The largest and most modern golf course in Greece, the Crete Golf Club, a diamond for Cretan Sports and Tourism that respects and promotes the environment, is now a reality. With a touching benediction mass, the Crete Golf Club, the dream of CRETAN GOLF S.A. shareholders and of everyone directly or indirectly involved with tourism on Crete, launched operations adding a significant comparative advantage to the tourist infrastructure of the island.
The Crete Golf Club lies on the village Limin Hersonissos just 20 kilometres east of the "Nikos Kazantzakis" International Airport of Heraklion. It represents one the most significant infrastructure projects on Crete, an investment of almost 14.5 million euro.
This is an 18-hole 6,400-yard championship course. Each hole is individually sculptured and seamlessly blended into the surrounding landscape. Large parts of the natural terrain have been preserved intact, while the view is unparalleled. Furthermore, applied methods and techniques are environment friendly, such as the employed water treatment method.
Designed on the basis of international PGA standards, the course features a desert course design language (natural environment), meeting the highest golfer specifications and demands, suitable for staging international tournaments. The protection of the environment and the preservation of the typical characteristics of the Cretan landscape were the basic principles for the design of the Crete Golf Club, created by a British PGA golf-course designing team headed by Bob Hunt.
The course provides extensive practice facilities, including a covered driving range with 38 positions for players and a modern Golf Academy -- administered by the German Golf Academy - featuring ractice putting greens and a short-game area. Each hole has a selection of 4 tee beds, providing a challenge for all golfers whatever their standard.
During the game, golfers can enjoy cool drinks, while golf carts and buggles are available for maintaining the normal flow of the game. After the game, golfers can relax at the 120-sq.m.-terrace opening to vistas of the three lakes and the green course. The spacious restaurant is an ideal choice for holding a variety of events, while an experienced staff offers high quality services tending to any type of small or large event. Finally, there is a pro-shop suitably equipped to meet players' requirements.
Players from anywhere in the world can enjoy the advantages provided by the Crete Golf Club year-round, as a slight breeze that cools off the Cretan air during the summer makes the game pleasant during the warm months of the year; the mild Mediterranean climate provides ideal game conditions in all seasons. World-wide available information on the Crete Golf Club can be obtained at Web Site www.crete-golf.com .
The operation of the Crete Golf Club will enhance the tourist product on the island, improve the standards of service, narrow down the seasonality in tourist demand and attract high-income tourists.