.jpg) CYPRUS
Where golf overlooks Aphrodite's birth place
 Where to play
With the opening of Aphrodite Hills Golf Club, Cyprus is
becoming a new destination for golfers. Out of a course near Larnaca which is always
requisitioned for the British Royal Forces, they where still two eighteen hole golf
courses on the island, Tsada Golf Club and Secret Valley Golf Club, but the new one is a
great championship course which will attract, and satisfy, the most blasé golfetrotters.
Aphrodite Hills Golf Club has been
designed by the world-renowned Cabell Robinson. The course has been carved out of a forest
of carob and olive trees on two high plateaus divided by a ravine and overlooking the
legendary sea-birthplace of the goddess Aphrodite. The course is 6,665 meters long and is
a par 71 with a double ended practice range, short game practice facilities and golf
academy.
Each hole has five sets of tee markers autorizing international tournaments as well as
more enjoyable course for the average player. Hole 7 is one of the most spectacular par
3s: it plays steeply downhill across the canyon to a large undulating green nestled in a
grove of olive trees. At 150 meters over, the tee shot is complicated by the 30m
elevation. The hole 3 is another signature hole: it needs, from the back tee, a 200m carry
over the canyon… It's shorter from the other tee boxes.
But the most impressive on this course are the numerous places where one can overlook the
coast and the Mediterranean blue sea. It is a really good consolation for bad shots.
Aphrodite Hills includes a large club-house with pro-shop, locker rooms, bar and
restaurant on terraces with spectacular views. Refreshment facilities are provided around
the course. Golf carts are quasi obligatory due to certain difficulties to walk over the
canyon.
Tsada Golf Club was the first grass
course to be built in 1994 in Cyprus. At 20 minutes from Paphos Town, this eighteen hole
is located on an elevated position at 550 meters over the sea level on the hills of the
monastery of Stavros tis Mhintis, which gives an air of timelessness and romance. It is
not unusual to see from the 7th tee a monk walking in the garden of the monastery.
Designed by Donald Steel, in two loops of nine holes, it is a par 72 of 6060 meters long.
Most of the fairways have uphill, downhill and/or side-hill slopes which make the real
difficulties of this course all the better so since they are lined with fruit trees and
grape wines. Undulating greens are not easy to reach and to putt even if the surfaces are
in perfect shape.
The wooden club-house has bar and restaurant opening its terrace over the course and the
landscape. Electrically powered golf carts and trolleys are avalaible.
After Tsada, Secret Valley Golf Club was
the second course constructed by Iacovos Iacovou in 1996. Located on the opposite side of
Pafos at 18 kms east along the highway going to Limassol, this course is near to
"Petra tou Romiou", the legendary birthplace of Aphrodite. Coming from the golf
course, it is easy to drive straight under the highway to the coast road and take the loop
going to the legendary crick and rocks.
As its name says, the course lies in a scenic valley where colourful rock formations offer
spectacular views changing with the daylight. A lot of grand trees and flower bushes have
been planted all along the fairways and the tee boxes adding vegetal colours to the
mineral beauty of the rocks.
Par 71 with only 5,904 meters, the course is not a long one, but needs to stay straight to
avoid the sidelines of trees. Some holes particularly on the back nine are a bit longer
and need accuracy to reach the greens over traps or water hazards.
Practice facilities include putting greens, chipping areas with bunkers and the club-house
as the one at Tsada, has a wooden interior, locker rooms, bar and restaurant with veranda
overlooking the artificial lake surrounded by flowers just before the 18th tee.
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Superb view from 8th hole at Aphrodite Hills which is inserted in the local nature
General view of Tsada Golf which particularity is the Monastery inside the course
Colored rocks is the peculiarity of Secret Valley with bushes of flowers
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