Four Seasons Golf Club Mauritius at Anahita Est. 2008

If the golfing scene on the east coast of Mauritius lacked a big dimension "trophy" course, it lacks one no longer. The Four Seasons Golf Club at Anahita is an expansive, easy-on-the-eye layout, which exudes a maturity far beyond its relative youth. This roaming Ernie Els design will test top professionals and aspiring amateurs alike. It mixes stunning oceanside golf, with a back-nine loop that borders lush, tropical forest. The fabulously crafted layout gives ample space from the tee and increasing challenges as you close in on the pin. The deftness of your chipping and pitching will be tested around the large, undulating greens, which sit atop a linksy array of smooth, slick run-off areas and large crater-like bunkers. The par-5 4th provides one of the most scenic golf views in all Mauritius, its green surrounded on three sides by the Indian Ocean, the beautiful Mauritian coast stretching away to north and south. Among many attractive features, dry stone walling puts in its first appearance at the par-5 2nd, along with an impressive mango tree that could hamper your approach shot to the bunkerless green. From the tips, the par-3 5th poses a lengthy challenge, with water awaiting anything hit short and right. The superb, long par-3 8th gets another of the stunning ocean backdrops, as well as deep bunkers left and right of the green. On one windy occasion, designer Ernie Els hit driver to this green but still came up short. Memorable in every way, Anahita easily sits alongside that select band of oceanside courses that have earned the distinction of being "world-class."