Many a golfer will have become aware of the fact that Turkey has become one of the most impressive golfing hotspots anywhere in the world in double quick time. Extensive development of the Belek region has seen countless top class golf courses and a fantastic array of accommodation options come to the fore in the past decade. Currently there are few destinations in world golf that can offer such a rich portfolio of courses and few that can offer such value for money thanks to the All Inclusive packages that are common throughout the region.
One of the finest resorts and a Your Golf Travel favourite is Voyage Belek Golf & Spa which boasts an amazing beachfront location just 5 minutes from downtown Belek and just a stone’s throw from a handful of the best golf courses in Turkey. We recently posted a Voyage Belek Resort review and an in-depth look at the Montgomerie Maxx Royal golf club but what of the other golf on offer when you choose Voyage Belek for your next Turkish Golf Holiday?
With countless courses within easy driving distance of Voyage Belek there are plenty of options but typical holiday packages include rounds at both Carya Golf Club and The National, both of which offer fascinating and very different tests of golf.
With the heather now in a more mature state, much of Carya is awash with purple at certain times of the year.
Carya Golf Club is a little less than 10 kilometres from Voyage Belek and offers one of the only heathland style golf challenges in Turkey and a cracking test of golf it is. Designed by Thompson, Perrett & Lobb – the design team of 5 time Open Champion Peter Thompson – the course traverses a unique sandy ridge that snakes through mature pine forests and is perennially in tip top condition as a result.
Pine and Eucalyptus trees a plenty frame each hole and with swathes of beautiful heather – over 1,000,000 heather plants were added to the landscape during construction – bordering bunkers and the edges of various holes, Carya is one of the most picturesque courses in Turkey. Think Sunningdale, Swinley Forest and Walton Heath with a Mediterranean twist and almost guaranteed sunshine and you won’t be too far off!
The design is intelligent and caters for golfers of all different shapes and sizes. From the tips the course measure well over 7,000 yards and features the longest hole in Turkey – a 621 yard monster – but five sets of tees on each hole ensure everyone from the professional to the maximum handicapper can enjoy this course.
National Golf Club offers one of the best tests of golf in all of Turkey. Discerning golfers simply cannot afford to pass this course up when in Belek.
A similar distance from Voyage Belek is National Golf Club which is another of the leading courses in the Belek region. Like Carya, mature eucalyptus and pine trees beautifully frame each hole at National Golf Club and the snow-capped Taurus Mountains offer a truly stunning backdrop. The course here was designed by ex Ryder Cup player and current CBS golf commentator-turned-popular golf writer-turned-Golf Channel inquisitor, David Feherty.
Such is the quality of David Feherty’s design, National (6,907 yards) is still regarded as the best course in Belek by many, and has a maturity that belies its youth. National has more of a member’s club atmosphere than many of the other courses in Turkey and as such it’s extremely popular among discerning golfers. Although National is arguably not as well known as some of its neighbouring courses it is without doubt one of the best and an excellent addition to a Voyage Belek Holiday package.