Heritage Golf Club guide: golf & beach on Mauritius's south coast
The Peter Matkovich course at Bel Ombre — a Mauritius Open host between mountains and the Indian Ocean, plus a new Oosthuizen links. The courses, access, when to go, and getting there.
Heritage Golf Club is the finest golf on Mauritius — and one of the great golf-and-beach trips anywhere. Its Le Château course, a Peter Matkovich design that opened in 2004, tumbles from the foothills of the Black River Gorges down toward the Indian Ocean on the island's unspoilt south coast, and it hosted the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on the DP World Tour. A second course, the Oosthuizen-co-designed La Réserve Golf Links, opened in 2023.
It's a luxury resort you can build a whole holiday around. Here are the courses, how visitors and guests play, when to go, and getting there.
Where
Bel Ombre, Savanne District — the south coast of Mauritius
Courses
Le Château (Matkovich, 2004) & La Réserve Golf Links (2023)
Nearest airport
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Intl (MRU) ~45 min–1 hr
Best time
Year-round; cooler, drier May–Nov is most comfortable for golf
Access
Resort golf — visitor tee times bookable; guest rates for Heritage resorts
Nearby
Constance Belle Mare Plage, Anahita, Ile aux Cerfs, Paradis
Peter Matkovich · 2004 · 18 holes · Resort parkland · par 72
Multiple 'Indian Ocean's best course'; AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open host
Peter Matkovich's 2004 design is a big, dramatic course that sweeps down gentle foothills toward the ocean, with lakes, streams and centenary trees around a 19th-century château and sea views on around half the holes. It has repeatedly been voted the Indian Ocean's best course and hosted the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open (a DP World Tour co-sanctioned event) in 2015, 2017 and 2019.
It's premium resort golf in a spectacular tropical setting — playable and hugely enjoyable, with the mountains behind and the lagoon ahead.
La Réserve Golf Links
co-designed by Louis Oosthuizen · 2023 · 18 holes · Links-style · par 72
The resort's second course, opened in 2023 and co-designed by Major champion Louis Oosthuizen — billed as the Indian Ocean's first links-style course. Together the two give Heritage a claim as the only 45-hole golf destination in the Indian Ocean (with a short academy course alongside).
How to play Heritage (access)
Heritage is resort golf — visitor tee times are bookable online, and guests of the Heritage Bel Ombre resorts (Le Château, Awali, Le Telfair) typically get complimentary or discounted green fees, so most golfers play it as part of a stay. Confirm the current visitor and guest terms with the resort when you book rather than relying on a quoted fee.
When to go
Mauritius is a year-round tropical destination, but for golf the cooler, drier southern-hemisphere winter and spring (May–November) is the most comfortable — warm days, lower humidity and the courses at their best. December to April is hotter and more humid, with heavier rain and a small cyclone risk from January to March. For Northern-Hemisphere travellers it's a genuine winter-sun escape.
Getting there
Heritage Bel Ombre is on the south coast, about 45 minutes to an hour from Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU), which has direct long-haul flights from Europe, the Gulf, Africa and Asia. The resort arranges transfers, and you won't need a car if you're staying and playing on the estate.
How to play it
Play Heritage's two courses over a few days and pair the golf with the beach — that's the whole point of a Mauritius trip. For a wider golf-and-island tour, the other notable courses are Constance Belle Mare Plage (Legend & Links), Anahita (an Ernie Els design), the Ile aux Cerfs island course (Bernhard Langer) and Paradis — enough to fill a week between rounds and the lagoon.
What to pack
The kit this trip demands
Mauritius golf is warm, humid and bright by the ocean — pack purely for tropical sun and hydration:
Can visitors play Heritage Golf Club in Mauritius?
Yes — it's resort golf with visitor tee times bookable online. Guests of the Heritage Bel Ombre resorts (Le Château, Awali, Le Telfair) usually get complimentary or discounted green fees, so most golfers play it as part of a stay. Confirm current terms with the resort.
Who designed the Heritage golf courses?
The original Le Château course is a Peter Matkovich design (2004). The second course, La Réserve Golf Links, opened in 2023 and was co-designed by Major champion Louis Oosthuizen — the two make Heritage a 45-hole destination with an academy course.
What tournament has Heritage hosted?
Le Château hosted the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, a DP World Tour co-sanctioned event, in 2015, 2017 and 2019. More recent editions of the tournament have been played on the newer La Réserve links.
When is the best time to play golf in Mauritius?
The cooler, drier southern-hemisphere winter and spring — May to November — is most comfortable for golf. December to April is hotter and wetter with a small cyclone risk from January to March. It's a strong winter-sun option for Northern-Hemisphere golfers.
How do you get to Heritage Bel Ombre?
It's on the south coast, about 45 minutes to an hour from Mauritius's international airport (MRU), which has direct long-haul flights from Europe, the Gulf, Africa and Asia. The resort arranges transfers.
