A project that promised to revolutionize golf worldwide: 18 holes over the Indian Ocean, underwater tunnels, and a fully submerged clubhouse—all in the paradise of the Maldives.
The Royal Indian Ocean Club, designed for the Maldives, would have been a completely floating golf course, built to rise with the tides and adapt to climate change. Golfers would have walked between holes on platforms above the ocean or through underwater tunnels surrounded by tropical fish, manta rays, and whale sharks.
The clubhouse, entirely underwater and accessible by elevator, would have offered 360-degree panoramic views of the ocean. The floating fairways incorporated sustainable technology, including solar panels and seawater desalination systems. All this for an estimated cost of $520 million, making it the most innovative and unique golf course in the world.
However, the reality of the environment made the project impossible to realize. By 2021, 90% of the Maldives had suffered severe erosion, and 97% of its underground freshwater reserves had been lost. Investing in a location with such an uncertain future was not viable for developers, and the project remained only on paper—a breathtaking, unrealized dream of golf on the water.