Cyprus, where it began.
Four nights at Aphrodite Hills Resort. Four rounds along the cliffs where Aphrodite is said to have risen from the sea. The opening chapter of the Influent Tour.
The southwest coast of Cyprus — birthplace of a goddess, and of the Tour.
We based ourselves at Aphrodite Hills Resort, perched on the cliffs of Cyprus' southwest coast between Paphos and Limassol. Limestone bluffs drop into a Mediterranean so blue it almost reads navy, and the legend of Aphrodite rising from the waves at Petra tou Romiou plays out a few minutes down the road.
March was the right week: the fairways green from winter rains, the hills still dusted with wildflowers, the air warm enough for short sleeves and cool enough to walk 18 without breaking. Four rounds, three courses, one quiet inauguration of what is now the Influent Tour.
Three courses.
Four rounds.
One coast.
We played Aphrodite Hills twice — it earned the encore — then Secret Valley and Minthis, each with its own personality drawn from the Cypriot landscape.
Cyprus gave the Tour its template: a small group, a coast worth flying to, a handful of courses worth replaying, and enough quiet evenings to actually talk between rounds. Everything that came after starts from here.