COSTA NAVARINO (DUNES) - 15 POINTS

When I booked a family holiday in Costa Navarino I didn’t know that it was home to Greece’s best golf course, The Dunes (honest, Guv!). Though, admittedly, ‘number 1 golf course in Greece’ isn’t exactly the most impressive claim in the world.

The course is relatively young, opened in 2010 following a collaboration between Bernhard Langer and European Tour Design. Despite its youth, the course has already matured and bedded in well.

The Dunes at Costa Navarino is pure resort golf, and as long as you set your expectations for this then you will have a perfectly enjoyable time here. First things first, don’t think about walking the course. It is spread over a lot of land and a buggy is essential at any time of year. I am normally not a fan of using a cart but I was there in the height of summer when the temperature was in the mid 30s Celsius so it was the only way to survive!

The conditioning was fantastic. A huge amount of water must be put on this course to keep it in such condition but the ball was still running fairly well. Often in hot climates like this the ground is so saturated with water you have constant plugged balls but that wasn’t a concern here.

The fairways are wide and the rough is almost non-existent. Even so, I did manage to lose a couple of balls! If you stray too far wide you are in thick vegetation that will eat your ball up. The blurb about the course describes the ground being shaped with dunes, reminiscent of a Scottish links course. Although they have put in a few dunes, don’t expect to be transported mentally to Muirfield or St Andrews at any stage!

There are two key defences to the course - strong bunkering and the complexity of the greens. Without a doubt you will be helped by taking a rangefinder with you as being short of the green will often cause problems. A second play will also help you know which part of the green to put your ball to deal with the many plateaus, should you have sufficient skill!

The front nine is probably the stronger of the two. It is set on the higher ground of the property and takes advantage of this with plenty of undulation, adding an extra dimension to the challenge. I particularly enjoyed the stretch of 5, 6, 7 - a short downhill par 3 followed by a reachable par 4 with a plateaued green and then a winding par 5.

It is pretty unlikely that anyone would make Greece a destination solely for golf. You will not rave about the architectural majesty of the experience at Golf at Costa Navarino. However, if you find yourself in the Peloponnese and are looking for a pleasant course which will challenge you a little but not beat you up, then this would be a good place to tee it up.

BOOKING THE COURSE

Golf at Costa Navarino is not a cheap affair. You are likely to pay around the €240 as a visitor and a bit less if you are staying on the property. There is no online booking facility unfortunately, but you can email them via the website here. You can hire clubs on site and, for residents, in the summer, they throw in clubs and a buggy to share between every 2 people.

TOUR TIPS

We drove to Costa Navarino from Athens - just under 3 hours - but Kalamata airport is just a short distance and has direct flights to the UK. The hotel at Costa Navarino was great. There are two different options - The Westin and the Romanos. These are really connected as one and you can use and charge at any of the restaurants. We stayed at the Romanos and, although it was billed as being aimed at couples, it was a great family destination too. The swimming pools, restaurants and activities are spread over a pretty large area and so it never feels crowded. It’s not a cheap destination, but the service was of a very high standard and I’d have no hesitation is recommending it to even the most fussy family!

Costa Navarino,
Navarino Dunes,
Costa Navarino,
24001 Messinia,
Greece

Phone: +30 27230 960000
E-mail: golf@costanavarino.com

Web: www.costanavarino.com/golf-resort/

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