TURKEY
Turkey has made a name for itself as a golf destination this century, with more of us being drawn in by its fine courses and luxurious all-inclusive hotels. Dan Parker visited Antalya Golf Club in Belek for some golf in the sun with a group of solo travellers
To many of my peers, Turkey is often the butt of a joke, no doubt thanks in part to it being a popular destination for Brits searching for discount cosmetic surgery. However, when I told them that I wasn’t heading to Turkey for a fresh head of hair or new set of teeth, they were somewhat surprised to hear of the wealth of quality golf courses located on the country’s southern Mediterranean coast.
You wouldn’t blame them either. Turkey isn’t particularly famed for its golf, with the country only having 20 courses to its name – stunningly sparse for a nation of nearly 85 million people. Over half of those courses are located in and around the purpose-built Belek region, which has embraced its tag as the home of golf in Turkey, with the likes of Colin Montgomerie and Sir Nick Faldo designing some of the courses in the area. All 11 of Belek’s courses are attached to one of the many luxury hotels dotted along the coastline and I had the pleasure of playing both courses at the brilliant Antalya Golf Club and staying at the Kempinski Dome to which it is attached.
Sultans of swing
The main course at Antalya, The PGA Sultan, hosted Justin Rose’s victory at the Turkish Airlines World Final in 2012 and this was my first slice of Turkish golf for the week. An immaculately maintained facility, the clear cuts from fairway to semi-rough to rough were a welcome sight as I escaped the mud and rain of my home course, even if the contouring and carpet-like surfaces on the greens took some getting used to when the flat-stick came out.
On the day I played, the wind was gusting upwards of 40mph, making what was already a tough test that bit harder. Six of the first nine holes feature some kind of water, while the second par 5 played directly into a howling gale. I hit driver, 3-wood, hybrid, wedge successfully onto the green, then duly three-putted! Measuring 7,083 yards, the course requires strong play off the tee and an equally strong long-iron game to make the most of it – but plenty of teeing options mean you can adjust the difficulty levels to your liking.
The middle of the back nine takes you briefly away from the water and 12 and 13 in particular are two beautiful tree-lined holes, with 12 claimed to be the toughest par 4 in the country. The 16th, my favourite, gives you the tantalising opportunity to find the green in two if you can avoid two expanses of water protecting the long but narrow green. The 18th, a brilliant finishing hole that doglegs over water, sees you turning back towards the Taurus mountains and the modernist clubhouse in the distance, a facility that many will be glad t
