The best golf courses in Greece, Cyprus and the Mediterranean islands do not always top the bucket list for travelling golfers. They should. Warm winters, long summers, dramatic coastal scenery and a quietly growing collection of genuinely excellent courses make this region one of Europe's most rewarding golf destinations - and one of its most underrated.
Whether you are planning a dedicated golf break or sneaking a few rounds into a family holiday, the Mediterranean islands deliver in ways that surprise even experienced travellers. Clifftop fairways above the Aegean, parkland layouts threaded through Cypriot pine forests, and courses in Sardinia and Mallorca that belong in any European top-fifty conversation - this region has far more going on than its reputation suggests.
This guide covers the best golf courses in Greece, Cyprus and the Mediterranean islands. We have picked two to three real, named courses per destination, all available to explore on Hole19, so you can start planning your round before you even book your flight.
Why the best golf courses in Greece, Cyprus and the Mediterranean islands are worth the trip
The Mediterranean golf season is almost absurdly long. Cyprus and southern Greece are playable year-round. The islands of Sardinia, Sicily and Malta sit in a sweet spot of mid-October through April when northern European courses are muddy and cold. Even summer play is manageable if you book an early tee time and let the sea breeze do its work.
Beyond the weather, the courses here offer something different from links golf in Ireland or parkland golf in England. You get elevation change, olive groves framing approach shots, clifftop tees with panoramas that genuinely distract you mid-backswing, and greens that run fast and true in the dry heat. Club selection becomes a puzzle: the wind off the water, the uphill or downhill lie, the baked fairways that add 20 yards of run to a 7-iron. It keeps you thinking every single hole.
That is exactly where Hole19 earns its place in your bag. Accurate GPS distances to the front, centre and back of the green, hazard overlays, and slope-adjusted yardage (with a Premium subscription) take the guesswork out of unfamiliar layouts. On a course you have never played, in conditions you are not used to, that kind of information is the difference between a bogey and a double.
Greece
Greece is not yet a major golf destination, but it has several courses that would hold their own anywhere in Europe. The country's natural landscape - rocky hillsides, sea views, pine and olive vegetation - creates backdrops that are almost unfair in their beauty.
)
Costa Navarino - The Dunes Course, Messinia
Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., the Dunes Course at Costa Navarino sits on the southwestern Peloponnese coast and is consistently ranked among the finest courses in southern Europe. The layout runs through sand dunes and olive groves down to the Ionian Sea, with the final holes playing along the water's edge. Wind off the sea makes club selection a constant negotiation - bring an extra club and trust your GPS. Costa Navarino - The Dunes Course on Hole19
)
Costa Navarino - The Bay Course, Messinia
The Bay Course, also at the Costa Navarino resort, takes a different character: a more parkland feel threading through carob and olive trees, with views across the historic Bay of Navarino. It is a little more forgiving off the tee than the Dunes, but the fast, firm greens will test anyone's short game. A great choice if you are playing two rounds at the resort and want contrast. Costa Navarino - The Bay Course on Hole19
)
Crete Golf Club, Hersonissos
Crete's only 18-hole course is a mature, well-maintained layout near Hersonissos, set among oleander, bougainvillea and cypress trees. It is not the most demanding track you will ever play, but the pace of a round here - relaxed, scenic, unhurried - is exactly what a Mediterranean golf holiday should feel like. Worth a visit if you are spending time on the island. Crete Golf Club on Hole19
Cyprus
Cyprus is arguably the most established golf destination in the eastern Mediterranean. With around a dozen courses, a 12-month season and easy direct flights from most of Europe, it has quietly built a reputation as a serious golf holiday option. When golfers talk about the best golf courses in Greece, Cyprus and the Mediterranean islands, Paphos comes up again and again.
)
Secret Valley Golf Club, Paphos
Secret Valley is one of the most visually arresting courses in the region. The layout drops into a natural limestone valley near Paphos, with rugged rock faces rising on either side and the fairways cut between them. Every hole feels like it was designed by nature first and an architect second. It plays tougher than it looks: the valley channels the wind in unpredictable directions and the greens are tricky. A memorable round by any standard. Secret Valley Golf Club on Hole19
Join 4.8M+ golfers worldwide today. Download now!
Hole19 is the leading golf app for tracking scores, navigating courses with GPS precision, and unlocking performance insights.
)
Aphrodite Hills Golf Course, Paphos
Aphrodite Hills is the course most people mean when they talk about golf in Cyprus. The Cabell Robinson design wraps around a ravine that cuts through the centre of the property, producing dramatic elevation changes and some of the most photogenic holes in the Mediterranean. The par-three 14th, played over the ravine to a green backed by sea views, is a genuine signature hole. A must-play. Aphrodite Hills Golf Course on Hole19
)
Elea Golf Club, Paphos
Elea is the newest and most ambitious course in Cyprus, a Colin Montgomerie signature design that winds through pine and eucalyptus with the Troodos mountains as a backdrop. The conditioning is excellent, the layout demands real course management from tee to green, and the practice facilities are among the best on the island. If you are a mid-handicapper or better looking for a proper test, this is the course to book. Elea Golf Club on Hole19
Sardinia
Sardinia has been flying under the radar as a golf destination for years, but the courses here are excellent - and the combination of granite landscapes, turquoise water and reliably dry summers makes it one of Europe's most appealing golf trips.
)
Is Molas Golf Club, Cagliari
Is Molas sits on Sardinia's southern coast, close to Cagliari, and delivers something rare: genuine links character in the Mediterranean. The course runs through coastal dunes and low scrubland, with sea views on multiple holes and the kind of firm, running fairways you would expect from a links layout in Scotland. Wind is a constant factor. A proper, thoughtful golf course. Is Molas Golf Club on Hole19
)
Pevero Golf Club, Costa Smeralda
Pevero is the famous one. Robert Trent Jones Sr. carved this course out of the Sardinian granite on the Costa Smeralda in the 1970s, and it remains one of the most striking layouts in Europe. Granite boulders frame the fairways, the terrain rises and falls through wild Mediterranean scrub, and several holes offer views across the Emerald Coast that you will still be talking about months later. Not cheap, but worth every cent. Pevero Golf Club on Hole19
Mallorca
Mallorca is the most developed golf island in the Mediterranean, with more than 20 courses spread across the island. The northwest is all dramatic mountain scenery; the south and east offer flatter, resort-style layouts with easy access from Palma.
Join 4.8M+ golfers worldwide today. Download now!
Hole19 is the leading golf app for tracking scores, navigating courses with GPS precision, and unlocking performance insights.
)
Golf de Andratx, Mallorca
If you play one course in Mallorca, make it Andratx. Perched in the northwest of the island above a rocky cove, the layout climbs and descends through pine forest with clifftop holes that rank among the most dramatic in Spain. It is a demanding walk - 500 metres of elevation change over 18 holes - but every step is worth it. Pull out Hole19 on the elevated tees: knowing your exact carry distance over a cliff edge is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Golf de Andratx on Hole19
)
Son Gual Golf Club, Palma
Son Gual sits just outside Palma and is widely regarded as one of the finest inland courses in the Balearics. The design uses the volcanic landscape cleverly - stone walls, natural ravines and dried-up riverbeds come into play throughout. The greens are large and complex, and the back nine in particular demands real shot-making. Excellent conditioning year-round and a proper clubhouse to finish. Son Gual Golf Club on Hole19
)
Alcanada Golf Club, Alcudia
Alcanada is known for one hole above all others: a par three played across the water to a green set beside the Alcanada lighthouse, with Alcudia Bay stretching behind it. The rest of the course is excellent too - a thoughtful Pete Dye-influenced design that uses the northern coastal terrain well. It is the kind of course where a GPS reading to the lighthouse green matters: do not guess the carry. Alcanada Golf Club on Hole19
Malta
Malta has just one 18-hole golf course, but it is a good one - and the island's central Mediterranean location, year-round sunshine and rich history make it a genuinely compelling destination for golfers who want more than just fairways.
)
Royal Malta Golf Club, Marsa
Founded in 1888, the Royal Malta Golf Club is one of the oldest golf clubs in Europe and carries the kind of atmosphere that only a century of history can provide. The parkland layout in Marsa is compact, well-maintained and plays longer than it looks. Mature trees, tight fairways and tricky greens reward accurate ball-striking and smart course management. Worth playing for the history alone - the golf is a genuine bonus. Royal Malta Golf Club on Hole19
How to get the most out of a Mediterranean golf trip
A few things make the difference between a good trip and a great one.
Book morning tee times in summer. Even in September, afternoon temperatures in Greece and Cyprus can make the back nine genuinely uncomfortable. The early rounds are cooler, the light is better and the courses are quieter.
Pack for wind, not just heat. Coastal and clifftop courses in this region - Andratx, Is Molas, Secret Valley, Alcanada - play entirely differently depending on wind direction. Use Hole19's GPS distances and, if you have Premium, slope-adjusted yardages to take at least one variable out of the equation. On an unfamiliar course in cross-wind conditions, knowing your exact carry to clear a ravine or reach a clifftop green is invaluable.
Factor in the terrain. Several of these courses involve significant elevation change. Hole19's Plays Like distance (available with Premium) adjusts yardage for slope - so that 150-metre approach playing steeply uphill at Pevero shows as the 165 metres it actually plays. It is a feature that earns its keep on courses like these.
Check the course on Hole19 before you travel. Every course in this guide is in the Hole19 catalogue. Browse the course page, check the hole-by-hole layout and plan your strategy before you land.
Is golf in the Mediterranean good for high handicappers?
Absolutely - with a little planning. Most resort courses in Cyprus, Mallorca and Sardinia have forward tee options and forgiving layouts designed to welcome visiting golfers of all levels. The challenge courses (Pevero, Andratx, Aphrodite Hills) can be played from the right tees without being punishing. The key is doing your research before you book: check the slope and course rating on Hole19 and pick a layout that matches your game.
When is the best time to play golf in the Mediterranean?
For Cyprus and southern Greece, October through April is the sweet spot - warm, dry and uncrowded. The Balearics and Sardinia have a longer summer season and are playable from March through November, with July and August best avoided for midday rounds. Malta is genuinely a year-round destination. If you are looking for a winter golf escape from northern Europe, any of these destinations will do the job.
Plan your Mediterranean round with Hole19
Every course featured in this guide is on Hole19. Browse the full Mediterranean catalogue, save courses to your list and use GPS yardages, hazard overlays and digital scorecards to play smarter the moment you step onto an unfamiliar first tee.
Download Hole19 free and explore the full course catalogue at hole19golf.com/courses.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the best golf in Greece?
Costa Navarino in the Peloponnese is the standout destination, with two championship-level courses - the Dunes and the Bay - set above the Ionian Sea. Crete Golf Club near Hersonissos is the best option if you are based on Crete.
Is Cyprus a good golf destination?
Yes. Cyprus has around a dozen courses, warm weather year-round and easy access from most of Europe. Aphrodite Hills, Secret Valley and Elea Golf Club near Paphos are the top three for visiting golfers.
What is the best golf course in Mallorca?
Golf de Andratx is consistently rated the finest course on the island, with dramatic clifftop holes above the northwest coast. Son Gual and Alcanada are close behind and worth playing on a longer trip.
Can I use Hole19 on courses in Greece, Cyprus and the Mediterranean islands?
Yes. All of the courses featured in this guide are in the Hole19 course catalogue. You get GPS distances, hole layouts, hazard information and scoring on every round.
Is golf in Sardinia worth it?
Absolutely. Pevero Golf Club on the Costa Smeralda is one of the most spectacular courses in Europe, and Is Molas near Cagliari offers a genuine links experience rarely found in the Mediterranean. Sardinia is a seriously underrated golf destination.
Mafalda Gil
Customer Service Agent