ATHENS – The Greek Maritime Golf Event gathered more than 100 leading executives from the maritime industry for the 8th year, September 8-11, at Costa Navarino, Messinia.

The first golf tournament at new ‘The Hills Course’

With excellent weather, the maritime teams enjoyed the two new signature 18-hole courses that set an impressive scene for the games of this year’s tournament, which was also the first to be held on the new The Hills Course. The event’s new competition format found participants competing in a two-day shotgun scramble, with the first round taking place on September 9 at The Hills Course and the second on September 10 at the International Olympic Academy Golf Course. The golfers competed in an idyllic landscape full of centuries-old olive trees with stunning views of the Ionian Sea, the historic Bay of Navarino and the picturesque port of Pylos. Non-golfers attended a golf clinic on September 10 at The Dunes Course.

The maritime industry supported HOPEgenesis

This year, the Greek Maritime Golf Event supported the non-profit HOPEgenesis. On September 10, during the awards ceremony, participants had the opportunity to contribute with their desired amount by taking part in raffles for significant prizes. The total amount that was collected, which broke every record from any other maritime golf tournament ever held, was given to HOPEgenesis which operates in the health and social welfare sector, and aspires to reverse the trend of declining birth rates in Greece with the aim of providing complete medical care to women, from the moment they become pregnant until the day they give birth. More information about HOPEgenesis is available online: www.hopegenesis.org.

The awards night was presented by the EuroLeague legend Joe Arlauckas, who also competed in the tournament. At the same time, during the event, rich prizes were raffled off to the participants, donated by the following Auction Partners: Karnabakos, The Westin Resort Costa Navarino, The Margi, Arifakis Menswear, Iliada Sunset Suites, Namaste Boutique Apartments, Afanos Guesthouse, and OKIO Restaurant.

Additional activities

On September 9, the event greeted its participants at the Welcome Cocktail by Marine Tours with lounge music and unique Grey Goose cocktails. Attendees were welcomed by Marine Tours Group CEO Konstantinos Oikonomou. The company has more than 40 years of history and high expertise in Marine & Offshore Travel and Corporate Business Travel.

During the tournament, participants and visitors had the opportunity to admire the car models of Spanos Luxury Cars, the event’s Official Mobility Sponsor.

In the context of this year’s event, the recognized Greek PGA golfer and organizer of the Greek Maritime Golf Event, Thanos Karantzias, said: “The Greek Maritime Golf Event has succeeded in the last eight years in winning the trust of the maritime industry and beyond. It is very important for us to see the continued support of the sponsors and all members of the maritime community in this tournament, and we wish to thank them very much for always being there for us. We managed for one more year to highlight the golf tourism of Messinia by organizing a tournament of high standards, in a beautiful destination, contributing to a good cause. I would like to thank those who participated and supported the top maritime golf tournament with their presence. We are now renewing our appointment for 2023.”

The event was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism and the Hellenic Golf Federation. Greek Maritime Golf Event was organized by Birdie Events, through an initiative of Greek PGA golfer Thanos Karantzias. The tournament is addressed exclusively to distinguished executives of the Greek maritime community.

In the overall team standings, the team of Webster, Pappas, Nairn, Rogers won first place. The first-place team was awarded by Theo Xenakoudis, Chief Commercial Officer / Managing Director, Piraeus-Greece of IRI/The Marshall Islands Registry, internationally recognized for its outstanding customer service and high-quality fleet. Second place went to the team of Robertson, Maniatis, Piperas, Harvey, while the team of Kulikov, Nekrasov, Vasilyev, Koleda took third place. In the other categories, two more special awards were given. Specifically, Paul Harvey won the “Closest to the Pin” award and Wooldridge Matthew the “Longest Drive” award. All the winners were given rich gifts by Hellenic Grocery and Messinian Spa. The winners of the “Closest to the Pin” and “Longest Drive” categories were given a Golf Bag and a Driver Club respectively, from the company Pages.

Top maritime companies “embraced” the event

The Greek Maritime Golf Event was attended by some of the most significant maritime companies from Greece and Cyprus, as well as various other important companies that supported the event.

Hashtags: #greekmaritimegolfevent #costavarino #navarinohills

More information on the Greek Maritime Golf Event is available online: www.greekmaritimegolf.gr.