Turkey - a golf delight
Turkey in the spring can be a worthwhile alternative to Spain or Portugal
|
Sueno Hotel The Pines course
|
We stood on the ninth green, a semi island surrounded on three sides by water and backed by the resort hotel terrace. Two Category 1 players and two mid handicappers, all resigned to the fact that not one single approach shot had made the green.
Mine, from about 170 yards with a rescue had sadly skipped across the apron into the water left, my sixteen handicap playing partner had sliced his into the water right. The low guys with their wedge approaches had both run off the back of the green. This was golf in Turkey and while the Cat 1’s were busy picking through the bones of this difficult track, my partner and I were getting stuffed.
|
The Pines
|
Belek is an emerging resort dedicated to golf and is about 45 minutes from the airport at Antalya on the shore of the Mediterranean, set amongst pine forest. There are a number of 5-star hotels, each with their own golf courses and all of them differ in some way in layout and playability. We managed to play four of the courses and all of them were in good condition and belied the fact that they had only opened recently. They appear well established and mature, with only the fiery greens needing time to settle and become a little more receptive.
Sueno Hotel The Pines course was the third course we had played and was the finest, in terms of challenge and condition. The fairways were massively undulated, as if the designer had in some way crumpled up the plans in frustration and then decided to continue with this novel addition to the plan. Not one single lie on a fairway was flat, leading to inaccurate shots from the less disciplined golfers and thought provoking entertainment for the skilled.
We had also decided to play off the whites, the decision bringing a wry smile as my fourth shot, on the opening 600 yard par 5 into the wind, failed to get close. By the time I had reached the 7th hole, a par 3 with a 220 yard carry over a lake into the prevailing wind, with no bail-out area, I had decided that the whites were too tough for this 13 handicapper.
|
Morning tee-offs can be chilly
|
We arrived from Stanstead to Antalya on the Sunday evening and transferred to the comfortable Cornelia Hotel which was on an all-inclusive basis. Entertainment is provided in the evenings, along the lines of most Spanish package tour complexes. There were adequate facilities including spa, gym, massage and beauty treatments for the ladies. Rooms were comfortable, if a little dated in décor.
An early start on the Monday morning saw us wrapped in sweaters and jackets in the stiff and chilly morning breeze. Turkey may be sunny and bright in February but at night time the temperature drops to almost freezing. Evidence of this is the spectacular backdrop of snow-covered mountains, where the opportunity to ski at sister resorts is offered by some of the hotels.
The first course we played was the picturesque but tricky Cornelia Princes course designed by Nick Faldo. I found the front nine a struggle, trying to hold convex fairways that squirted the ball either right into water or left into trees if not hit down the middle. This made me question whether designers are trying to be too clever for the average handicap golfer.
This course was greedy for balls and unforgiving from the rough, which tended to be a sand base scrubland and was like playing out of a wet bunker. Using a three wood off the tee at least brought the fairway into play and I soon learnt that accuracy over distance worked around this particular course and I enjoyed a better back nine. The most gratifying was a well executed par on the par five 11th, which at stroke index 2 was a tight thread between the pines off the tee with a blind second shot, leaving a difficult pitch to the small undulating green. I enjoyed this course and would have loved to have played it again, after familiarising myself with its trickery.
|
Antalya Golf Club’s Sultan course
|
The afternoon saw us playing 9 holes of the Antalya Golf Club’s Sultan course. This was a wider and more forgiving course, though still beautifully presented, which I found much more suited to the mid handicapper whose occasional errant golf would not be as heavily penalised. My only regret is that I couldn’t continue to a conclusion the round that saw me only five over at the turn.
Another 9 holes was played on the last day at the Gloria Golf Club, another stylish and lush course between the pines that makes playing golf in Belek a pleasure.
An evening gala dinner was held in the Kempinski The Dome Hotel, which had traditional Turkish décor and splendour and was, in my opinion, the best of the hotels visited, if only because it had more elegance. Obviously, this came at a price but would tick the boxes that my non-playing wife would require. Some of the other hotels, including the Cornelia, were much too golf-orientated. The lobbies were constantly cluttered with golf bags and the guest’s attire, even in the evening, reflected their daytime passion.
|
"Picturesque but tricky" - the Sultan
|
Belek in Turkey is a terrific place to play golf; it is a bespoke area for golfers with enough courses to satisfy every type of golfer within a half hour radius. The hotel resorts are luxurious and comfortable and the Mediterranean never more than a six iron away. As an alternative to Spain or Portugal for winter golf I think it will become a serious contender.
I would say, however, that golfers should perhaps pick courses that are suitable for their standard of play - because of the inherent difficulty of some of the tracks, long rounds will otherwise become the order of the day. Having talked to some hotel guests about other courses in Belek, I was horrified to hear of six-hour rounds being the norm at some. We, however, didn’t find that on the four courses that we played and the early, but cold, starts must have helped.
It is also important to arrange transport from hotel to courses and it is fair to warn you that some can be a bit tardy regarding pick-ups - not too clever when trying to meet a tee time deadline. We were well pleased with a company called Lauragolf who transported five of us around in style, in a Mercedes people carrier with a stretch limo style interior.
There are some excellent deals available at this time of year and although the weather isn’t hot it is spring-like and dry enough to tempt this golfer away from the temporary greens and mats of Britain for a week, next year.
|
Discuss this story
played golf in turkey in 2007 and loved it so much we booked again as soon as we got home for 2008. glad to say that it is now only 5 weeks away. the courses are easily comparable with the best on offer in spain and portugal. we stayed in the santai in 2007 and have happlily returned there for 2008. the food and service was excellent and the staff overall were great. given our experiences i would happily recommend turkey for golf and relaxation.
Posted: 20/03/2008 16:10
I was quite surprised with the overall package - still very much an emerging area but there seems to be no expense spared in getting the standards and quality right. It will depend on the test of time and whether any necessary refurbs are carried out on the established tracks. So many new courses being developed it will be a shame if like the Spanish they lavish more attention on new developments, to the detriment of the old. Who do you usually book and fly with howler? I will be interested to go back in a few years and see how it has changed. Alan
Posted: 20/03/2008 16:37
use a local co. called golf amigos, who happen to be a sponsor of this site. been using them for around 15 yrs. i think, mainly to spain but also to tunisia and now to turkey. flights are always a problem from scotland. you get no choice. in our case it is thomas cook and they only fly on a sunday. we also arrive about 3am and depart about 5-30am local time in both cases. we were more than happy with last year and are looking forward to this trip, but we are seeing changes already. despite using the same co. and going back to the same hotel we have been given much worse tee off times. this despite the fact we booked and paid deposits 10 mths. ago. this is apparently because the hotels who own the golf course are holding the prime times for their guests, which is understandable up to a point, but is not pleasing when this info is not available at point of booking. we will try and change the poor times when we get there but that's the only option we have. will report on the trip when we return at the beginning of may
Posted: 20/03/2008 16:58
Broken Arrow. will not make decisions based on assumptions. if we discover that the problem with our tee times are the fault of the travel co. then, yes we probably would look elsewhere for next year. however, knee jerk reactions and cutting your nose to spite your own face usually end up badly, for you
Posted: 25/03/2008 17:53
"Howler" Did the trip in January this year - Stayed at the "Sirene" played all the good courses around Belek - Pashua- Sultan- Faldos course and the International. Fantastic courses in really good condition. The hotel was 5 star with 5 star service. Fantastic place to play golf cant wait to return..
Posted: 31/03/2008 20:05
sevy. golf in turkey have reps at the scottish golf show this year, so hope to talk to them about our tee times. good to hear that you had great conditions in january and on 2 of the courses that we are playing
Posted: 01/04/2008 21:34
HOWLER Its a superb venue for golf - you will love it and the service second to none. Check out if you get a chance Montys new course - dont know whether its ready yet? Looking to go back Nov/Dec. Would appreciate your comments. Are you staying "Sirene" or "Gloria"?
Posted: 02/04/2008 09:04
sevy. monty's course is not quite finished yet. we were booked to play but they then cancelled. apparently to be ready for september so you should be ok in nov/dec. will check it out and get back to you on our return we are staying at the santai which is next door to the sirene. we choose their 'cause we wanted single rooms and they gave us double rooms as singles . no surcharge either 25 days and counting
Posted: 02/04/2008 18:16
Howler Santai - Looked fantastic from the outside - would imagine its as good inside - are you fully inclusive ie. food - drink and golf included. You will love it - look forward to hearing from you when you return!!
Posted: 02/04/2008 18:43
sevy. yep, it is the full bhoona. all paid for and we can eat and drink to our hearts content. if it is upto last years standards then - eureka. the great thing about all inclusive is that there is no worry about having a kitty for drinks etc. so nobody feels hard done to. removes a potential problem when we arrived last year, at 9am, we were still able to sit and chill with a drink and nibbles as the bar was open. all the rooms had a large bowl of fresh fruit and a bottle of red wine + 2 individually boxed turkish delights . the indoor pool was available from 7am, as was breakfast, and there was a freshly barbecued lunch available on the beach. they also have several themed restaurants, such as italian, chinese, japanese, turkish for dinner we are playing 2 rounds each on the sultan, the cornelia - faldos course and the national. the sultan is new to us - told it is one of the best. played cornelia and national last year and they were superb, so !!!!! as we don't fly back tuntil the wee hours of monday morning we effectively have another day to play golf in so we will maybe look to play the sueno pines course as an extra. the problem could be that there are 12 of us, so 3 times might be difficult. isn' t life a bitch
Posted: 02/04/2008 19:04
greetings all back from turkey and it was a terriffic weeks' golf. our hotel, the santai, was excellent in its cleanliness, food and drink and staff care. apparently has one of the best reps. regarding food and several outsiders appear to confirm this. the hotels' only downside is that they are not attached to any of the golf courses. we played :- the cornelia (faldos' course) and it was a tough test of golf. well presented and in great condition. only complaint is that the fairways are not level and shots that run off the fairway run into scrubland and bushes and leave you with almost impossible recovery shots. still a must to play. the national, which was very disappointing in its condition. the run off area around the greens were very scabby and rough and the greens, although running well, appeared quite bare. the european ladies open is being played there this week and it will be interesting to see the final results. the sultan which was truly remarkable in its presentation and was manicured to an unbelievable degree. i have NEVER been on a course presented to this level. it was a magnficent course to play and one i would have happy to play every day. the pasha, which is the sister course of the sultan and presented to the same level, but is easier in terms of space and difficulties. found this course acceptable to play, but only from the back tees. it's very pretty but not a great test of golf. i cannot recommend golfing in turkey highly enough and we are looking to go back again next year.
Posted: 07/05/2008 21:40
I was out there a month ago when I took possession of my apartment that has just been completed 20 minutes east of Belek, on the road to Side. I played the Old Course at Gloria and 18 of the 27 holes at Tat. I'm 15 h/c and struggled with Gloria - there are many pine lined fairways, and unless you're hitting very straight on a regular basis, then you will be hitting recovery shots from the trees. That doesn't detract from what is a very good course, and over the years I'm sure to want to revisit it and try to beat it! They had a European Tour Seniors event There in May last year. Tat (unfortunate name but obviously has some local meaning) has unfairly developed a rep a being one of the lesser courses but this played well. Layout interesting and no real tight tree lined fairways, so that was a relief from Gloria. Enjoyable and would recommend it. I played Pasha two years ago and agree with Howler - I guess that it's designed as the easier of the two courses at the Antalya. I am probably going out there again in the autumn and will certainly have a look at The Sultan. The choice out there now is up to about 14 courses so it's gonna take me a while to try them all out but I'm certainly looking forward to it!
Posted: 20/05/2008 02:42
Took 24 guys out to Belek to play the annual 'Honey Ryder Cup' in April staying at the Sirene and playing the two courses at Antalya GC twice each. Cannot praise the course condition highly enough. Whilst we had reports of temporary teeing and poor surfaces at National GC across the road, both Sultan and Pasha were in superb condition (attested by PGA accreditation) and the set-up balances perfectly between catering for resort golfers and asking questions of your game. Lots of green staff in evidence and excellent marshalling contribute no doubt. Although Pasha is a shorter course as mentioned, not sure I agree that you have to play it from the back tees to be challenged. Yellow tees bring at least three of the par 4's into driver range but with increased risk, as should be the case. Greens/pin positions on Pasha are also testing enough to make distance a secondary factor. We played two foursomes, one fourball and one singles round and the feedback from all players (ranging 0 - 20+ hcps) was that this was right up there with the best we've used for the tournament in Spain and Portugal (which includes PGA Catalunya, although admittedly without the sheer grandeur of that particular venue!). Sirene Hotel is busy but spacious and ideal for a large group of golfers with self-service and plenty of bars. All-in-all, incredible value and high standards on and off course. So much so that for the first time in 6 years, we are considering using the same destination again. Would not hesitate to recommend this if you're tiring of the Western Med. Incidentally, in mid-April, temperatures were consistently up around 70f.
Posted: 22/05/2008 12:12
Kevin, I watched the Ladies playing the "Tat" on TV and it was in not very good nick when they played. It must be quite difficult, even for Ladies as I remember there was only one person under par. The commentators agreed it was to long for them but I thought some of the greens were of dubious quality. Even the Aussie Hot Totties where nowhere to be seen. (that spoilt my viewing)
Posted: 22/05/2008 21:01
Didn't play The National while I was there but talked to guys who had. It was not a favourite due to some exceptionally long rounds mid morning - 6 hours I heard. We tee'd off fairly early and didn't have a problem with being held up but February was early. Are long rounds typical at some of the tracks? If I went back I would definately want to play Cornelia Princes, The Pines, Sultan and Gloria again.
Posted: 23/05/2008 08:42
The fact is, whichever course you play in Belek, you'll find it excellent such is the level of golf course investment in that region. Choosing the hotel is not so easy. In my opinion the best value all inclusive hotel is the Pine Beach Club but if price is not an issue, the Xanadu is terrific. ***Moderated - SPAM! - please do not use the forum to promote your business***
Posted: 23/05/2008 10:20
I was at the National the week before the Ladies Turkish Open and the course was poor also they had taken in all the marker posts for some reason. Does any one know of hotels in Turkey which don't charge a supp. for single rooms as ourguys are very shy? Think I might go back next year.
Posted: 23/05/2008 20:29
kevin. played the national before the ladies open and it was v. poor then, so cannot blame the ladies. i reckon they need to start thinning the trees in order to let light and air into the greens and fairways. it's a shame as the national is a v.good track and is just lacking some tlc. however , it has to be said that it will be a big step to start opening up the fairways to promote good growth
Posted: 23/05/2008 23:26
That's a bit worrying if it was poor before a major tournament - you'd think it would be absolutely pristine. I guess unless you're a low h/c anybody will struggle to thread it through the pines, I know Gloria was a bit like that, but by the sound of The National it's too tight. I suppose it would be a bold decision to start hacking some of them down, but maybe they have to consider that. I haven't played The National yet and think I might swerve it for the time being as there seems to be plenty of other excellent popular and playable options.
Posted: 24/05/2008 08:59
|
|
