The 18-hole Aphrodite Hills championship standard golf course, clubhouse and golfing academy, opened in 2002…
The 18-hole Aphrodite Hills championship standard golf course, clubhouse and golfing academy, opened in 2002, are owned and managed by Lanitis Development Ltd.
Golfers can play all year, thanks to the mild climate in Cyprus. Aphrodite Hills Golf is expected to prove to be especially successful throughout the winter months when most courses in Northern Europe are unplayable. With the emergence of this new course, Cyprus is tipped to develop quickly as a suitable alternative to the Costa del Sol and the Algarve.
The facilities are open to all levels of golfers and visitors, with membership restricted to the owners of real estate at Aphrodite Hills. Experience shows that owners are keen to sign up as soon as possible.
The clubhouse has an extensive menu catering for all tastes. In addition to lunch, it opens for dinner and private functions. On-course catering is provided by a mobile catering cart, which ensures that neither hunger nor thirst are used as an excuse for a poor round.
Clubhouse facilities include a pro shop, offering the latest in golf equipment and apparel, comfortable changing rooms, and club storage lockers.
The golf operations are managed by Michael Stagnetto who was recruited by Lanitis Development Limited from Almenara Golf-Hotel-Spa at Sotogrande in Spain.
Aphrodite Hills Golf meets the expectations of the discerning golfer who has played throughout the world, as well as the occasional golfer having a holiday round, he says.
The Golf Academy
Aphrodite Hills Golf has the first dedicated golf academy in Cyprus, enabling beginners and experienced players to learn and improve their golf.
PGA qualified golf professional Andrew Darker heads the academy.
With a large double-ended driving range, short game practice facilities including a putting green and separate pitching and chipping greens, and a three-hole academy course, it provides the perfect environment for learning golf before progressing to the full 18-hole championship course.
The golf academy offers a variety of programmes, including lessons for individuals, couples, and groups. Packages are available for those wanting to spend an entire day on the golf course, including lunch or dinner.
Before joining Aphrodite Hills Golf, Andrew Darker was a coach at the Abu Dhabi Golf & Equestrian Club in the United Arab Emirates. For two years he was the director of coaching at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club by Sheraton.
The Golf Course
The golf course at Aphrodite Hills occupies two plateaux overlooking the Mediterranean. A dominant characteristic of the course is the way in which all but a few golf holes have a view of the sea. The natural topography is gentle, but there is enough movement to give each hole a distinct personality. (Please see hole-by-hole guide on page 5 below.)
The cart paths connecting the holes provide players with relaxing interludes through the natural landscape.
The lush Bermuda grass fairways provide an excellent playing surface from tee to green. Fully irrigated, they contrast attractively in late summer with the golden grasses of the un-irrigated roughs.
The open fairway areas are wide to accommodate all classes of player, but intelligent preservation of selected trees in strategic locations makes the second shots more difficult from some areas. The placement of the drive is very important on many holes.
The fairway bunkering throughout the course is impressive visually, but the location of the bunkers is far enough out from the tees so as to affect primarily the long hitter. The mounding and contouring around the bunkers and in the fairways are low profile to keep in scale with the natural vegetation.
Each hole has five sets of tee markers. There are competition and regular tees for men, with two sets for ladies. Back or pro tees stretch the total length to more than 6,300 metres for single figure and professional golfers. The emphasis, however, is on a shorter more enjoyable course for the average resort player.
The greens have been planted with American creeping bent grass to assure fast and true putting surfaces. The greens are generally large, averaging nearly 300 sq metres each. This ensures a generous target for approach shots. There are, however, few flat or easy putts as the undulations and rolls between pin positions test both the skill and nerves of players of every ability.
Commenting on his approach to the design of the golf course, Cabell Robinson said: The overall experience of playing golf at Aphrodite Hills will be to enjoy the game in a very natural setting, a playing field which has not been created to dominate the natural environment but to harmonize with it. Shooting par may be difficult even for the best players, but that is characteristic of a fine course. Playing to one`s handicap, or slightly better, is an attainable goal at Aphrodite as it should be at any destination golf resort.
Golf in Cyprus
The golf course at Aphrodite Hills is only the third in Cyprus. The other two 18-hole golf courses, both of them near Pafos, are the Secret Valley Golf Course, which is adjacent to Aphrodite Hills, and Tsada Golf Club. Plans are in hand to develop five more golf courses on the island in the next five years.
The golf academy at Aphrodite Hills will support the Cyprus Tourism Organisation, which is encouraging the development of golf in order to help the island gain recognition as an international destination for playing and learning the game.
The aim is to improve tourism in the `shoulder` periods of early spring and late autumn, while also promoting the game within Cyprus itself and introducing juniors to golf.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
