The Romanos, Costa Navarino

Former Ryder Cup Captain and US Masters Champion Bernhard Langer, in association with European Golf Design, is the architect of the first 18-hole signature designed golf course in Greece. Much of the contouring mirrors the rugged outlines of the distant mountains. Close to the sea, there is a links-like feel further inland, it reflects a more typically Greek landscape of olive and citrus groves, and there are large undulating greens, wide fairways and steep-faced pot bunkers. Primarily a resort course, the variety of tee placements on offer means that it will be hugely enjoyable for the casual golfer whilst at the same time an exhilarating challenge for the best players. Measuring a full 6,177 meters from the championship tees down to just under 5,000 meters from the front, the playing areas are generously wide and cater for the occasionally breezy conditions so close to the sea. Much of the course had been crafted to reflect the rugged outlines of the distant mountains. As you move further inland, the course evolves as the character softens to fit with its typically Messinian surroundings of olive and citrus groves.

Just a few minutes from Navarino Dunes, at the Navarino Bay development, the Bay Course offers an alternative set of challenges and choices in a quite different setting. Designed by leading American architect Robert Trent Jones Jr., it plays a little shorter than the Dunes Course at 5,760metres from the back tees. The par 71 course places a slightly greater emphasis on strategic play and positional golf. The Seaside, Canyon, and Grove holes will provide striking contrasts that create a dramatic and memorable golf round. The course will play to a par of 71 from a variety of lengths designed to test the golfing skills of amateurs and pros alike. The imaginative layout offers panoramic seaside and mountain views, including several holes that play directly along the sea and two directly overlooking the historic bay of Navarino.