Belek, the slim coastal strip east of Antalya, holds a higher density of championship golf courses than almost anywhere else in Europe. Roughly fifteen 18-hole layouts sit within a twenty-minute drive of each other, framed by the Taurus Mountains and stitched together by mature umbrella pine forest.
For UK golfers, it offers something the Algarve and Costa del Sol cannot quite match: long playing windows in spring and autumn, premium all-inclusive resorts attached to the courses themselves, and green fees that often undercut comparable layouts in southern Europe.
This guide ranks the ten Turkish courses we send the most groups to, judged on:
- playing experience
- course condition
- group suitability
- the standard of the paired resort
The focus is Belek, because that is where the serious golf sits. You will find designer notes, course character, who each layout actually suits, and the resorts most golfers pair them with when booking.
Belek at a glance: what UK golfers should know before booking
When to play
The sweet spots are mid-March to late May, and mid-September to mid-November.
July and August routinely push past 35°C, which is uncomfortable for an 18-hole walk and pushes most groups onto buggies and early tee times.
December to February is playable, often in the high teens, and green fees drop noticeably, though daylight is shorter and overseeding maintenance can affect course condition on certain layouts.
Overseeding and maintenance windows
Most Belek courses overseed fairways and greens in October to switch from Bermuda to rye for the cooler months. Dates shift year to year, and a course on maintenance can mean temporary greens or restricted areas.
This is one of the practical reasons to book through a specialist rather than direct: we hold the current schedules and will not package tee times during a course's overseeding window.
Buggies, handicaps and dress
- Buggies: Included as standard at most Belek courses, which is not always the case in Spain or Portugal.
- Handicaps: A handicap certificate is requested at the higher-end clubs, typically 28 for men and 36 for women, though enforcement is variable.
- Dress code: Collared shirts and tailored shorts or trousers are expected. Soft spikes only.
Getting there
Antalya Airport (AYT) is the entry point, with transfer times of 30 to 45 minutes to most Belek resorts.
Direct flights run from several UK airports March through October, with charter capacity peaking in spring and autumn.
The 10 best golf courses in Turkey
1. Carya Golf Club
Carya is the most distinctive course in Belek, and the one most often described as different to everything else in the region. Designed by Thomson, Perrett & Lobb, the firm built around five-time Open champion Peter Thomson, it transposes a heathland feel into a Mediterranean setting. Heather, gorse, exposed sandy waste areas and rolling contours replace the wall-to-wall pine corridors of the older Belek layouts.
At roughly 6,654 metres off the back tees, par 72, it plays firm and fast when conditions allow. Carya is also fully floodlit, and night golf here, usually with discounted green fees, ranks among the more memorable golf experiences in Europe.
- Best for: mid to low handicappers who enjoy shaping shots and reading exposed lies.
- Paired resort: Regnum Carya, on-site and the natural choice for golf-first groups.
2. Cornelia Faldo Golf Course
A 27-hole Nick Faldo design opened in 2006, playable as three 18-hole loops: King, Queen and Prince. The King is the championship test, the Queen rewards strategic placement, and the Prince is the most forgiving and the best of the three for mixed-ability groups. Routing runs through pine forest with sandy waste bunkering and several memorable risk-reward par fives.
The David Leadbetter Golf Academy is based here, and lesson slots are easy to add to a package.
- Best for: groups with a spread of handicaps who want flexibility across three loops.
- Paired resort: Cornelia Diamond Golf Resort & Spa.
3. Lykia Links Antalya
Lykia is the only true links course on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, designed by Perry Dye and stretching along dune land near the river estuary west of Belek. The fairways tumble through genuine dune topography, fescue rough catches anything pulled or pushed, and crosswinds off the sea genuinely affect club selection.
It is the longest journey from central Belek, around 30 to 40 minutes by transfer, which is worth factoring into a multi-course itinerary.
- Best for: golfers who already enjoy links golf in the UK and Ireland and want to play something firm and ground-based on a sun break.
- Paired resort: Lykia World Links Golf.
4. PGA Sultan at Antalya Golf Club
The Sultan is the tougher of the two David Jones designs at Antalya Golf Club and the home of the Turkish PGA. It measures 6,477 metres off the tips, par 71, with constructed lakes, deep strategic bunkering and tight pine-framed corridors. The course rewards positional play and punishes loose driving more severely than most other Belek layouts.
- Best for: handicaps roughly 18 and below who want a championship test.
- Paired resort: Sirene Belek Golf Hotel, walking distance from the first tee.
5. Sueno Pines
The longer and harder of the two Sueno courses, Pines runs through dense pine forest with narrow fairways, blow-out bunkering and small, contoured greens. It pairs naturally with its sister course, Sueno Dunes, which is more open and forgiving, making the Sueno complex one of the easier resorts to build a varied itinerary around without leaving the property.
- Best for: groups that want two contrasting 18s on the same site without transfers.
- Paired resort: Sueno Hotels Golf Belek.
6. The National Golf Club
The original. The National opened in 1994 as the first international-standard course on the Turkish Mediterranean coast and effectively started Belek as a golf destination. The design, led by David Jones with input from David Feherty, runs through mature pine and eucalyptus with the Taurus Mountains as the backdrop. The trees are taller and denser here than at the newer courses, which gives it a settled, parkland feel.
Practice facilities are strong: a 40-bay driving range, a nine-hole academy course, and a working short-game area.
- Best for: golfers who appreciate older, established layouts and a quieter atmosphere than the newer resort courses.
- Paired resort: Sirene Belek and Susesi Luxury Resort are both within easy reach.
7. Montgomerie Maxx Royal
A European Golf Design project completed with Colin Montgomerie, sitting on a 104-hectare site with eight lakes and a routing that uses elevation more aggressively than most Belek courses. The closing nine is floodlit, useful in winter when light tightens. It hosted the inaugural Turkish Airlines Open in 2013 and remains one of the strongest tests in the region.
- Best for: lower handicappers and groups who want a marquee championship round in the itinerary.
- Paired resort: Maxx Royal Belek Golf Resort, consistently one of the highest-rated all-inclusives in the region.
8. Pasha at Antalya Golf Club
Pasha is the more accessible of the two David Jones designs at Antalya Golf Club. Opened in 2002, the layout covers 550,000 square metres with wider corridors, fewer forced carries and shorter overall yardage than its sister, the Sultan. Most groups play Pasha first and Sultan second, which works as a natural difficulty progression across two days.
- Best for: mid to high handicappers, and as the warm-up round before the Sultan.
- Paired resort: Sirene Belek Golf Hotel.
9. Gloria Old
The Gloria complex carries 45 holes in total: the Old, the New, and the nine-hole Verde. The Old, designed by Michel Gayon and opened in 1997, is the longer and narrower of the two championship 18s, with tighter pine-lined corridors and a more complex hazard pattern. It hosted the Turkish Open in its earlier years and still plays as one of the most strategically demanding courses in Belek.
- Best for: experienced golfers who want a course that rewards working the ball both ways.
- Paired resort: Gloria Golf Resort.
10. Gloria New
Opened in 2005, also a Gayon design, the New is shorter, more open and considerably more forgiving than the Old. Elevated tees on several holes give it visual character, and the balance of par threes, fours and fives suits a complete bag rotation. It hosted the European Senior Tour Classic in 2007.
- Best for: mixed-ability groups, warm-up rounds, and golfers who want a confidence-building 18 alongside the tougher courses in the region.
- Paired resort: Gloria Golf Resort, which gives groups access to all three Gloria courses from one base.
Quick comparison
| Course |
Designer |
Par |
Character |
Best for |
| Carya |
Thomson, Perrett & Lobb |
72 |
Heathland, floodlit |
Mid to low handicap |
| Cornelia Faldo |
Nick Faldo |
72 |
27 holes, three loops |
Mixed groups |
| Lykia Links |
Perry Dye |
72 |
True links, coastal |
Links enthusiasts |
| PGA Sultan |
David Jones |
71 |
Championship parkland |
Lower handicaps |
| Sueno Pines |
European Golf Design |
72 |
Tight pine corridors |
Strong ball-strikers |
| The National |
Jones / Feherty |
72 |
Mature parkland |
Traditionalists |
| Montgomerie Maxx Royal |
EGD / Montgomerie |
72 |
Lakes, elevation, floodlit nine |
Championship test |
| Pasha |
David Jones |
72 |
Wider, more forgiving |
Mid to high handicaps |
| Gloria Old |
Michel Gayon |
72 |
Long, narrow, strategic |
Experienced players |
| Gloria New |
Michel Gayon |
72 |
Open, elevated tees |
Mixed groups |
How to build a Turkey golf itinerary that actually works
Most groups play four or five rounds across a seven-night stay. The decisions that tend to matter more than which courses you choose are: how many transfers you are willing to take, whether your group has a wide handic.
View all our Turkish golf holiday choices
