The ancient Greeks invented the concept of competitive sports. What with the Olympics, the Marathon, heck even the Spartathlon (ok, so maybe that’s a newer addition)… The Greeks were an active lot. There’s no denying it. But we think that Greece might’ve looked different today had golf been an official Olympic sport. It’s not that hard to imagine (after all, it is said that ancient cultures practiced a form of modern day basketball long before coach Naismith put up peach crates as hoops). It doesn’t require a great deal of science to build a golf club and dig a hole, I mean they built the Parthenon, right?
Unfortunately, even though the combination of great weather and vast green expanses ought to be a no brainer for this sort of endeavor, Greece isn’t a typical golf destination. Or at least, it wasn’t.
And that is due to the quality offered on a few major spots around Greece. And we literally mean that.
In Athens, the Glyfada Golf Club has been a mainstay for years, it would seem. It’s one of the first clubs to open in Greece and it is suitably located in the southern suburbs, right next to the Aegean Sea, lapped by the waves of the Athenian Riviera.
If you find yourself in the Peloponnese, you’ll know what luxury and opulence really mean once you step into the Costa Navarino hotel/golf complex. It may just be one of the most beautiful settings this side of heaven.
Corfu is no slouch, either. Plus, Steve Barnett is the resident Pro, so you know. If your stroke is rusty you can always ask for advice. Thank you very little!
The largest of Greek islands couldn’t possibly go without a golf club. And Crete’s Golf Club is swanky. It’s also Europe’s most southerly golf course, and that means a year round destination. Located in the Elounda area, it offers the usual 18 holes plus some nifty amenities.
From north to south, east to west, and with varying types of settings from which to tee off, Greece has something for everyone. Ionian, Peloponnesean, Attican and Cretan turf awaits you and your 9 iron.
