Troon Golf & Travel - February 2011

of Mauritius. When he hasn’t been traversing the globe out-bonding 007, Lagesse has been managing this magical property for close to two decades, and I have watched it gradually develop into one of the great destinations of the world. Its hotel accommodation are of truly international standards and its golf course weaves a spell around the crystal clear waters of its fairytale lagoon.

In today’s lexicon of abused words and phras-
es, “paradise” ranks in the top division alongside
other victims of the current trend to obsessive
hyperbole like “championship” (now used to de-
scribe any new golf course with a full complement
of tees and greens). but if our idea of a genuine
golfing paradise is a place where, added to good
golf, there is sub-tropical weather, endless white
beaches, hotel accommodation and cuisine as
fine as your heart could ever desire, a crystal clear
lagoon where the water temperature seldom dips
below 84 degrees, where away from the course
there exists the opportunity to indulge in every
watersport dreamed up by man, where beauty
abounds around the whole island, where the resi-
dents smile with a genuine warmth and welcome,
then you will know why I have made so many pil-
grimages to Le Paradis on Mauritius and why it
ranks in my mind as a true “paradise.”
On this atoll between South africa and India,
where ‘Monsieur bond’ holds court, the french
influence gives us the language, but the subconti-
nent is the predominant factor in the culture. The
french settled the island in 1715 and began to pro-
duce sugar, but the british took control in 1810 and
introduced a wider agricultural mix. Today, sug-
arcane covers 45 percent of the island and more
than 90 percent of the cultivated land, but it is the

“lagesse is by
any standards
a remarkable
guy. in his time,
he has been a
professional diver
for diamonds
in south africa,
a professional
tennis player, an
international-
class cyclist, a
regular winner in
the triathlon...”

rapidly developing tourism industry that is leaving
its expanding mark. Golf is now a major element
in that development, with Le Paradis one of seven
golf courses now available to visitors.
but I confess a great love for this particular golf
course, not because it is a potential venue for a
major event—it isn’t—but because it is such a joy
to play and a wonderful place to be. What I par-
ticularly like is the lack of formality about it all.
Hotel guests pay a modest green fee and can en-
joy a few holes in the morning or late afternoon, or
make up their own composite course with several
route options available when the course is quiet. a
full round doesn’t take away from the pleasures of
the beach and the splendid hotel facilities for very
long and the breeze makes it playable even when
the temperatures rise.
There are some good holes, some great holes,
but always there is interest. In the clubhouse, with
its thatched roof and open setting, visitors might
be surprised to find a corner dedicated to James
braid, the famous Scottish professional who won
five Open Championships and was a major figure
in the development of golf course architecture in
Great britain in the first half of the 20th century.
braid had no connection with Mauritius but his
name lives on at Le Paradis because Lagesse and
other executives of the beachcomber Hotel Group
are keen and active members of the James braid
Golfing Society, a small, international band of fel-
low travellers who honour braid’s name and his
huge contribution to our game.

at a recent gathering of the James braid “clan” at Le Paradis, Jean Marc donned his splendid James braid tweed “bunnet,” struck a decidedly 007 pose and declared to the assembly “The

namesssh, braid, Jamesssh braid!” No one doubted for a minute that if he wanted to be, Lagesse could have been him as well!

This is an enchanting place to play golf. The setting, in the shadow of Le Morne Mountain on its secluded promontory where the trade winds temper the tropical sun and the tribulations of life dissolve like the morning mist on the mountain is, quite simply, perfect.