| Club Name | Costa Navarino – Olympic Academy |
| Designer | José María Olazábal |
| Par | 72 |
| Type | Mountain/parkland course |
| Length | 6,366 |
| Website | |
| Club Address | EO Pilou Kalamatas Pylos (Pilos) 240 01 Messinia, Peloponnese Greece |
The International Olympic Academy Golf Course is located at Navarino Hills, part of the Costa Navarino resort in Messinia, on Greece’s south-west Peloponnese coast. Designed by two-time Masters champion José María Olazábal, the 18-hole course played its first competitive rounds in November 2021 during the Messinia Pro-Am, before opening fully to visitors in spring 2022. It plays to a par of 72 over 6,366 metres from the back tees, making it the longest of Costa Navarino’s four signature courses. Other courses at the Resort include the Bay, Hills and Dunes courses.
Set across 125 hectares of hillside terrain overlooking the Bay of Navarino and the Ionian Sea, the course is built into the natural contours of the landscape, giving it a mountain/parkland character. It holds the distinction of being the world’s first golf course developed in partnership with the International Olympic Academy and the Hellenic Olympic Committee, a collaboration marking its name and giving the course a degree of international significance beyond its golfing merits. Navarino Hills, home to both this course and the neighbouring Hills Course, was named World’s Best New Golf Development at the 2020 World Golf Awards. The course has hosted rounds during the AEGEAN Messinia Pro-Am since its debut.
The International Olympic Academy Golf Course is built into the side of a hill facing the Bay of Navarino, and the routing makes the most of this position throughout the round. Many holes are elevated, offering views back across the bay towards The Westin Resort and The Romanos, and at points golfers can look down onto The Bay Course far below. The terrain is more rugged than Costa Navarino’s coastal layouts, with the course carved through natural contours rather than laid over flatter ground.
Playing characteristics lean towards risk and reward. Several par 5s are reachable in two for longer hitters, and there are drivable par 4s that tempt an aggressive line off the tee. This suits confident, accurate players, but the trade-off is clear: fairways are flanked by bunkers and thick rough that punish wayward shots, meaning the course rewards precision as much as power. Strategic decision-making off the tee is a constant theme, with golfers weighing shorter, safer routes against more direct lines that shave metres but increase risk.
The International Olympic Academy Golf Course shares the Hills Clubhouse with its neighbouring course at Navarino Hills. The clubhouse houses Piqantro, a Spanish restaurant, along with bar facilities for golfers before and after their round.
Practice facilities at Navarino Hills include a 60-bay driving range, putting green, pitching green, chipping green and practice bunker, along with a short game area covering approximately 15,000 square metres. A pro shop is available on site for equipment and apparel.
Buggies are included with green fees and are effectively standard given the hillside terrain and elevation changes across the course. Equipment hire is available through the resort’s golf operation for travelling golfers.
Accommodation is not located directly at the course, but forms part of the wider Costa Navarino resort, with five-star options including The Romanos and The Westin Resort at Navarino Dunes, and Mandarin Oriental and W Costa Navarino at Navarino Bay, all connected via the resort’s shuttle network. Together with the Dunes, Bay and Hills courses, the International Olympic Academy Golf Course completes Costa Navarino’s 72-hole golf offering across four courses within a 13-kilometre radius.
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