To many of my peers, Turkey is often the butt end of a joke thanks in part to it being a popular destination for Brits searching for discount cosmetic surgery. However, when I told them I wasn’t heading to Turkey for a new head of hair or 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 whole country only having 20 golf courses to its name - stunningly sparse for a nation of nearly 85 million people. Over half of Turkey’s 20 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 golf courses are attached to one of the many luxury hotels that dot the coastline and I had the pleasure of playing both courses at the brilliant Antalya Golf Club and staying at the Kempinski Dome which it is attached to.
Sultans of Swing
The main course at Antalya Golf Club, The Sultan, hosted Justin Rose’s 2012 victory at the Turkish Airlines World Final in 2012 and was my first slice of Turkish golf for the week. An immaculately maintained facility, the clear cuts from fairway to semi rough to rough was a welcome sight as I escaped the mud and rain of my home course - contouring, carpet-like green complexes took some getting used to when the flat stick came out.
On the particular day I was playing, the wind was gusting upwards of 40mph, making what was already a tough test of golf that bit harder. Six of the first nine holes featured some kind of water hazard, while the second par-5 played directly into a howling gale, where I successfully hit driver, 3-wood, hybrid, wedge onto the green, and then duly three putted. Measuring 6477 meters, the course requires strong play off the tee and an equally strong long iron game to make the most of the layout - but plenty of teeing options mean you can adjust the difficulty to your liking.
The middle of back nine briefly takes you away from the water and 12 and 13 in particular present two beautifully tree lined holes, with 12 claiming to be the toughest par-4 in the country. The 16th hole, my favourite, gives golfers the tantalising ability to either access the green in two, or face finding one of two water hazards protecting the long but narrow green. The 18th, a brilliant finishing hole dog legging over water, sees you turning back towards the Taurus mountains and the art deco clubhouse in the distance, a facility that many will be glad to see if the wind whips up quite as much as it did on that particular day.
Antalya GC’s second course, the Pascha, is a more friendly test of golf. No less well maintained than its bigger brother, it measures in at an inviting 5731 meters and, as a par 72, offers up plenty of birdie opportunities. Mercifully, the wind had subsided by this point, and some slightly warmer weather made the game feel easy in comparison to the previous day. Long hitters needn’t get their driver out more than a couple of times, but it still makes for an incredibly enjoyable round thanks to its clever dog legs, sunken green complexes, tree lined par-4s and par 5s hugging the lake on the back nine. Drivable par 4s are one of golf’s great joys, and the Pascha features two that will tempt plenty to try and find the dance floor in one. After my battering on the Sultan, it was a wonderful antidote and an equally enjoyable, but wholly different, golf course to its sibling.
I spent my time off the course exploring the vast extremities of The Kempinski Dome hotel. Only one of the region’s 11 courses benefits from sea views, with the beachfront being allocated to the hotels. The views from the sea-facing rooms are stunning with the vastness of the Mediterranean and the towering figure of Taurus mountain range to the east offering plenty to gaze out at in the mornings. Accompanying the pool facilities is an extensive spa, highlighted by a decadent Turkish Hammam, which was a quick and easy way to banish any physical or mental demons you may have accrued from a day on the golf course.
I barely had to move for food during my stay and the all inclusive Kempinski Dome boasts 12 restaurants and bars serving food and drink from dawn until well after dusk. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is well served by a large buffet offering a range of international cuisine with fresh fish, meze, calamari, sushi and Mexican food all making its way onto my plate over the course of my stay. Another option for lunch, and a popular post-golf spot, is the Palm Lounge & Bar offering up an al fresco dining experience on the beach with a huge choice of options.
Outside of meal times, a swim-up bar and indoor cafe offer snacks and drinks while, in the high season, the Pier Bar is open from afternoon until late evening, offering a stunning view for a drink above the ocean. Back in the hotel, the Piano Bar and Karaoke Bar offer an evening’s entertainment accompanied by music while Putters Bar is a stylish golfers-style bar popular with guests for after dinner drinks and a game of pool while sport plays in the background.
Solo traveling
I was tagging onto a group who were traveling out with the travel agency Solos. Founded in 1982, Solos has been the go-to agency for solo travelers either looking for some winter sun or organised trips with tennis, walks & treks or golf. The only thing guests need in common is a zest for life and a desire to travel. The agency is keen to challenge the assumption that solo travel is purely for single people. Irrespective of age, ability, circumstance, background, gender – there really is something for everyone. Perhaps this could be the key to maintaining a healthy relationship – allowing each other the freedom to find their own path, embrace their differences, and make new friends. Its modern remit is likely what took me - aged 26 - on this particular adventure.
Its golf program is award winning, and rightly so, with the ever younger clientele providing a real mixed group of solo travelers with ages ranging from mid-40s into the 70s. Some single, some married and some widowed, around 40% of the group already knew each other from other Solos adventures to places like South Africa, Morocco and Cyprus.
This still made me the youngest there by some 20 years, something that was duly noted much to my own and everyone else’s amusement. However, by the end of the opening evening’s cocktail hour, I headed to dinner feeling like one of the Solos regulars. It’s a testament to the like minded Solos travelers, all of whom were deeply welcoming and friendly, as well as the tour leader, Nick Fletcher, for making myself and any other newbies on the trip feeling warmly welcomed from the outset.
Many of the group members have been so enamored with the Solos experience that they’ve attended Solos trips once or twice yearly - and I could quickly see why. Camaraderie, competitive golf on beautifully maintained courses, and friendly company - I couldn’t think of a better way to enjoy a golf holiday as a solo traveller. You don’t have to be a social butterfly to enjoy the company either. There was plenty of time to enjoy your own company between golf and dinner and I made sure a nap by the pool or a trip to the spa filled my afternoons truly riding solo.
My trip in late November greeted me with sunny skies and temperatures topping out in the low 20s, ideal golfing weather and a perfect escape from the British winter. Regular travelers to the area recommend visiting golfers to avoid June-August due to the searing heat, with March-May and September-December being the ideal times to visit the region for the best golfing weather.
The Kempinski Dome temporarily closed just a few weeks after my visit for an extensive refurbishment program and reopened again on March 1st, and is due to return to the Solos program in 2025. In the meantime, the company will still be running trips to the Belek region, staying instead at the Sirene Hotel just up the coast.
Having sampled less than 20% of Belek’s array of golf courses and having quickly made around 25 new friends, three of whom were called Steve, hopefully I’ll be able to pop back and see the Solos regulars once again and try out some more of the wealth of golf Belek has to offer.
You can check out all of the Solos golf programmes via its website.
