Golf Resorts In Greece – Something’s Changing
Greece has never been the obvious golf destination. Spain and Portugal took that crown years ago. But something’s changing. The country that built democracy and drama now wants a piece of the fairway dream. A handful of golf resorts are quietly redefining Mediterranean golf—less mass tourism, more sense of place. You come for the game, but you stay because it feels like nowhere else.
We’ve visited the most famous golf resorts in Greece — and we have our winners. If you’re reading this, chances are you already know the game, or better yet, you’re a true golf lover. And you also know the reality: golf resorts aren’t for every pocket.
Porto Carras Grand Resort, Halkidiki: Where It All Begins
Porto Carras isn’t just another golf resort in Greece; it’s a landscape wearing a tuxedo. The 18-hole course curls between pine forest and sea, with Mount Itamos watching from above like a silent referee. You play your round accompanied by the smell of resin and salt, and when you sink your last putt, the day isn’t done. You can trade spikes for sandals and drift into the resort’s marina, or sip Assyrtiko at its own winery while the sun folds itself into the horizon.
The course itself has matured beautifully since its redesign—a mix of long, forgiving fairways and cunningly placed hazards that punish laziness more than inaccuracy. It’s not Augusta, and that’s the point. It’s wilder, more romantic. A place that remembers golf is supposed to be played outside, not in manicured perfection.
Costa Navarino: Greece’s Golf Utopia
If Porto Carras is charm, Costa Navarino is ambition. Tucked into Messinia’s olive-covered hills, it’s the heavyweight of Greek golf—four championship courses, each with a personality. The Dunes is a Langer masterpiece; the Bay, a coastal dream sculpted by Robert Trent Jones Jr. And then there are the twin Olazábal courses, whose contours could make a pro mutter prayers between swings.
Yet Costa Navarino’s genius lies beyond the greens. Everything feels deliberate—the way paths twist through ancient olive groves, the restaurants serving octopus caught that morning, the architecture that mirrors the land instead of mocking it. It’s luxury that doesn’t shout; it hums. If Greece ever hosts a Ryder Cup, this will be the stage.
Crete: Island Rounds and Rugged Beauty
Crete’s golf scene is smaller, but what it lacks in scale, it makes up for in spirit. The Crete Golf Club near Hersonissos climbs high above the coast, where the wind carries the scent of thyme and the sea glimmers below. It’s a course of drama—tight doglegs, rolling elevation, wide skies.
Stay at Amirandes Grecotel for understated elegance, or opt for the lively Mitsis Laguna if you prefer a mix of poolside indulgence and evening buzz. The locals will tell you to play early, before the heat, then find a taverna in the hills where lunch lasts until sunset. They’re right. That’s golf, the Greek way: a round, a meal, a story.
The Next Frontier: Rhodes
Rhodes is gearing up for its own golf renaissance. The Mitsis Group’s €400-million revamp of the Afantou Golf Course aims to transform it into a resort worthy of the Greek island’s legend.
The early plans promise not just a course, but a full destination—eco-driven, modern, and unmistakably Greek. If they pull it off, it could be the final piece that puts Greece firmly on the golf world map.
The Rhythm of Greek Golf Resorts
What sets Greek golf apart isn’t the number of courses—it’s the pace. The round doesn’t end when the scorecard closes. You walk off the 18th green and into a culture that moves slower, eats better, and cares less about your handicap than your happiness.
At Porto Carras, you finish your day with a swim in water so clear you can count the pebbles. At Costa Navarino, dinner comes with a bottle of Messinian red and a sunset that stops conversations mid-sentence. On Crete, a shepherd might pour you a glass of raki before asking how you played.
Greece reminds you that golf, at its best, isn’t a competition—it’s communion. Between you, the land, and whatever god is watching over both.
