Governing Golf in Mauritius

Our English colonial heritage granted Mauritius with the first golf course to be constructed and played on in the southern hemisphere. The founding of The Mauritius Gymkhana Club in 1849, resulted in Mauritius becoming the fourth country where golf was first played.

Despite Mauritius residents having access to and playing golf for over 170 years, it is only in 1994 that the Mauritius Golf Federation was founded. Mr Chidambaran was the first President.

Mr Rajen Ramlakhan took office a year later and stayed in position until 2008. During his tenure, the MGF obtained its affiliation with the R&A (1999) as well as its affiliation at regional and continental levels. Dr Roy Chavrimootoo took over as President of the MGF as from 2009 for a 4-year mandate. A new constitution in line with the Sports Act was voted and saw the creation of the Regional Clubs. Dr. Chavrimootoo was the "spearhead" behind the implementation of a National Handicap System (NHS) under CONGU which came with the first official rating of the courses on the island.

The current President, Mr Christophe Curé began his tenure in 2013 and was re-elected in 2017. His mandate started with the hosting of the first continental event on the island, the All Africa Junior Team Championship in 2013 and a substantial increase of licensees as a result of the NHS. The MGF gained international recognition with and the first ever tri-sanctioned event in the world (European Tour, Sunshine Tour & Asian Tour), namely, the Afrasia Bank Mauritius Open organised as from 2015. The latter has since become the biggest sporting event in the Indian Ocean.

The mission of the MGF is to foster and develop the sport of golf in Mauritius. To this end, and over and above that already mentioned above, the MGF has annually hosted an Order of Merit series of tournaments, which are played at each of the golf courses across the island (which now total ten). The MGF has also organised and hosted the annual Indian Ocean Amateur Open, which is a World Amateur Ranking event under the R&A. Some of its winners have gone on to become renowned golf professionals on the international tour scene. Additionally, the MGF has organised an annual Senior Amateur Open and has backed several junior tournaments.

With the assistance of the R&A, the MGF, has, with mixed success, embarked on an ambitious project to bring golf to all juniors on the island. This is an ongoing project and requires the commitment and dedication of numerous golf teaching professionals on the island. The MGF firmly believes that the future continuity of the sport lies within the development of juniors to a level that will reach international competitiveness.

Annually, the MGF has selected teams, both junior and senior, to represent Mauritius in various tournaments across the African continent. These teams have always represented their country proudly and have made the country proud in their skill and representation.

The MGF recently hosted the 2019 All Africa Team Championship at the Mont Choisy Le Golf course, where the Mauritian team finished 2nd overall. This performance resulted in the first ever National Sports Award for the MGF, winning the Best Team of the Year 2019, awarded by the Mauritius Sports Council. This achievement has showcased MGF, as well as its sponsors and partners, as an organisation dedicated to the development and fostering of golf on the island, and is a proud legacy to the presidents and their committees since the creation of the federation in 1994.