go for a chip and putt birdie? The choice is all yours.
Above: Aerial view of the 7th green (foreground) and the 8th fairways with it's two options
It has been a wonderful day, the sun is out, but like any links course in Ireland or Scotland the wind has certainly played a big part in my playing conditions. The course definitely has that links feel – although not that tight knit grass and hard surface of a links course. As AC/DC sang, you may be “Gettin’ robbed and gettin’ beat up”, but like me, I know you will be looking forward to the next time you tee it up at La Reserve Golf Links
