Best Greek islands for golf
The Best Greek islands for golf are islands where fairways are carved between olive groves and sea, where a morning round gives you mountain views, sea breeze and empty greens, and where you can still be on the beach by noon. There are essentially only three where golf can be considered by the serious 18-hole chasers; Crete, Corfu and Rhodes.
They are islands where golf frames the day, with early tee times, slow lunches with a view of the course and afternoons saved for swimming and wandering, and that sun-warmed, well-played, perfectly balanced feeling of a golf day done right on an island.
| Island | Description |
|---|---|
| Crete | The big one, and the only one where you can do a golf trip. 2 courses: The Crete Golf Club – 18-hole championship in the hills above Hersonissos, par 71, 5,850m, designed by Bob Hunt with mountain and sea views, plus Elounda Hills 9-hole private course near Elounda. Add the academy and driving range at Hersonissos and you have a proper golf base with Samaria Gorge and pink Elafonisi beach for days off. |
| Corfu | 1 course: Corfu Golf Club in the Ropa Valley. The oldest in Greece, opened 1971, Donald Harradine design, par 71, 6,123m of cypress-lined fairways in the green heart of the island. A classic, relaxed round after Venetian old town and Paleokastritsa bays. |
| Rhodes | 1 course: Afandou Golf Course on the east coast. 18-hole championship, par 71, 6,110m, right by Afandou Bay, redesigned by Harradine. Sea breeze, rolling hills, and you are 20 minutes from Lindos and the medieval Old Town. |
Who it suits and why
This is for travellers who want a proper round in the morning and a beach taverna by afternoon. The best Greek islands for golf suit people who love early tee times, sea views off the fairway, and still having a full Greek island holiday in between. It’s led by Crete, because it has the only true championship setup in the islands. Crete Golf Club in Hersonissos is an 18-hole in the hills above the sea, with wide fairways through olive groves and mountain light, and you can be back in Elounda or Chania for lunch and a swim. Corfu is a classic too, with Corfu Golf Club in Ropa Valley, a parkland 18-hole that’s been there since the sixties, flat, green and forgiving, and just ten minutes from Corfu Town and the bays around Kassiopi. Rhodes has Afandou Golf on the east coast, an 18-hole right by the sea with sea breeze on every hole, and Lindos and Anthony Quinn Bay down the road for snorkelling after your round. Kos gives you Kos Golf at Marmari, a newer beachside 18-hole, very open and playable, with views to Pserimos and easy afternoons in Tigaki and Mastichari. If you just want to keep your eye in, Paros and Naxos have driving ranges and pitch and putt near Parikia and Chora, and Santorini has a small practice centre near Kamari, but for proper 18 holes it’s Crete, Corfu, Rhodes and Kos. It’s perfect if you want a sunrise tee time, a buggy and a breeze, then boats, beaches and a proper dinner you’ve earned. It’s less suited to you if you want to party till 6am every night. The best golf light and cool air is seven to ten in the morning, so if your trip is all Mykonos beach clubs till dawn, you’ll miss it every day.
What to keep in mind
Golf in Greece comes down to heat, wind, and staying close to the course. Most of these islands have direct UK flights from May to October, around three hours ten to four hours thirty, or a quick hop via Athens, and ferries from Piraeus are usually two to nine hours and 40 to 95 euro. May to June and September to early October is the sweet spot. You get 22 to 28 degrees, sea temps of 22 to 25, and calm mornings that are ideal for a full 18 before lunch. July and August is still playable but you need to be first out, as midday can hit 30 to 35 degrees, especially in Crete, Rhodes and Kos, and the meltemi can build to 20 to 35 knots in the afternoon in the Dodecanese. On the ground, base yourself near the fairway. Hersonissos or Elounda in Crete for Crete Golf Club, Ropa Valley or Corfu Town in Corfu for Corfu Golf Club, Afandou or Kolymbia in Rhodes for Afandou Golf, and Marmari or Tigaki in Kos for Kos Golf. A green fee for 18 holes is usually 60 to 90 euro, a buggy 30 to 40 euro, club hire 30 to 50 euro, and most clubs have a range, short game area and PGA pros for a quick tune-up. Bring light, breathable kit, a cap, sunscreen, and soft spikes, and keep a bottle of water on the buggy. Book tee times a day ahead in August, plan a swim straight after your round, and go in early June or mid September when you get warm seas, quiet fairways and empty beaches rather than full August heat and queues on the first tee.
Sources
- https://www.visitgreece.gr/islands/crete/golf/ | Crete 2 courses 1x 18-hole The Crete Golf Club Hersonissos par 71 5850m Bob Hunt 2003 plus 1x 9-hole Elounda Hills private par 32 plus academy total 2 regulated
- https://www.corfu.gr/golf-corfu/ | Corfu 1 course 1x 18-hole Corfu Golf Club Ropa Valley oldest Greece 1971 Donald Harradine par 71 6123m plus practice academy total 1 championship
- https://www.rhodes.gr/golf-rhodes/ | Rhodes 1 course 1x 18-hole Afandou Golf Course east coast Afandou Bay par 71 6110m Donald Harradine redesign plus driving range total 1 championship
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Last Updated on August 26, 2026 by admin