Cyprus: Spectacular golf courses on the island of the gods

Pleasant temperatures and plenty of sunshine 

The former British crown colony is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and has been a member of the European Union since 2004. With up to 340 days of sunshine, Cyprus is a year-round holiday destination. We are heading to the south of the island, where Greek and English are spoken. There we would like to get to know four golf courses. Pleasant temperatures around twenty degrees in December increase our anticipation.

Oasis of well-being directly on the beach

As a starting point, we decide on the five-star Columbia Beach Resort, which is a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World. It is located in complete tranquillity in the dreamy village of Pissouri with direct access to the two-kilometre-long pebble beach. The water is glassy and invites you to swim even in December. It takes us just under three quarters of an hour to reach it by car from the airport in Larnaka via the not very busy, well-developed motorway. We quickly get used to the left-hand traffic. 

The main building and the 169 suites are terraced in the shape of a Cypriot village around the pool area with two pools and a large garden. Everything is very well maintained.

The round arches of the high ceilings, the high-quality and tasteful interior made of local materials, and the natural stone floors of our Executive See View Suite create an extremely authentic and pleasant atmosphere.

The warm rays of the sun and the sound of the gentle waves already gave us the first feeling of well-being on our balcony in the early morning. This continues seamlessly at breakfast on the terrace of the Bacchus restaurant, where we can almost dangle our feet in the pool. The buffet and á la carte offerings are varied and of high quality. 

After our daily rounds of golf, we return at dusk, as the sun sets at 4.45pm at this time of year. On our return trips, we look forward to the extensive leisure facilities, which include floodlit tennis and squash courts, a gym and an indoor pool. The huge Hebe Spa offers a variety of treatments and has won several awards. 

We take our dinners from the resort’s talented chefs on the terrace of the Apollo Tavern restaurant. These impress us, as do the tasty Cypriot wines and the creative cocktails in the stylish Ouzeri Bar.

Particularly noteworthy is the great friendliness and constant attentiveness of all the service staff, with whom we have excellent conversations in English. 

Minthis Golf with wow factor on the back nine

The first course we play is Minthis Golf. It is located about 40 minutes from our hotel and a good ten minutes from the Town of Paphos in the luxurious new resort. At an altitude of just under 600 metres above sea level, it is the highest course with impressive views of the Troodos Mountains towering in the background. Temperatures here are usually a few degrees lower than on the other courses that are close to the sea. The altitude has the advantage that pleasant play is possible here even in the warm summer months.

The par 72 course runs past walnut, almond, olive and carob trees through the hilly terrain of the resort. Excellent wine is also grown here, the quality of which we can convince ourselves of in the modern clubhouse after the round, as well as the delicious dishes.

Opened as the first course in Cyprus under the name Tsada Golf in 1994, it was originally designed by architect Donald Steel. Between 2017 and 2020, it underwent a major overhaul by the firm Mackenzie & Ebert and reopened in 2021. It received a new layout, harmoniously integrated into the landscape, and new greens according to USGA standards. Sustainability is a top priority throughout the resort. It owes its current name to the historic 12th-century monastery, which is located behind the green of the fourth hole. A short detour into its inner courtyard is worthwhile.

The view at the start over the wide, open course has an extremely calming effect on us and contributes to a pleasant start to the soft front nine. But from the ten, the course really turns on. Here we encounter some unusual holes with tee-offs from elevated tee boxes that are sporty and visually impressive.

The wow factor on entering the tenth hole can’t be topped. With its spectacular tee shot over the ravine (see photo above left), it alone is worth the round. The service behind its green also makes an impression, as a buggy takes golfers who don’t use one of their own back to the other side of the course with their trolleys to the next tee.

From here, it’s a steep downhill slope to the green on the left, with another great view over the course.

We also like the 14, a risk and reward par 4 designed as a dogleg, where our successful drives roll from the terraced tees far into the vicinity of the beautifully laid out green. The following par 3 with the great island green follows seamlessly.

We enjoy the round in absolute tranquillity in the midst of the natural surroundings and the course, which is sporty to play. The fair rough and the fast but true greens also contribute to this.

Service is written in capital letters throughout the club. We are greeted in a particularly friendly and humorous manner by the caddy master and the starter. We can literally tell that they enjoy their job.  

In November 2022, Minthis Golf Club was voted the best golf course in Cyprus at the World Golf Awards. It is the first GEO-certified club on the island and the only one to have received this award twice.

The goddess of love and beauty 

The name Island of the Gods comes from the legend that Aphrodite is said to have risen from the foam of the sea at her birth in Petra tou Romiou. The rock named after her is one of the most visited tourist spots on the island. We visit it early in the morning and have it to ourselves. We do not swim around it three times and hope that eternal love is assured even without this sporting feat. 

Less than five minutes away is the Aphrodite Hills Resort, named after the goddess. Its par 71 course is part of Cyprus’ first leisure and golf resort. It has 290 hotel rooms as well as an extensive real estate area with villas and flats. 

The resort offers not only golf but a range of other sports. It wants to contribute to making Cyprus an attractive destination for these as well. These include tennis, basketball and football as well as horse riding and cycling. In November 2022, for example, the amateur road cycling race L’Etape Cyprus by Tour de France was held here for the first time with participants from 22 countries.

Part of the DP World Tour

Its championship course, the PGA National Cyprus, gained international attention in October 2020 when it became part of the European Tour (now DP World Tour) and hosted the Cyprus Open and Cyprus Showdown on two consecutive weekends. 

Its layout is credited to Cabell B. Robinson, who developed it over five years. It was opened in 2002. The course stretches over two plateaus separated by a huge canyon. The sign behind the second hole makes it clear why buggies are compulsory on the course: 950 m to Tee 3. 

We almost missed the small tee box of the professionals on the way there, because they play their drive 200 m carry over the huge, deep canyon. We drive around it with our buggy and look back from the third tee with admiration at the performance of the professionals. 

It also gets exciting after the sixth hole, because two holes follow that will remain in your memory. First, the path runs steeply downhill in serpentines to the tees of the seventh (see photo above right). Afterwards, on the way to the eight, the view back to the seventh green and the winding path to it is impressive.

The eight is the signature hole of the course. Originally, you could look out over the entire fairway across the full width of the green to the sea. In the meantime, however, the development has advanced to the green on one side.

The back nine gives the opportunity to make the score friendly. It leads uphill and downhill through the hilly, well-maintained terrain with beautiful views all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. The state of maintenance is without any criticism on the whole course. 

Arizona sends its regards

On the same road, only a few kilometres further in the direction of Paphos, lies the entrance to the Secret Valley Golf Course. The par 71 course is located in a long valley surrounded on both sides by high mountains. The setting and scenery are magnificent.

The origin of the course dates back to 1996. It was redesigned in 2013 by Hans-Georg Erhardt and Snorri Vilhjalmsson of Golf and Land Design, together with four-time Ryder Cup Captain Tony Jacklin. 

With its approximately 350 members, the Members Club has more than half of all club members of the four clubs played. The partly small landing zones, tee shots that have to be played blind, the dense stand of olive trees and bushes as well as the doglegs require great precision. Added to this are the fast greens.

Many holes are also visually very attractive. These undoubtedly include the eleven with the greenside bunker leading directly into the lake and the fairway of the twelve along the lake with the shot over the water into the green. 

Not to forget the 18th, where the red colouring of the mountain massif by the setting sun reminds one of Arizona’s courses. The good state of maintenance also makes the course an experience.

Sir Nick Faldo’s preference for sand

The Eléa Golf Course is located in the middle of the Eléa Real Estate complex very close to Paphos. The clubhouse, impressive both from the outside and the inside, is enthroned at the highest point of the course. From its observation tower, we have fantastic views over the spacious, open course, the Mediterranean Sea and the nearby Town of Paphos.

It was opened in 2010, designed by Sir Nick Faldo, the six-time Major winner. The result is an 18-hole par 71 course with wide fairways, tricky greens and countless, huge bunker landscapes surrounded by carob and olive trees. If you love bunkers, this is the place for you.

We start the round with a tee shot deep into the valley. The two also continues downhill. After that, it becomes more level. The course spreads out in full size below the clubhouse and leads back uphill to it on the last holes. The fairways are often intersected by stony and rocky waste areas, which have to be played over. 

Fairways, bunkers and greens are well maintained. Every hole, including the four short par 3s, has its charm and should not be underestimated. Strategy and precision are required throughout the course.

The last three holes are as impressive as they are challenging. The blind shot into the elevated green of the 16th, the tee shot of the 17th past a huge bunker landscape as well as the shot over a canyon into its green require full concentration once again. The same applies to the shot into the green of the 18th, which is protected by a huge bunker. 

We look back very satisfied on wonderful days, spectacular, extremely varied golf courses and excellent hotel and gastronomy. Our visits to the archaeological park with its impressive mosaics and the tombs of the kings in Paphos contribute to this just as much as the excursion to the original mountain villages of the Troodos Mountains. 

Juergen Linnenbuerger, December 2022