First golf club in African region becomes GEO certified

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La Réserve Golf Links, at Heritage Golf Club, Mauritius, has become the first course in the African region to be awarded GEO Certified® Development Status.

Recognising developments that exemplify sustainability through fostering nature and enhancing local ecosystems, conserving resources and supporting their communities, the GEO Certified® Development status honours projects that have transparently integrated sustainability into their decision-making processes, from initial site selection through to becoming operational.

La Réserve Golf Links, which opened for play in December 2023, has panoramic views from every hole, and is the first and only contemporary links course in the Indian Ocean, and plays hand-in-hand with nature, mindful of its location alongside a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Commenting on the project’s achievement, Thierry Montocchio, CEO of Rogers Hospitality, owner of Heritage Golf Club, said: “To bring this project to fruition, it took vision, time and determination. We were fortunate to be accompanied by people who had the right skills, a similar passion, and a desire to bring about significant change.

“La Réserve Golf Links is a venture that not only inspired us, but also required us to understand the land, the nature, the elements and their connection with us, and us with them.”

Sam Thomas, developments director, GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation, added: “It is rewarding to see La Réserve Golf Links among a leading group of golf developments globally, and the first in the African region, to have achieved GEO Certified® Development status.

“The golf course was created from a nature reclamation project, turning sugar cane grounds back to a native grassland environment stretching over 65 hectares – and its success is a testament to the vision and hard work from the entire team.”

More than 100 hectares of sugarcane monoculture have been regenerated into a rich mosaic of native habitats throughout the course, with natural resources, local to Mauritius, a key part of the development.

Improvement in the vegetation cover and drainage allows the irrigation system to run efficiently by relying on gravity to carry water from hole to hole.