Golf guide • Greece • Messenia, Peloponnese

Golf at Costa Navarino: four courses between olive groves and Navarino Bay

Costa Navarino, in the south-west Peloponnese, brings together four 18-hole courses around Navarino Bay: Bernhard Langer's Dunes Course, Robert Trent Jones II's Bay Course, and José María Olazábal's two layouts at Navarino Hills, the International Olympic Academy Golf Course and the Hills Course. Golfers come for a complete golf holiday, 40 to 45 minutes from Kalamata airport, ideally from March to June and in September and October.

Plan this tripUpdated 11 October 2026

Messenia is the south-western tip of the Peloponnese, a land of olive groves running down to the Ionian Sea. Costa Navarino opened the first signature golf course in Greece here in 2010, at Navarino Dunes, near the village of Romanos, 9 kilometres north of Pylos. The Bay Course followed in 2011, on the shore of Navarino Bay, then two courses designed by José María Olazábal on the slopes of Navarino Hills in 2022. Captain Vassilis Constantakopoulos, a Greek shipowner, had first imagined the project in the mid-1980s.

Four courses, four characters: a Mediterranean links between the Sellas river and the sea, a bayside layout planted with olive trees up to five centuries old, and two hill courses turned towards Navarino Bay. You stay on the estate or by the water in Pylos, play a different course each day, and keep half a day for the little town, its harbour and its Ottoman fortress. On the Bay Course, you can even pick ripe fruit from the trees lining the fairways.

This is a destination for a proper stay rather than a weekend: five to seven nights let you play all four courses, replay one, and visit the Palace of Nestor, the Mycenaean site that Homer's epics assign to the old king of Pylos. The rest of the time is shared between the beach, the spa and the resort's restaurants.

The courses

Fairway and pale bunkers lined with gnarled olive trees, dry hills and blue sea in the distance in late-day light

Costa Navarino, The Dunes Course

Architect: Bernhard Langer; European Golf Design
Opened 2010
18 holes
Par 71

The founding course, opened in May 2010 and designed by Bernhard Langer, twice winner of the Masters, with European Golf Design. A par 71 of 6,581 yards from the back tees, it crosses olive groves and orchards, spans the little Sellas river and takes on a links feel on the holes closest to the sea. Wide fairways, large rolling greens and steep-faced pot bunkers: it forgives the tee shot and asks for a solid short game. Several sets of tees make it enjoyable for every level.

Signature hole. The 16th, a par 5, drops sharply from tee to green, facing the mountains and the village; the 6th, a risk-and-reward par 4, occupies the highest point on the course.

Official website

Costa Navarino, The Bay Course

Architect: Robert Trent Jones II
Opened 2011
18 holes
Par 71

Opened in October 2011, Robert Trent Jones II's course is the shortest of the four, a par 71 of 5,614 metres, and the most scenic. It runs through three landscapes: four seaside holes facing Navarino Bay, a canyon section played from elevated tees, then an olive grove of more than a thousand trees, some over five hundred years old. The game here is about precision rather than length, ideal for a first round or a late-afternoon game.

Signature hole. The 17th, a par 4, runs right along Navarino Bay; earlier, the short, strategic 4th plays towards the water with Pylos as a backdrop.

Official website

Costa Navarino, International Olympic Academy Golf Course

Architect: José María Olazábal
Opened 2022
18 holes
Par 72

The first course in the world to bear the name of the International Olympic Academy, this José María Olazábal design opened in 2022 at Navarino Hills, about 13 kilometres from the first two courses. A par 72 of 6,366 metres, it occupies the high ground above Navarino Bay and the Ionian Sea: water hazards, marked changes in elevation and well-placed bunkers make it the most demanding course at the resort, best kept for players on form or low handicappers.

Signature hole. The 12th, a clifftop par 3, calls for a precise mid-iron to a green bordered by olive trees and penalty areas.

Official website

Costa Navarino, The Hills Course

Architect: José María Olazábal
Opened 2022
18 holes
Par 72

Olazábal's second course at Navarino Hills, also opened in 2022, plays on the Messenian countryside: a par 72 of 6,280 metres, it winds through gentle hills with views over the countryside, the valleys, Navarino Bay and the Ionian Sea. More rural and more forgiving than its Olympic neighbour, it suits mid-handicappers and groups of mixed ability. The two courses share the Hills Clubhouse, a 60-bay driving range and a large short-game area.

Official website

Where to stay

The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort

On the seafront at Navarino Dunes, on the same estate as the Dunes Course, The Romanos has 321 rooms, suites and villas, with colonnaded architecture that echoes the character of Messinia. It is the natural base for playing the Dunes Course several times. Ask for a room with a private infinity pool facing the Ionian Sea: many have one, but some look out over the course instead.

Karalis Beach Hotel

Below the walls of the Niokastro, at the water's edge as you enter Pylos, the Karalis Beach is a small independent hotel of fourteen renovated rooms, open from April to late October. Ask for the Junior Suite, the largest, facing the bay, or the room on the castle side. Drinks at the rooftop bar, dinner on foot in Three Admirals Square, and Navarino Dunes a quarter of an hour's drive away.

Honey-coloured stone villa with a wooden pergola and infinity pool, lavender and olive trees facing a bay at dusk

Where to dine

Paráfrasi by CTC

On the square at Navarino Dunes, between The Westin and The Romanos, Michelin-starred chef Alexandros Tsiotinis, of CTC in Athens, reworks the Greek taverna with the technique of a fine-dining kitchen: a "paraphrase" of heritage recipes, served with Messinian produce. This is the polished dinner of the stay. The same chef runs the Souvlakerie and the Kafenio next door, handy for a simple lunch after the Dunes Course.

Taverna Nikos

Opened in 1976 below the Venetian walls of Methoni, some twenty minutes south of Pylos, Taverna Nikos is still a family affair, built around the day's catch. Order the kakavia, the fishermen's soup, then choose your fish by weight for the grill. The tables face the castle: come after visiting the fortress, on a day off from golf.

Beyond golf

The Palace of Nestor

Seventeen kilometres north of Pylos, on the hill of Epano Englianos, the Mycenaean palace attributed to King Nestor is the best preserved in Greece. It dates from around 1300 BC and has yielded nearly a thousand Linear B tablets. Since 2016, a roof has protected the site and walkways let you go all the way round, from the storerooms to the palace baths. A morning is enough.

Pylos and Navarino Bay

The small town of Pylos, with some 2,500 inhabitants, lines the bay closed off by the island of Sphacteria. It was here that the naval Battle of Navarino, on 20 October 1827, weighed decisively on Greek independence. Climb up to the Niokastro, the Ottoman fortress of 1572–1573 above the town, one of the best preserved in the country, for the view over the bay and Sphacteria.

Voidokilia and the Paleokastro

North-west of Pylos, Voidokilia Bay is regularly ranked among the most beautiful beaches in the world. On the neighbouring headland, at the north end of Navarino Bay, stands the Paleokastro, the old Frankish castle. The beach belongs to the municipality of Romanos, next to Navarino Dunes: half a day of swimming and walking between two rounds.

Pastel neoclassical houses and fishing boats in a calm harbour, fortress ramparts on the hill

When to go

Spring, from March to June, and autumn, in September and October, are the best periods: it is mild, the days are long and the courses at their best. July and August are dry and hot, with highs around 31 °C in Kalamata, and are only really playable early in the morning. Winter remains playable, around 15 °C in the afternoon, but November to January are the wettest months, and direct flights become scarce.

Getting there

Kalamata Airport (KLX) is about 45 minutes from Navarino Dunes and 40 minutes from Navarino Bay and Navarino Hills. It mainly receives seasonal flights, from March to October, from several European cities, as well as domestic flights from Athens. By road, Athens is about 280 kilometres away. Ferries from Italy dock at Patras, less than 200 kilometres away.

Frequently asked questions

How many golf courses are there at Costa Navarino?

Four 18-hole courses: the Dunes Course (Bernhard Langer, 2010), the Bay Course (Robert Trent Jones II, 2011), and the International Olympic Academy Golf Course and the Hills Course, both by José María Olazábal (2022).

What is the best golf course at Costa Navarino?

The Dunes Course is the historic benchmark and the most complete; the International Olympic Academy Golf Course is the most demanding, and the Bay Course the most spectacular by the water.

When is the best time to play golf at Costa Navarino?

From March to June and in September and October. Summer is hot and dry, best played at sunrise; from November to January, rain is more frequent and direct flights scarcer.

Which airport is best for a golf trip to Costa Navarino?

Kalamata Airport (KLX), about 40 to 45 minutes away depending on the hotel, served mainly from March to October. Athens is about 280 kilometres away by road.

How many days do you need for a golf trip to Costa Navarino?

Five to seven nights let you play all four courses, replay one, and visit Pylos and the Palace of Nestor.

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