The MCB Tour Championship at Constance Belle Mare Plage is being savoured!

Monty, Woosie and a day from your dreams.
How does this sound for a day at the start of December? 

You wake up to the sound of turquoise water lapping the white-sand beach 10 yards from your bedroom.

You enjoy a sumptuous al fresco breakfast – including very possibly chatting to a Ryder Cup player as you both wait for your omelettes to be cooked to your order.

You get a selfie with an icon of the game as they mill about the hotel after the pre-tournament press conference then head to the course and watch some of the great names of European Tour golf of the past 40 years play a practise round.

You have lunch in the airy clubhouse and, a bit like breakfast, there’s every chance a bunch of European Tour winners are sat on the next table chatting, laughing and generally enjoying life.

So far, everything has been done in shorts and short sleeves.

You will change for the next item on your schedule, but you can just swap into smart shorts and a short-sleeved short, because we are firmly in ‘island vibes’ as day turns to evening and you enjoy a cocktail or two – again, al fresco – at the official opening of the tournament.

The rest of the evening is yours but don’t be surprised if Colin Montgomerie or Ian Woosnam are waiting for their steak to be cooked to their taste in front of you at the grille. And Monty being Monty, you’ll get some soundbite of gold dust just before his meat is served to him.

If that seems like a dream you might have one grey winter’s night when the prospect of playing and watching golf with the sun on your back is nothing more than wishful thinking, you’d be wrong.

It is a reality. And it is the reality that the amateur golfers taking part in the Legends Tour’s prestigious end-of-season tournament – the MCB Championship – at Constance Belle Mare Plage in Mauritius have just savoured.

The Legends Tour’s unique format takes the traditional Pro-Am to an entirely new level, delivering an exhilarating experience.

Because you don’t just play with the famous names over more than just one day, you are also on holiday in the same dreamy resort as them.

And if you think we are over-hyping how much contact you’ll have with them, think again. Take part in the MCB Championship at Belle Mare Plage and it’s basically impossible not to feel like not only have you turned into a Tour golfer, but also that you’ve made friends with people you’d watched and admired for years.

The competitive juices still run strongly with Monty, Woosie and co, but perhaps because the peak of their careers was a few summers ago – or it might just be because of the epic Indian Ocean backdrops that make them so friendly – but they are chilled-out and totally, totally approachable during MCB Championship week.

The 2024 field is an especially strong one, featuring three Major champions and seven former Ryder Cup players. Montgomerie and Woosnam – Ryder Cup icons – are joined by the likes of Paul Lawrie, and Peter Baker at Belle Mare Plage.

Baker is still in with a chance of retaining the Order of Merit but needs to win this week and hope Adilson da Silva falters. 

Scott Hend is the other man capable of still claiming the merit title.

But it’s not just about celebrity watching for the amateur golfers who have travelled to Mauritius for the week either; they have their own tournament to play too and a variety of prizes to compete for.

Constance Belle Mare Plage is an idyllic place to visit at any time – ranked in the top 25 golf resorts in the world by Golf World magazine – but in MCB Championship week, it becomes special beyond almost description.

The chance to unwind and relax in the midst of the Northern European winter and befriend some of the legends of the sport you love is not just a dream. It’s a reality for everyone at Constance Belle Mare Plage this week – and who know, perhaps for you next year?