Turkey is set to be the next big golfing destination - and the Belek region is at the heart of the fast developing scene. The south west of Turkey has long been a vibrant holiday spot with its miles of golden beaches and natural beauty, but there has been an explosion of golf courses. At the last count, there were over a dozen in operation with another three or four planned and best of all is that they are invariably top quality but with green fees that compare favourably with other golfing destinations. Ryder Cup hero Colin Montgomerie paid a visit to the region earlier this year to announce he was designing a new course for the Papillon Zeugma Hotel, one of at least three currently under construction and planning to open later this year. Besides the plethora of golf courses in Belek, there are also many quality hotels - most of them five-star - some all-inclusive with excellent food and facilities and unashamedly aimed at the golfer and with many airlines now flying from regional airports direct to Antalya, which is about 30 minutes drive from Belek, the cost of getting there is reasonable. With 300 days of sunshine a year, it's perfect for a winter golf break, although it may be a bit more difficult to get direct flights in this period. However, it's no great problem to fly in via Instanbul as the flight time from UK is generally about three hours. No wonder the PGA has given its seal of approval by branding its first course in the country and they have chosen Antalya's David Jones-designed championship course, which is now re-named the PGA Sultan. Antalya - and Belek specifically - has several five-star hotels, including the Sirene, Papillon Zeugma, Kempinski The Dome and Cornelia all of them top-line with everything you would expect. Staying at the Papillon and then the Sirene, with its first-class rooms, six restaurants (five of them a la carte) and several bars plus a spa, gym, and pools, was a real treat and a bonus as all the golf courses are easily reachable by a regular shuttle service, which is often also available from most of the other hotels. Both the Kempinski and Cornelia are a little more sedate than the lively Sirene and the Kempinski is the one for you if you prefer somewhere where the pace is a little more leisurely while the Cornelia is a very modern hotel with excellent rooms and with their excellent Faldo course may well be one of the front runners for future golf business. But the Sirene does offer eveything the golfer wants - good rooms, good food, great staff and excellent entertainment. Of the five courses we played - the Sultan, the Pasha, the National, Gloria and Cornelia, I'm hard pushed to pick out one as they all have their qualities, but there is no doubt that the Cornelia, designed by Nick Faldo, is probably the most spectacular and the most difficult. That's not to say it isn't enjoyable, given the difficulty, because it is a joy to play and has a truly wonderful clubhouse but then so do the others. In fact, the quality of both the courses and the infrastructure was something of an eye-opener. Faldo has also designed a further nine holes and a state-of-the art practice and game improvement facility, while a 300 bedroom-hotel and a number of associated luxury golf villas are also planned at Cornelia. The pick of Cornelia are some wonderful par threes, especially the sixth, while the 11th is one of the best double dog-leg par fives you will ever see and what a finish 16, 17 and 18 are...there's water everywhere. The Sultan, is the newer of the two Antalya courses and possibly the best, but the Pasha, though shorter, is by no means an easy touch. The Sultan, like most of the courses in the area, is reasonably flat and easy to walk but it's tree-lined, but there are plenty of undulations to catch the unwary and careless drive and the greens take some reading, although they are pretty true. Designed by by David Jones, the Sultan, with a par of 71, measures 6,411 metres and there are many lakes which make for some excellent holes, especially at the end of each nine. The eighth is a great short hole and nine a frightening par four with water cutting into the green, but 16 is the hole you drool over and 18 is a wonderfully testing finish. The Pasha is shorter at 5,731 metres, but tricky dog-legs, cleverly placed bunkers and undulating greens makes just as good a test, although the fairways are generous. Both courses are played against the backdrop of towering umbrella pines, lakes and the snow capped Taurus Mountains. The National has been carved through eucalyptus and pine trees and at 6,232 metres, with a par of 72, designer David Feherty and later David Jones have produced a tough, long course that can be a bit unforgiving to the wayward driver. The National complex also has a 40-bay driving range, two chipping and putting greens and practice bunker plus a nine-hole academy course. Rated 43rd in Europe by Golf World magazine, the championship course has hosted the PGA European Seniors twice and it is a beautiful course with many natural water hazards. The fourth is spectacular and 18 is another fine finishing hole, but the premium is most definitely to be straight off the tee. Designed by Frenchman Michael Gayon, Gloria is an undulating tree-lined course with four big lakes and 60-plus bunkers. It's hosted the Beko Classic and three PGA European Seniors Tour events. With narrow Bermuda fairways and at 6,239 metres it's long and the 13th, well-named Bottle Neck, is a fantastic par four. --------------------------------------------------------- Factfile Antalya Golf Club (Sultan and Pasha courses), Belek Turizm Merkezi 07500 PK 33 Serik, Antalya, Turkey; Tel: +90 242 725 5970; Fax: +90 242 725 5971; web: www.antalyagolfclub.com.tr National Golf Club, Belek Turizm Merkezi 07500 Serik, Antalya, Turkey; Tel: +90 242 725 4620; Fax: +90242 725 4623; Web: www.nationalturkey.com Cornelia Golf Club and Resort, Ilribasi, Mekvil Belek, Antalya; Tel: +90 242 710 1600 and 2500; Fax: +90 242 715 2505; Web: www.corneliagolfresort.com ; email: sales@corneliaresort.com Gloria Golf Club, Acisu Mevkii, Belek, Antalya, Turkey; Tel: +90 242 710 0600; Fax: +90 242 715 2411; web: www.gloria.com.tr Sirene Golf Hotel, Uc Kumtepsi Mevkii, PK 33, Belek Turizm Merkezi 07500, Belek, Antalya, Turkey; Tel: +90 242 710 0800 and 4844; Fax: +90 242 725 4842 and 4527; web: www.sirenegolfhotel.com ; email: sales@sirenegolfhotel.com and info@sirenegolfhotel.com Papillon Zeugma Hotel, Tel:+90 242 710 1000; Fax: +90 242 710 1030; E-mail: zeugma@papillon.com.tr ; Web: www.papillon.com.tr Kempinski, The Dome Hotel, Uckumtepesi Mevkii 07500 Belek; Tel: +90 242 710 1300;
Fax: +90 242 725 5575; Web: www.kempinksi.com and www.globalhotelalliance.com | 
Golfing Destinations
