TURKEY Dominated by the quality and quantity of the Turkish Riviera, Belek

1 CARYA

There is nothing in Belek like it and very little in Iberia, too. For something similar visually to its heather and pine-lined fairways, you must look to one of the traditional courses in Belgium, Germany, France and, especially, the Netherlands. For a ‘resort’ course to be filed alongside the Utrechts and Fontainebleaus – even if it does not exactly play like a fastrunning sandy heathland – is a significant achievement. Though overseen by Reigatebased Lobb & Partners, Tim Lobb accepts much of the success of Carya was natural.

2 LYKIA LINKS

Not a links as we understand it in Britain. Lykia isn’t just the most distinctive course in Belek, it is one of the most distinctive in all of continental Europe. Laid out on a long stretch of coastline near Antalya, it is more aesthetically appealing than many familiar names in our islands, owing to endless dazzling Mediterranean views and the fact that duneland can be made more dramatic.

3 PGA NATIONAL ANTALYA (SULTAN)

The first courses to lure Tiger and Rory to Belek, during the 2012 Turkish Airlines World Golf Finals. Designed by ex-tour pro David Jones – the Godfather of Belek Golf – who had already built the area’s first course, The National. The Sultan is tough but dramatic, and absolutely immaculate.

4 THE NATIONAL

The National began the Belek revolution when it opened in 1994, but has strangely often been under appreciated. But it’s now a Top 100 course in continental Europe thanks to the extra level of conditioning this effortlessly classy track has received of late. A Belek version of Vilamoura’s Old.

5 CORNELIA (PRINCE)

There are 27 holes at this resort, the romantically-named Sempronia, Gaius and the Tiberius. They combine to create three different courses – the King’s, Queen’s and the Prince. The latter is, by a small margin, the best of the three, incorporating the Gaius and Tiberius loops in its combination. The common theme is Sir Nick Faldo, who oversaw the creation.

6 MONTGOMERIE MAXX

Turkey’s first host of a European Tour event is set in over 100 hectares of mixed pine and eucalyptus forest. Eight lakes come into play and there are waste areas as well as bunkers on a course that reaches its high points in the middle of each nine.

7 PGA NATIONAL ANTALYA (PASHA)

This is the club’s No.2 course, but many will prefer it to the challenging PGA Sultan. Some even think it the best course in Belek! It is just as well maintained as the Sultan, and probably a bit more fun. The par 4s at the 3rd and the 4th are among Belek’s best.

8 GLORIA (NEW)

Built nearly a decade after the Old, but we rate it as the 54-hole resort’s No.1. Both

its nines start right under the awnings of Gloria’s swish HQ. The original clubhouse was actually on the front nine of the Old, which was reconfigured when the Serenity hotel was built. And the location of the New’s 1st tee illustrates that this ‘second’ course is anything but an after-thought.

9 GLORIA (OLD)

Gloria’s Old has long been one of Belek’s most technically-accomplished courses. Designed in 1997 but altered within a decade when its Serenity hotel was built, the Old lost a couple of aestheticallypleasing coastal holes. Yet it is a course of impressively consistent quality – illustrated by its top-10 slot in our Turkey ranking. It opens with water, but is defined more by a succession of attractive pine-lined holes.

10 SUENO (PINES)

There are 36 holes at Sueno and they are very equal courses. The Pines is annointed as the No.1, however; a 7,000-yard test that encircles the hotel and concludes with a grandstand finish on a virtual island green. The striking nature of both courses here is the topography, which ranges from a rippling corrugated iron effect to dramatic mounds and dips.

11 TITANIC (BLACK)

Far from the most well-known name in our Turkey ranking, but the redesigned Black deserves its position in our list. Other than Lykia, it’s the only course in Belek where you get any idea of just how close to the sea you actually are.

12 SUENO (DUNES)

The Dunes sums up Belek’s incredible strength in depth. When this is only its 12th-best course, you know there is a lot of

good stuff here. The last is a classic finishing hole, played to an island green where drama is guaranteed.

13 KAYA PALAZZO

Though Kaya Palazzo was cut out of a vast pine forest, the nine lakes influence it much more. A sporty par 4 opens up the second half, then there is a gorgeous par 3 with water on the left and in front of the target, before a risk-reward par 4 where you must decide how much of the lake to cut off on the tee shot.

14 ANKARA REGNUM

Tim Lobb is very pleased with his work on this brand-new course 30km south-west of Ankara. There was not a single tree on the site he was given, and while the Australian architect enjoys open courses, he was keen to ensure it looked inviting to the visiting golfer. “I dreamt of a prairieland situation, because it was so open, but also with hills and valleys. I tried to use native grasses throughout to give it a better texture.”

15 ROBINSON NOBILIS

This Dave Thomas design opened in 1998 at the very start of Belek’s attempt to make its mark on the golf travel scene. It enjoys the familiar eucalyptus and pine-populated undulating sandy terrain that characterises the courses of the Turkish Riviera.

16 KUSADASI

The Kuadasi International Golf Resort is the first leisure and golf development of its kind near the Aegean Sea. Located 55 miles south of Izmir’s international airport, it is home to an 18-hole championship course, spreading over 6,930 yards and overlooking the site where gods and goddesses are said to have emerged from the sea.

17 REGNUM BODRUM

Another Tim Lobb creation, only this one is harder to classify. It sits within an existing olive farm so has a rural, farmtype character to it. That was Lobb’s aim, to keep the integrity of what the land was used for originally, so olive groves have even been kept between several of the holes. The ground is a little rough if you hit your ball among the olives, but again that was intentional, with Lobb keen to get back to the natural scene of golf and away from the over-conditioned venues we have come to demand.

18 GLORIA (VERDE)

The Verde at Gloria is a nine-hole course that is an ideal post-lunch venue after tackling one of Gloria’s two 18-holers in the morning. You can even play the ‘Verde Select’, combining the nine-hole Verde with the front 9 holes of the New or Old championship courses. It is maintained just as beautifully as its more celebrated stablemates and features a large lake that is in play on a third of its holes.

19 KEMER

Istanbul’s leading course is part of a huge sport and leisure club that includes everything from an equestrian centre to basketball and a gym to a spa. This 18hole layout offers a beautiful but challenging round, stretching over 6,700 yards off the tips.

20 MARMARA

Formerly known as Klassis, this Istanbul institution is part of the oldest sports club in Turkey, established in 1895 as Constantinople Golf Club. The latest course was designed by Tony Jacklin among valleys and oak trees and has hosted championship golf, but David Jones, of Belek fame, is slated to create yet another new home for the club.