CALLING GOLFERS TO ANTALYA

28 Mar 2024

Bridging East and West, Turkey is growing as a must-visit destination for travellers. And if you like toting your golf bag along on your holiday, the golf courses there give ample reason to go.

Singaporean golfers are venturing farther and farther looking for unique experiences that combine a round with sightseeing opportunities. Turkey is as good a country as any to provide the triumvirate pillars that travelling golfers look for – great courses, amazing attractions, and delicious cuisine.

If you’re inclined to seek out golf in far-off lands, these three clubs in Turkey’s southern resort region will not disappoint.

CORNELIA GOLF CLUB

Located between Antalya and Belek, the 21-hole championship golf course designed by Sir Nick Faldo is a fine test for players of all handicaps. The holes wind their way through some of the most natural landscapes in Turkey offering forest and mountain views.

Regularly making its way onto lists of the top 100 best course in Europe, as voted for by players, the course has also played host to several international tournaments and has already established itself as one of the must play courses in the area.

The course is routed around pine forests, and the design makes use of the naturally sandy Belek terrain to produce tricky yet enjoyable hazards. Holes are not overly long, but the challenges come from working out where best to place your shots in order to best approach the greens. This is definitely a thinking man’s course.

There is more to the golf at Cornelia Golf Club. The 4800 m2 clubhouse allows you to savour delicious drinking and dining options with terrace views of the 9th and 27th holes of the championship course, against a backdrop of the majestic Taurus Mountains. The well-stocked pro shop further meets all your golf needs and more with apparel and accessories from the world’s best golf brands.

The Leadbetter Golf Academy at Cornelia gives golfers looking to improve a reason to stay a while. In a deal signed in 2006, Cornelia Golf Club and the Cornelia Hotels Golf & Spa have the exclusive rights to operate the first Leadbetter Golf Academy in Turkey. Programmes offered cater for all level of golfers, and can be tailormade to specific requirements. All lessons at The David Leadbetter Gold Academy Cornelia will be conducted using the latest teaching software. At the end of your lesson, you receive a video analysis of your lesson by e-mail of your lesson. The video will include your original swings and the analysis which will be compared with a professional’s swing. The drills prescribed by your instructor will also be in there.

The adjacent Cornelia Diamond Golf Resort and Spa offers a variety of lodging options.

CARYA GOLF CLUB

The sun going down is no excuse not to tee up at Carya Golf Club. This is, after all, the first and only fully lit golf course in Europe, and the only heathland style golf course built in Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.

Opened in November 2008, the Carya golf course, designed by Thomson Perrett & Lobb Golf Course Architects, has been listed as one of the ‘top 100 golf clubs in the world’.

Set on undulating sand hills, Carya is a championship golf course at the heart of Turkey’s golf coast. The 6605 m, par 72 course, is a demanding test of golfing strategy with free-flowing holes that run between pine and eucalyptus trees and across a dramatic sand ridge.

The course is inspired by the traditional old English style heathland courses in the Surrey area outside of London such as Wentworth, Sunningdale, Walton Heath, and The Berkshire. Construction involved the planting of close to 1 million heather plants to strengthen the heathland environment that already exists.

Facilities at the Carya Golf Club include a spectacular club house with a restaurant and a bar bar, as well as a beautiful terrace with a beautiful view over the course. The large pro shop boasts high-end brands like Bogner, Galvin Green, RLX, Under Armour, Ruck Maul, Honma, Taylor Made, Ecco, or Porsche Design.

The Carya Golf Academy has a 300m-plus driving range, a special 130m-long putting green, a unique state of the art building including two teaching studios.

Fully PGA qualified professionals will offer you tuition in many different languages such as Turkish, English, Russian, and German. The coaches will help you through systematic and understandable sessions at special teaching studios with the most modern video analysis equipment.

Located within the academy, golfers will find a Motion Analysis Technology (MAT-T 3D) system and ‘tour workshop’ where specialised custom-fitting of clubs is done on a one-to-one basis with a Carya Academy club fitting professional. The Tour-standard workshop is equipped with club customising equipment including a loft and lie machine; putter loft and lie machine and a unique gripping station. The Motion Analysis Technology (MAT-T 3D) system offers a custom fitting experience that creates real-time animations of your golfers swing enabling the professional club fitter to fully understand your swing and launch conditions to optimise the recommendation for a full set of TaylorMade clubs.

Carya Golf Club is part of Regnum Carya Resorts which also provides accommodation options on the property.

THE NATIONAL GOLF CLUB

The 18-hole championship course, designed by Ryder Cup Player and celebrated commentator David Feherty and Seniors Tour Player David Jones, has played host to the PGA European Turkish Seniors Open in 1996 and 1997.

The National is the first golf course on Turkish Mediterranean, which has been developed with the guidance and in accordance with the standards determined by European PGA. Carved through a forest of eucalyptus and pine trees with the backdrop of the snow-capped Taurus Mountains and an abundance of natural lakes, The National tests all abilities of players.

Since the opening in 1994, the club has become a popular tourist destination and regularly plays host to tournament golf. It certainly offers something special for golfers of all ages and abilities.

The additional unique 9-hole Executive Course has wide tree lined holes and water coming into play on several of the tee shots, and offers a fine warm-up opportunity to practice your short game skills.

Both courses have been constructed by top American international constructors, and compliment extensive practice facilities and fully serviced club house. This, coupled with an international management team and PGA golf professionals, ensure that the National rightly takes its place as the leader in Turkish golf.

Apart from the highly-reputed golf course, the National is also known for its cuisine and service, and is often considered one of the best culinary experience in the district. The menu includes traditional Turkish fare as well as a wide range of European and Asian dishes. The bar is situated close to the restaurant, so you have the choice to sit in the comfort of the club house or al fresco at the terrace when enjoying a wide range of Turkish and foreign wines.

The pro shop offers the gamut of top golf brands as well as rental clubs in the event you didn’t bring your own. There is also a 40- bay driving range, two chipping and putting greens, and practice bunkers. The resident golf academy offers a wide range of programmes including special strength training and nutrition advice.

The National Golf Club, like Carya, is part of the Regnum Resorts, and accommodations are available at Regnum Carya nearby.

UOB Travel Concierge offers curated experiences and exclusive benefits such as hotel upgrades and the accelerated miles programme for our card holders. Reach out to our consultants to build your dream holiday now. www.uobtravel.com, +65-6252-6822