Bill Murray’s Love Affair with Costa Navarino

Edited by Giorgos Tsiros

“We played 27 holes today, and it gets warm out here in the sun. That’s why I’m enjoying the Greek hospitality of an ice-cold wet towel on my head. I look very authentic with this towel on my head, I think.” Bill Murray, the undeniable star of last June’s Costa Navarino Legends Tour Trophy Pro-Am, has indeed a wet towel on his head when we sit for a quick chat at the Navarino Hills Clubhouse, but this only adds to his inimitable coolness. He’s pleased with his game and delighted to be back to Costa Navarino, a destination that has become his favorite in the world in just a few years.

It’s beautiful here, right?

It’s gorgeous, yeah. I mean, it’s a ridiculously beautiful place. And a famous one, too. The Battle of Navarino, where the Greeks earned their independence with some help from the French, the British, and the Russians, happened right here.

Is this your second time at Costa Navarino?

It’s my third time. I’m a bit of a regular now; I keep coming back. It feels great to be here again. It’s about the most gracious hospitality I’ve ever come across. It’s the nicest place I’ve ever stayed. It’s so beautiful. And it’s even become more spectacular since my very first visit.

Is that so? In what ways?

Well, this clubhouse was being built, and now that it’s finished, it’s just wonderful. The design is fantastic. You walk in and a breeze from the ocean hits you at the door, and it feels so darn good. When I came here the first time, I thought it was the greatest place I’d ever been. Since then, you built two more golf courses, which go higher and higher up the hill, up the mountain. And the views get more ridiculous and more breathtaking as you go up. But the place, the greatness of it, is still here. And we’re in a different hotel now. We’re in a Mandarin Oriental hotel, which I think may even be grander than the original place (I stayed in) at Romanos.

And the food! The meal we had last night, chef Bertrand, how does he pronounce his last name? (Valeagas) Anyway, he’s Bert from Bordeaux as far as I’m concerned. But the food last night was the best meal I’ve ever had in any resort, any place. I mean, you go to a spectacular place, you don’t expect the food to be spectacular. You figure the place is enough. And, you know, you can eat a hamburger and fries and be completely happy. But last night’s food was one of the best meals I can recall. He’s really making history, right alongside all the rest of what’s going on.

We saw you a few weeks ago in the stands at the final four of the EuroLeague championship in Berlin. Two Greek teams were participating. Which is more fun for you, playing golf or watching basketball as a spectator?

Well, playing golf is far more complicated and far more enriching and challenging. Watching basketball is just watching basketball. You know, it’s fun, and you can get excited for your team. And watching the Greek teams is not like anything any Americans ever have. You know, it’s not like anything I’ve ever seen because they holler and scream at each other and sing lots and lots of songs that are hilariously insulting! And I’m thinking, okay, any minute now they’re going to just start punching each other. But they don’t. They come face to face and sing their hearts out about how much they dislike each other. It’s tough, it’s very funny, and it’s fun. It’s part of the show, for sure.

The last time you came, we interviewed you at the Westin Resort, and you joked about finding a spot to hide and happily staying there until someone found you. Now that the resort has so many more spots to hide, where would you go?

Well, I probably shouldn’t say this because I don’t think most people are really going to come looking for me. But the people that do, if they’ve come this far, they’re probably okay anyway. So, there is a place. You’ve got to walk up the hill until you can hear the donkey. When you can hear the donkey, you’re very close to my hiding place.

Do you consider yourself a remake kind of guy?

Well, I’ve done a couple of movies twice. I did two Zombielands. I did a couple of Ghostbusters. I did a couple of Garfield’s, for heaven’s sake. But the first cut is the deepest. That’s the song that Cat Stevens wrote. And Rod Stewart does a good job with it, too. The first cut is the deepest. And it’s hard to recreate the original excitement and creativity. Although I guess, since we’re talking about this place, you could say that the sequels have improved upon the original. It’s even more dazzling than it was the first time, when I thought it was the most dazzling place I’d ever been. Can you imagine that?

It’s been 44 years since the release of the legendary golf movie Caddyshack. What would a remake of Caddyshack here at Costa Navarino, in Messinia, be like?

Well, okay, first of all, I have to think about the groundskeeper. The groundskeepers here are very well-behaved. And they work like scientists. It’s so beautiful. I mean, they replanted thousands of olive trees. They didn’t cut them down; they moved, replanted, and reoriented them to the sun. It’s extraordinary the lengths that people went to in order to maintain the native flora and the beauty of the place. And the productivity of all these olive trees. I mean, olive trees that are 1200 years old. With my luck, I’d kill it. You know, I’d accidentally step on it, break it, or turn on a chainsaw by mistake. Do something wrong. But these things are amazing; it’s amazing to see them and to know that it’s a 2000-year-old tree. And that someone moved it from there to there, and it’s still producing olives. It’s pretty impressive to see nature just flowing like that. Nature and the culture just continuing to flow. It’s beautiful.

Bill, thank you very much for your time.

You’re welcome.