TEEING OFF HELLENIC
TEEING OFF HELLENIC GOLFING HAVEN Costa Navarino pairs exceptional Peloponnesian beauty with outstanding amenities – including two new championship courses // By Farhad Heydari JACOB SJÖMAN BAY OF PLENTY The Olympic Course at Costa Navarino 52 NetJets
IN THE PANTHEON – forgive the pun – of Greek destinations, the Peloponnese might not have the same A-list cache as sun-soaked spots such as Mykonos or Santorini, to name just two. But this large peninsula, connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus at Corinth, has quietly begun to make waves, thanks in large part to a singular masterplan destination called Costa Navarino (costanavarino.com). It was envisaged by a self-made shipping magnate named Vassilis Constantakopoulos back in the early 80s, with the businessman then spending the better part of the next 25 years acquiring land – one parcel at a time – in his beloved and native Messinia, a historically significant region of the southwest Peloponnese. Today, Costa Navarino is ranked as one of the top holiday destinations in Europe. Why? Perhaps it’s because back in 2010, the resort’s first phase, Navarino Dunes, debuted with a pair of luxe hotels (The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort, and The Westin Resort) and a championship golf course designed by Bernhard Langer in partnership with European Golf Design. Or perhaps it’s because a couple of years later, despite the economic crisis in the region, the resort’s second phase kicked off with the debut of another 18-hole layout, the stunning Robert Trent Jones Jr-designed Bay Course. Now, however, another pair of new championship courses, the Hills and the International Olympic Academy Course, by two-time Masters champion and Ryder Cup legend José María Olazábal, as well as the sprawling beachside W Costa Navarino and an even newer Mandarin Oriental property, are adding further lustre to this expansive destination. Like the earlier courses, these latest offerings are a visually striking and challenging test, which are perched not at sea level as their earlier siblings are but rather 200 metres up on a littoral plateau with views of box canyons, mountains and the azure coastline. “The two courses are distinct in character,” says Olazábal, NetJets 53
