Founded in 1994, the MGF promotes golf in Mauritius and abroad, organizes local competitions and supports inter-island and African championships, coordinates the handicap system and course calibration, and provides training on golfing rules for licensees and employees.
Yannick Merven, the federation’s president, tells us about his close collaboration with the MTPA (Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority), Mauritian golf directors, associations and other regional clubs, whose elected members make up the MGF’s executive committee. The committee meets once a month to take decisions concerning the sector. “We take stock of the various actions undertaken and share new ideas to be implemented. Revised annually according to the economic reality of the moment, license fees – an essential financial windfall in the MGF’s budget (Rs 3M for 2023) – cover administrative costs, but also investment in the development of the discipline, at junior level, for example.
Although the Golf for All project, created in 2016, was originally aimed at helping children from underprivileged backgrounds discover golf, since last year it has been rethought as unviable, due to the cost of transporting all these children from their homes to the golf courses. Now called Golf4All 2.0, the project offers introductory courses in schools, where a green space and suitable equipment are all that’s needed. “After a successful first trial with the WIPS school in Flic en Flac at the end of 2022, MGF is in discussion with other schools, various district councils and the Mauritius Sports Council.”
