Cyprus “Many players base themselves at Aphrodite


Hills and play maybe two rounds there, and two at the other courses,” says Andrew Smith, director of product at yourgolſtravel.com. Closer to the city of Paphos, the newer Nick


Faldo-designed Eléa Estate Golf Club is the other standout course on the island. At just 6,775 yards, par 71, it plays longer than it looks. “When we designed the course, we decided to put the emphasis on thoughtful, rather than big-hiting, golf so there are plenty of strategic riddles for the golfer to explore,” says Faldo. On a recent visit, I took a driver on 13 holes,


although strategically placed fairway bunkers claimed several of my beter efforts. Winding through stands of mature trees, the contoured paspalum fairways are some of the best I’ve played. Eléa is a classic ‘second-shot’ course, with approaches to immaculate USGA-spec greens requiring the careful negotiation of both water and aggressive green-side bunkering. The palatial clubhouse sits on a southwest


hillside facing the sea and has a restaurant with seating for 200. From the terrace bar, with a glass of draught Keo in hand, you can see all 18 greens spread out below, making it a fine venue in which to toast victory or drown sorrows. Next up, it’s Minthis Hills, designed by


Donald Steel back in 1994, and more recently refurbished by Mackenzie and Ebert. At over 1 above sea level, conditions on the par-71 course can be distinctly breezy — an advantage in summer but less so in winter. Set in the grounds of an old monastery, it’s a tranquil seting, with holes surrounded by grapevines and walnut, almond, and olive trees. The relatively short course’s main defence


is the narrowness of some fairways and the penalties players face if they stray from them. Water is in play on three holes but, overall, this is a gentler challenge than Eléa or Aphodite Hills. The Woods Bagot-designed clubhouse has a friendly bar and rather good restaurant. Just a 10-minute drive from Aphrodite Hills,


the fourth of the clubs within 20 miles of the city of Paphos is the Secret Valley Golf Club. Four years ago, the 6,690-yard course was redesigned with the help of Tony Jacklin, aſter which it was voted Best Golf Course in Cyprus by Golf Digest magazine in 2015. There are six sets of tees from which to atack the bermuda fairways and bentgrass greens, so all standards of players should be happy. The club has strong local support and there were even plans for a second course. Unfortunately, the island’s well-publicised financial problems have nixed much of the talk about new courses being built, although the Polis Chrysochous project at Limni, north of Paphos, actually fell foul of EU environmental guidelines. Plans for the two new courses, designed by Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, have been resubmited, though, so expect more 18-holers to appear within the next five years. But for 2017, it’s still the fab four that are making all the headlines.


76 ABTA Golf 2017


Sunset at Paphos. Right, from top: Aphrodite Hills; Eléa Estate Golf Club; Secret Valley Golf Club


IMAGES: GETTY; ELÉA; SECRET VALLEY; APHRODITE HILLS


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