Afandou Golf Course

The verdict

Afandou is not a course that pretends to greatness, and that is exactly its charm. The Swiss architect Donald Harradine routed it in the early 1970s across a wide, gently rolling parcel above Afandou Beach on the eastern shore of Rhodes, and it opened in 1973 as the first true golf course in Greece. More than half a century on it is still the only full length course on the island, a relaxed par 73 played under near constant sunshine with the blue of the Aegean never far from view.

What you get is open, forgiving golf framed by olive and cypress, with enough length off the back tees to keep a low handicap interested and enough width to let a holidaymaker swing freely. It will not trouble the world rankings, and it does not try to. For the travelling golfer it earns its place as a half day of easy, scenic play to fold into a Rhodes holiday, best paired on a wider Greek trip with the modern resort golf at Costa Navarino on the mainland.

The holes worth the trip

Afandou plays out and back across a broad shelf of land that rises gently from the coast road, so the wind off the Aegean is a constant companion and the smarter play is to keep the ball flighted low. The fairways are generous and the rough is rarely punishing, which suits the holiday golfer, but the par is a stout 73 and the back tees stretch toward 6,800 yards, enough to ask real questions of the longer player.

The olive trees that dot the property are the chief strategic feature, nudging tee shots and guarding the corners of the doglegs, and the greens are honest and receptive rather than tricked up. The closing stretch turns back toward the clubhouse and the beach beyond, and on a clear morning the views across the water to the Turkish coast are the lasting memory of a round here.

This is golf to be enjoyed rather than survived, a relaxed walk in the sun that rewards a steady tempo and a sensible course management. Pace is easy, the welcome is warm, and clubs and a trolley are simple to arrange, which makes Afandou an easy yes for a half day away from the beach.

Where to stay nearby

Afandou sits in a cluster of beach resorts on the east coast of Rhodes, and most visiting golfers base themselves either in the buzz of Rhodes Town to the north or in one of the seafront hotels around Afandou, Kolymbia and Faliraki within a few minutes of the first tee. It is classic Greek island holiday country, long sandy beaches, tavernas and the medieval old town close at hand.

For a golf and beach week the resorts immediately around Afandou Bay are the natural choice, putting the course on the doorstep and the Aegean across the road. With only one course on the island, a Rhodes golf trip works best as a relaxed beach holiday with a round folded in, or as one stop on a wider Greek itinerary that takes in the mainland resorts.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Afandou.