Then, consternation! Ernie was asked to play again. His drive had been the opening shot in the inauguration of his latest creation and an enthusiastic employee had run out into the middle of the fairway to retrieve the ball for it to be mounted as a memento of this momentous day.

With some amusement Ernie hit again but there was a sharp intake of breath from him and oohs and aahs from the gallery as his drive power-faded into a flowerbed. Perhaps not the start he would have wanted. He lost the hole as his putting, which he admits has been ‘quite bad this year, to be honest with you’, let him down on the first green.

For the rest of us, who would follow in the South African’s footsteps, it was encouraging. If the three times Major winner could take a six at the first on a course of his own making then there was hope for us mere mortals.

To the gallery’s delight Ernie soon got his game into the groove as he made his sedate procession around the course followed like a prophet by his adoring public. After all it’s not every day that the island of Mauritius has such a world star demonstrating his golfing talents.

This was a very special occasion - the unveiling of his creation at the Four Seasons Golf Club Mauritius at Anahita with the mountains on one side and the Indian Ocean on the other. It could only add to Mauritius’s burgeoning reputation as a golfing destination.

When Ernie Els first looked over the site three years ago he wondered how he would be able to lay out a course on a piece of land covered in rocks, trees, bushes and mangroves. But here he has a course winding through the resort with six ocean-side holes that is a tribute to his design skills that have contributed to seven courses around the world with another eight in construction.

Perhaps the most laid-back of golf’s superstars, he wanted to make it a fair course and wide open with not much rough so that the player almost always has a shot as well as an entertaining challenge. There are five tees and off the gold tees it’s a comfortable 6,146 yards but if the sun and the Blue Marlin beer have gone to your head you can attempt playing from the back tees which are a massive 7,580 yards.

Ernie’s a great fan of links golf and like Muirfield, where he won his Open Championship, he has peppered the fairways with plenty of bunkers that like those of the great old links are always in play. And the greens tend to be small and heavily bunkered.

“It’s a very good site here,” he says. “We wanted to incorporate the beauty of the water and the island. The course benefits in as many ways as possible from the beautiful natural setting. You have spectacular rocky outcrops, large native trees and jaw-dropping views of the mountains and the Indian Ocean. The 18th hole is one of the most impressive in the world.”

Although basically flat, this is not a bland resort course. The undulations are pronounced enough to allow the players to use the land to run the ball into some of the holes. He has also used features such as a wall - shades of North Berwick - on the 14th, a winding burn, like Carnoustie, on the ninth and the ruins of a sugar mill on the last.

And there are some outstandingly beautiful holes – the short eighth and the 17th which play out towards the ocean as does the par-5 569-yard fourth which will be the most photographed of them all. But beware of the ‘short’ holes, a word that does not appear to be in Ernie’s lexicon. From the back tees, three are more than 200 yards with the eighth an eye watering 256 yards.

If the course is world class then as you would expect it is matched by the Four Seasons resort, which is part of the Anahita World Class Sanctuary. While the course has been in play since March, the resort, extending across wooden bridges to encompass a private island, opened at the end of October and is the perfect destination for a golfing or a family holiday with three beaches. You always know what to expect of a Four Seasons in the way of facilities, style and service so in effect it is only the location that changes.

Here must be one of the most beautiful of their properties around the globe. The 122 villas and residences and the presidential suite, which can cost anything up to €7,000 a night, hug white sand beaches leading to a large turquoise lagoon that is perfect for water sports and is home to multicoloured fish, moray eels and magnificent coral beds.

Not large by some resorts’ standards, the restaurants and bars are grouped around the water’s edge while down at the beach the Bambou restaurant serves pan-Asian cuisine including Mauritian, Indian, Thai, Indonesian and Japanesespecialities, and if you’re feeling homesick they do a very good fish and chips. Such is the layout there is never a feeling of being crowded and the emphasis is very much on relaxation.

If you prefer you can stay in your villa and order in-room dining where they set out your meal on your private terrace sitting by the side of your personal plunge pool and looking out over the beach to the lagoon beyond. And if you’ve had a hard day on the course try the golfer’s restorative massage at the spa. There is also a superbly equipped kids’ area to pacify the most demanding child.

While most could happily spend their holiday within the grounds of the Four Seasons, the island’s brooding volcanic peaks and miles of fields of sugar cane demand exploring.

In some countries once you leave the resorts the five-star smiles fade and the locals can sometimes be a surly lot. This is definitely not the case on an island, which in its time has been owned by the French, Dutch and British and was once the home of the now-extinct dodo bird.

With sugar and textiles giving way to tourism as the island’s biggest source of revenue, you will get a friendly welcome from the local population, which numbers more than a million Hindus, Creole, Chinese, Muslims and Europeans. All of who live in perfect harmony and speak Creole, French and English equally proficiently

Lying more than a thousand miles off the south-eastern coast of Africa, Mauritius boasts 200 miles of white sand beaches and has an almost perfect climate with a temperature that rarely dips below 70oF and rises to the high 90s in summer.

If your intention is to play golf then Mauritius will spoil you. In addition to Anahita, there are seven 18-hole courses. The Legend, which hosts the Mauritius Open, and The Links at Belle Mare Plage; Le Touessrok, built by Bernhard Langer, on its own island; The Paradis Hotel and Golf Club’s course in the shadow of Le Mourne mountain; Golf du Chateau; the private Gymkana Club; and the Tamarina Golf Club. There’s also a handful of nine-hole courses.

The capital Port Louis, home to 135,000 inhabitants, is also worth a visit and the Citadel, built by the British, has spectacular views of the city and the bay beyond. Back at sea level the market is a must just for an amazing array of produce, fruit and vegetables.

While the Four Seasons’ dining, under the quality controlof executive chef Andreas Haugg, is an experience in itself, take the time to visit the appropriately named Le Café des Arts a ten-minute drive from the resort. Run by Jocelyn Gonzalez and his wife, Patricia, it is an experience that touches all senses. Apart from the exquisite French food and wines, the old sugar mill is an art gallery.

The walls are lined with the canvases of his late mother, the famous French artist, Maniglier. At a conservative estimate there are probably millions of pounds of stunning art displayed and whatever else it makes a great talking point if conversation dries up around the dinner table.

The only drawback to Mauritius is the 12-hour flight from London but Air Mauritius go out of their way to make their passengers comfortable in their modern fleet and Four Seasons are planning to invigorate arriving guests by transporting them from the airport by Riva style speedboat.

Back at Anahita a lavish party was laid on at the clubhouse in the Big Easy restaurant and bar overlooking the 18^th green to celebrate the launch of the course and Ernie’s inaugural round. It ran into the early hours of the Monday morning and Ernie was even more relaxed than normal and in expansive mood.

Like so many things in life, golf designers always claim that their last one was their best and Ernie was no different, admitting: “This is the best course I’ve ever done.”

You know, he might be right.

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ACCOMMODATION

Four Seasons Resort Mauritus (www.fourseasons.com/ mauritius/00800 6488 6488) offers rooms villas from €700 per night on a bed and breakfast basis.

FLIGHTS

Air Mauritius (www.airmauritius.com/020 7434 4375) offers direct flights from £760 for economy class and £1,600 for business class (including taxes). Air Mauritius’ new business class includes lie-flat cocoon seats which offer passengers a 60-inch seat pitch and a recline capacity of 172 degrees.

GOLF

Four Seasons Golf Club Mauritius at Anahita (00 230 4023125) also offers a golf academy and 350-yard practice range.

Green fees for 18 holes: €175; nine holes €95. Twilight option, access from 3pm, €125. All-day ticket including two rounds of golf and lunch €250