Turkey - The Rising Star of European Golf

While Turkey has a long way to go to establish the range and breadth of golfing options offered in countries such as Spain and Portugal, there is evidence that the country is now emerging as Europe's hottest new golf destination.

Year-round fine weather, quality golf resorts, and a range of spectacular natural attractions and fascinating ancient buildings to explore, all combine to guarantee a memorable holiday experience. A March 2009 survey of British tourists, that were planning summer holidays, put Turkey into the list of top ten destinations, up there with several favourite Spanish resorts.

The most accessible and predominant golfing centre is Belek, 35 km from Antalya Airport, in southwest Turkey. Here there are 15 championship courses, many of them set on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, with the famed Taurus Mountains as a backdrop.

Generally, hotels and golf courses are conjoined, so be sure to organise your accommodation and golf requirements in the one package. And if you wish to play on more than one course, shuttle buses join most of the hotels and courses.

One of Belek's most popular courses is the Cornelia, designed by Nick Faldo, with three loops of nine holes providing different 18-hole playing options. Umbrella pines line the fairways, and there are doglegs and small hills to negotiate, but a series of great vantage points will leave you with a memorable impression of your time here.

The National, Belek's first course, established in 1994, also provides a scenic golfing experience, with its mountainous backdrop and sculptured fairways dotted with serene lakes. The terrace of the English-style clubhouse, with its panoramic views, is the perfect place for refreshments at sunset.

The Antalya Golf Club offers two courses, the Sultan and the Pasha, with conditions that suit both low and high handicappers. The longer course, the Sultan, is known for its integration with the pine and eucalypt woods, and excellent practice facilities, while the Pasha has generous fairways, well-placed bunkers, and putting and chipping greens.

Opened in November 2008, and located on the coast, Lykia has a challenging links format with a variety of hazards. The dramatic four coastline holes require accurate hitting, as does the water hazard between holes 7 and 8. Another new course, Carya, has a free-flowing heathland layout, set among pine and eucalyptus trees. The two-storey driving range has 22 bays and two teaching studios.

The newest Turkish golf hotspot, 450 km to the west of Antalya, is the Aegean resort area of the Bodrum Peninsula, which now has several courses, and at least four more on the drawing board. Bodrum, the first club to open on the Peninsula, has a 5-hole course, driving range, a practice putting area, chipping area and bunkers.

Also on the peninsular, and set on the shores of splendid Lake Tuzla, near Gulluk, is the up-market Vita Park, with two 18-hole courses, one in the Scottish style by the lake, and the other created in the Arizona style, following the contours of the surrounding hills.