Secret Valley Golf Course – A Strategic Gem Among Paphos Golf Courses in Cyprus
Updated: 7 days ago
I played Secret Valley twice in three days in November 2022, and my second round was three shots worse than the first. It also had two birdies in it, and the first one had none. That tells you most of what you need to know about this course.
Secret Valley sits in the hills outside Paphos, and it has a charm that sets it apart from most Mediterranean courses. You do not play it with the sea beside you. You play it down in a valley, between rocky outcrops and natural stone formations, and you score here with course management and patience rather than power.
A bit of history. The course first opened in 1996 and reopened in 2013 after a complete redesign by Hans-Georg Erhardt and Snorri Vilhjalmsson of Golf & Land Design, with two-time major champion Tony Jacklin as the signature name. You feel the intent from the first tee: holes that look discovered rather than built, and a routing that moves at the pace of the round.
Among the Paphos courses, Secret Valley stands out for the simplicity and honesty of that routing. The hills and cut valleys shape the layout, which makes it an easy walk with a natural rhythm from hole to hole. Nothing about it feels forced.
OK, the actual golf.
The fairways look wide and inviting, and plenty of visitors respond by hitting driver on every hole. That is the first mistake. Hit it too far and the ball often finishes where the landing area narrows, and a missed fairway can leave an awkward, defensive approach. The course keeps nudging you towards the alternative to the obvious shot. That is classic Jacklin, and it is why Secret Valley has a reputation as the most strategic course around Paphos.
The par 4s are the heart of it. Many have diagonal bunkering that tempts you to take on more than you should. After several rounds here, what I have learned is that this is a course you open up with the right angle into the green, not one you win with the driver. You are not going to overpower it, but you can solve it.
The ground and greens. The ground plays firm, so the short game matters. Put the ball in the right part of the fairway and your chances improve a lot. The greens are well conditioned and well protected, with contours that are subtle in places and dramatic in others. Recovery shots can be difficult, so controlling the approach, knowing where the ball will land and how far it will release, becomes critical.
Wind is usually less of a factor than on the Cypriot coastal courses, but on some days the open valley can still play with your ball flight.
My two rounds. Both were Stableford games from the black tees, the back markers, on a par 71, so the stroke totals are only for the record. On the 10th of November I went round in 85, 41 out and 44 back. The front nine had doubles on the par-5 2nd and the par-4 8th, and the back nine had doubles on two of the par 3s, the 10th and the 14th, plus the par-4 12th.
Two days later I went round in 88, 44 and 44. That round had both birdies, a 2 on the par-3 4th and another 2 on the par-3 6th. Then the par 5s took it all back: an 8 on the 9th and another 8 on the 13th, plus a 7 on the par-4 17th. In Stableford a blow-up hole only costs you the points on that hole, which on a day with two 8s on it was a mercy.
So the par 3s were my worst holes on Thursday and my best on Saturday, just on the other nine. Same course, same tees, same player, two days apart. Secret Valley does not hand out the same round twice.
No rush, no pressure. A big part of the appeal is the relaxed, unpretentious feel. No rush and no forced resort atmosphere, just a peaceful round in a beautiful setting. The valley is at its best early in the morning and late in the afternoon, when it goes quiet and the course shows its true character.
Who it suits. Secret Valley suits golfers who like strategy, walkable courses and natural flow, who prefer a subtle challenge to big scenery, and who would rather avoid the crowds at the more commercial Paphos resorts. If you want cliff-top views, you may find it too subdued. If you want thoughtful design, you will find a great course.
Should you play it? Yes. For me Secret Valley is one of the best-designed courses in Cyprus, and more rewarding than many of the resort layouts around it. It does not have instant wow factor, but it draws you in hole by hole, and by the time you walk off the 18th green you understand how good it is.
Final word. If you are on a golf holiday in Paphos or looking for the best courses in Cyprus, put it on the list, and play it more than once. It is not the course that impresses you in pictures. It is the course that earns your respect over 18 holes.
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