Best Courses in Belek, Crown Jewel of Turkey’s Mediterranean Coast

The Turkish Riviera, Antalya, is the crown jewel of Turkey’s Mediterranean coast and a perfect destination for sun, sea and sand. The city of Belek is set on high cliffs and features superb mountain scenery.

Turkey offers fascinating glimpses of cultures dating back thousands of years, and the golf courses in Belek are amongst the finest in Turkey with many of them being even world-renowned. With its favourably climatic conditions, Belek is welcoming golfers 12 months a year. As the golf courses, the airport and the hotels are located in close proximity to each other, golfers can enjoy various golf courses without losing much time on the road.

Here are five you need to know about:

Antalya Golf Club
Ranked #1 in Turkey on All Square

The Antalya Golf Club offers two first-class championship courses, The PGA Sultan and The Pasha.

Of the two courses at Antalya Golf Club, The PGA Sultan has been designed with the lower handicap golfers in mind. Designed by David Jones and European Golf Design, the course takes full advantage of the stunning surroundings; water hazards are frequent but strategic and not overbearing. The Sultan delivers a stern but rewarding golfing test that any keen player will relish. 

Measuring a little over 5,700 meters from the back tees, The Pasha will test the abilities of high and low handicappers alike with a combination of different challenges. During their round golfers will face an interesting mixture of wide fairways, open bays, challenging doglegs, cleverly placed bunkers, tricky water hazards and rolling greens.

Carya Golf Club
Ranked #2 in Turkey on All Square

Carya Golf Club, in Antalya’s Belek Region, is the first classic, heathland style golf course with a little touch of classic British golf to be built on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. The course winds between natural pine and eucalyptus trees, and across undulating sand ridges. In the last couple of years, Carya Golf Club took over the organisation of the Turkish Airlines Open from Montgomerie Maxx Royal.

By lighting all the 18 holes, Carya Golf Club offers the opportunity of playing golf at night with the comfort of daylight and has become the first full-lighted golf course in Europe.

If you are looking for a demanding test of your golfing skills on a spectacular course, then look no further than Carya Golf Club.

Cornelia Golf Club
Ranked #3 in Turkey on All Square

With its 27 hole championship golf course designed by former world #1 golfer Sir Nick Faldo, Cornelia Golf Club offers golf enthusiasts a true golfing paradise. The course is routed around pine forests, and the design makes use of the naturally sandy terrain to produce tricky hazards. Even though most of the holes are pretty short, you shouldn’t think it’s an easy golf course. Hitting long drives will definitely not guarantee a good score.

Cornelia Golf Club has established itself as one of the must play courses in the area, especially for golfers looking for a challenging experience.

Montgomerie Maxx Royal Golf Club
Ranked #4 in Turkey on All Square

Montgomerie Maxx Royal Golf Club is located 30 km to the east of Antalya in the Belek region of Turkey and opened for play in 2008. Designed by European golfing legend Colin Montgomerie, it is one of the most exciting new additions to golf in Europe and played host to the Turkish Airlines Open on the European already 3 times.

Typical for Belek, the fairways play through mature pine forests, and work with the area’s natural features to create an enjoyable yet challenging course. With multiple lakes dotted around the course, water hazards play a prominent part of play.

Gloria Golf Club
Ranked #9 in Turkey on All Square

The luxurious Gloria Resort in Belek offers two great championship courses, the New and the Old. Both designed by French course designer, Michel Gayon, the Old and New course complement each other perfectly.

The Old Course opened for play in 1997 is the tougher of the two courses at Gloria Resort and is among the most-well established courses in the Belek area. The course is studded with natural foliage and enveloped in a cocoon of peace and privacy making you feel you are the only player on the course. The Old course is longer, narrower and includes a more complicated set of hazards.

Gloria’s New Course opened in 2005 and is nestled amongst the area’s typical natural pine trees, with beautiful rolling fairways and stunning vistas. The signature 17th hole modeled on the 17th at The TPC Sawgrass and the lake lined 18th hole make sure your finish will be truly memorable.