A THIRD golf course is taking shape in Cyprus and is expected to open in 18 months’ time, adding much-needed capacity in one of the country’s recently developed specialist markets.
The Aphrodite golf resort, between Paphos and Limassol near Aphrodite’s Rock, is being developed by the Lanitis Group, parent of UK operator Amathus Holidays.
The company owned 600 hectares on the edge of the Randi Forest and has turned half of the land over to the Cyprus government as a designated nature reserve.
It is spending £11m on converting another 234 acres into the Aphrodite golf resort, complete with 18-hole course, villa accommodation, swimming pools and tennis courts.
The new Aphrodite development will be spread across a ravine close to the Secret Valley course, which opened in 1996. The other Cypriot course, Tsada, is two years older. Both existing courses are par-72.
The new development is in line with government plans to have four courses in the Paphos area and one each in Limassol, Larnaca, Nicosia and Ayia Napa.
Longmere Golf Holidays plans to feature the new course from its opening in September next year. Golf executive Roy Sutton said: “Having a third course will be a big plus for Cyprus. It already has two very good resort courses – they’re not championship standard but are excellent quality and enjoyable to play on. Not too tough, they satisfy the good golfer and the long handicapper alike.”
“People shouldn’t expect too much too soon from the new Aphrodite course though,” said Sutton.
“A new course takes three years to settle, so it won’t be at its best until 2004 at least.”
The 6,060-metre Tsada course, created by leading golf course architect Donald Steel, and the 6,158-metre Secret Valley are both operated by Cyprus Golf Resorts.
Tsada was laid out in the grounds of a 12th-century monastery, 1,800ft up in the Troodos foothills near Paphos; Secret Valley lies between hills near the tourist site of Aphrodite’s Rock.
Both courses are widely featured by Cyprus specialists and have proved outstandingly successful. Besides Aphrodite, another three courses are planned for completion by 2005, jointly funded by local authorities and hoteliers.
On the drawing board are projects at Pendakomo village, 10 miles east of Limassol; Voroklini village, five miles north of Larnaca; and near Ayia Napa in the south-east of the island.
Cyplon managing director Harry Hajipapas said:”Golf is really being promoted now. The existing courses are maturing and improving all the time.
“People don’t have high expectations of the Cyprus courses and are pleasantly surprised when they come to play.”
The operator’s new Golf in Cyprus brochure offers 10 properties at which golfers can stay.
Further development of the golf product will help to increase the number of off-peak visitors, said the Cyprus Tourism Organisation’s UK director Orestis Rossides.
“Golf will help our winter season, especially during February and March,” he said.
Olympic Holidays national sales manager Mark Mitchell acknowledged the potential the new courses hold, but was sceptical about Cyprus becoming a golfing destination: “Cyprus will benefit when there are golf courses spread across the island, rather than just in the Paphos area,” he said.
“The country’s golf product is improving all the time, but it will never compete with the major golf destinations.
“Cyprus is first and foremost a holiday destination rather than a golf destination.”
Golf operators
Golfers booking their holiday with Longmere Golf Holidays pre-book an average of four or five rounds in a seven-night stay, said golf executive Roy Sutton.
Most Cyprus specialists offer golf as a tailor-made option; some will pre-book rounds and tee-off times, while others advise booking through the hotel on arrival.
Charges vary between high season (until May 15 and after September 16) and low season (May 16-September 15).
Operators offering Cyprus
golf include:
Amathus Holidays: pre-booked rounds cost £22 low season, £29 high season. Recommends the five-star Annabelle in Paphos for golfers – seven nights’ B&B leads in at £644.
Anemone Holidays: daily-rate green fees payable locally. One day: Tsada £27, Secret Valley £28. Six days: Tsada £155, Secret Valley £164.
Argo Holidays: charges flat rate £25 a day for both courses when golf is pre-booked. Free carriage of a half-set of clubs. Priority tee-off times at Tsada and Secret Valley for clients at St George Golf and Beach Resort, Paphos – seven nights’ bed and breakfast leads in at £395.
Cyplon Holidays: pre-booked golf costs £20 a round low season, £26 a round high season. Cyplon’s dedicated Golf in Cyprus brochure features seven-night golf packages (two rounds included) from £358.
Cyprair Holidays: a pre-booked round costs £24 low season, £28 high season (£30 after September 15). Special arrangements for golfers at St George Golf and Beach Resort, Paphos, where seven nights’ B&B leads in at £367.
Longmere Golf Holidays: a day ticket for either course costs £22. Sample package: seven nights in February in single room at the five-star Paphos Amathus Beach Hotel on B&B basis, £699. Includes airport and golf course transfers.
Priceright: pre-bookable daily rate of £24 low season, £30 high season. Most flights allow free carriage of clubs.
Pre-bookable extras offered by most operators, with approximate charges, include: golf cart £14, club hire £6, electric trolley hire £4, manual trolley £2, hire of shoes £3, range balls (50) £2, range clubs (three) £2; half-hour lesson £9.