Golf du Château, Domaine de Bel Ombre Est. 2005

Nestling down beneath a lush, verdant ridge, Golf du Chateau Bel Ombre, does much to evoke its sugar plantation origins. In a relatively open and always undulating environment, this excellent Peter Matkovich design has many holes lined by thick, "cane-like" grasses. The key to success here is to stay on the good-width fairways and out of this uncompromising, ball-swallowing rough. A liberal scattering of palms and other indigenous trees underlines the layout's tropical credentials, while an impressive line of "telfair" trees skirt alongside the water protected par-3 13th, uphill par-5 14th and wonderfully bunkered downhill par-3 15th. Water makes several telling appearances, not least on either side of the fairway at the short, par-4 9th, and again as you make your final approach to the very good, risk-reward par-5 18th, another hole played from a wonderfully elevated tee. The front-nine takes you to the layout's highest elevations, which together with the 17th and 18th holes, give you fabulous views across the course and beyond to the Indian Ocean. Inland the sugar-cane covered hills rise up to an attractive ridge. In an area inspired by the famous Irish botanist, Charles Telfair, your golfing inspiration lies in the quality of this excellent course and its wonderfully varied and beautiful scenery.