Carya Golf Club in Turkey boasts Europe’s first floodlit championship golf course and excellent training facilities, next to a superb five-star resort.
The golf club is located in the Belek District of Antalya on the Mediterranean coast. This beautiful region is Turkey’s golfing capital with a huge selection of world-class golf courses and all-inclusive luxury resorts. The club sits next to Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort, so it’s the perfect location for a memorable golf break.
In all, there are over a dozen golf courses within a 20-minute drive of this resort. National Golf Club, less than two miles away, boasts a superb 27-hole championship course which was Belek’s original layout when it opened in 1994.
Golf Course & Clubhouse
Carya Golf Club’s 7,186-yard, par-72 course was designed by Thomson Perrett & Lobb Golf Course Architects, founded by five-time British Open winner Peter Thomson. Opened in 2008, this world-class layout hosted the Turkish Open between 2016-18. Unique to this region, it’s set on undulating sand dunes and is a heathland-style course which plays like a little slice of classic English golf.
It winds snugly between natural pine and eucalyptus trees, across undulating sand ridges and the greens are immaculate. The course features pretty lakes and strategic bunkering and the longest hole in Turkey – the 621-yard 6th – while the 10th hole, surrounded by water and flanked by towering trees, is one of All Square’s 18 most beautiful golf holes in Europe.
Carya also has the honour of being the first course in Europe to be fully floodlit. All 18 holes are lit from a height of 36 metres so guests can enjoy playing golf until late at night under the warm Mediterranean climate. The lighting transforms night into day and provides players with one of Europe’s most unique golfing experiences.
The golf club has an excellent pro shop with the best gear, clothing, technology, accessories and equipment from the major brands. Guests can also hire golf buggies with LED headlights, electric trolleys, manual push or pull trolleys and, in collaboration with TaylorMade, the club offers a TaylorMade brand golf set rental service. The rental clubs are renewed every two years and there’s a choice of shafts.
The clubhouse has a warm and welcoming yet luxurious ambience. There’s a lounge restaurant and bar, as well as the Sevk-et Steakhouse, one of the best steak restaurants in the country with an indoor lounge and outdoor terrace with gorgeous views. Also, there’s the Halfway House, by the 10th hole, which offers hot food, snacks and beverages.
Practice Facilities
The Golf Academy at Carya Golf Club, operating in the TaylorMade Performance Lab, offers lessons in Turkish, English, Russian and German from PGA-certified professionals. There’s private or group lessons and the coaches will prepare a personalized lesson program for you.
The TaylorMade Performance Lab also offers state-of-the-art personalized fitting for all golfers. Using Trackman, the expert fitters evaluate a golfer’s swing to create a set of golf clubs from scratch to fit their physique, swing, needs and abilities.
The driving range at Carya Golf Club is 370 yards long and 100 yards wide and offers two-way use. It also offers 22 sections in the indoor area and 80 in the outdoor area. There are various putting and chipping areas including a 140-yard green.
Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort
Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort opened in 2014 and is one of the region’s flagship all-inclusive five-star destinations. On a private stretch of sandy beach, the resort offers over 600 rooms, suites and villas with views of the ocean and golf course. Some feature a shared swim-up pool. There’s floodlit tennis, kids and teens clubs, live music, an open-air theatre and a disco. The luxurious spa has a 300 sq metre indoor pool, Turkish baths, therapy rooms, saunas, steam and beauty rooms.
There are also two indoor and four outdoor pools and a surf and wave pool. There are 13 bars including a pool bar and Irish pub, and 17 restaurants including two buffet restaurants and 13 à la carte, serving a range of international, Turkish, Japanese, Italian and Thai cuisine.
Younger guests can visit The Land of Legends, Turkey’s largest theme park, just two miles away, while the town of Belek is less than five miles away, with cafes, bars and shops as well as its Sunday bazaar.
