There are only eight golf courses in the whole of Greece. Following my recent holiday on the island of Corfu, I have now taken my personal tally to six of them. That does not seem to be a huge number in itself but it does mean I can claim to have played 75% of all Hellenic courses.
The putting green and the clubhouse at Corfu…and I must say the club sandwiches on offer are excellent!
The 18-hole course at Corfu Golf Club is located inland (there are no views of the sea) in Ropa Valley, less than 10 miles from Corfu Old Town. It was designed by the well-known Swiss course architect, Donald Harradine, who combined the natural beauty of the valley – groves of trees, ponds, streams and the generally delightful view of the surrounding hills – to create what is both a gentle yet substantial test of golf. The terrain is flat, so it is comfortable to walk the course (although may be less so in high summer), and the climate means it is playable all-year round. It was in good if not great condition and the greens were rather on the slow side, although early in the season that may have been a comparative blessing for me. They did run true, though.
A view from behind the green of the par-five 3rd hole, which plays at just over 500 yards from the back
The course measures just over 6,200 yards, most of which you will encounter early on in the round: three of the four par-fives have been and gone by the time you’ve completed the 7th. However, the course begins with the second-shortest hole on the layout, at just under 300 yards – drivable if you’re one of my sons, and certainly a decent chance of a par if you’re me. Water is in play to the right of that hole and it appears quite frequently throughout, not least at the last, the final par-five, where you eventually have to cross the hazard in order to get to the green. The only question is how far up the hole you proceed before taking it on.
So much for golf on Corfu, then. I have no further trips planned for Greece this year, but who knows? If the opportunity arises to play on Rhodes or at Glyfada, just outside Athens, then I will surely be tempted to work on completing the set.
You can follow me on Twitter @robrtgreen and also read my other blog at f-factors.com – plus there’s more golf blogging from me in the 19th hole section on the Golf Today website