National Golf Club (Turkey) Fact FileLocation: Belek, TurkeyYear Established: 1994Par: 73Length (yards from yellows): 6,136Green Fees (weekdays): €160Signature Hole: The 2nd will quickly have you reaching for your phones.Website: nationalturkey.com
It’s a little-known fact that David Feherty helped design Belek’s National Golf Club. Just three years prior he was in the heat of battle at the 1991 Ryder Cup, playing as Europe came up just short at Kiawah Island, before turning his hand to course design.
Along with fellow Tour player and Bangor native David Jones, their brief was to design the first ever tourist destination course in Turkey.
“This was my first big commission, with David Feherty as my co-design – can you imagine? Golf construction was virtually unknown in Turkey at that time so trying to make the operators understand golf shaping in my ‘pidgin’ Turkish was a challenge,” explains Jones.
“It has hosted Senior Tour and Ladies European Tour events on many occasions and pioneered the development of golf in Southern Turkey. It has stayed consistently inside Europe’s Top 100 courses, and remains a firm favourite with golfers of all nationalities. I added a third nine in 2016.”
National Golf Club, Belek
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
The original nines are the Irmak (1-9) and the Tuna (10-18), which would be considered as the championship course, while the more recent and more generous Ada is used as more of a warm-up nine.
Two years after opening it would host the Turkish Seniors Open – South African Bobby Verwey would win before Tommy Horton, second behind the South African, would claim victory.
On the Ladies European Tour there would be six Turkish Ladies Opens held at National with Lotta Wahlin, Mel Reid, Christel Boeljon (2), Lee-Anne Pace and Valentine Derrey all being victorious over the course. 2008’s inaugural event saw Wahlin would win by 12 shots after playing the four rounds in seven under par.
It would take until 2013 for the DP World Tour to visit Turkey but their tournaments have been held at the Montgomerie and Carya courses. Otherwise National has also held Challenge Tour and LET Access Series events across both the second-tier European Tours.
Now under the same Regnum umbrella as the nation-leading Carya Golf Club, National makes headlines as much for its hotel in 2025 as it does its golf. A magnet for luminaries and diplomats alike, it hosted the G-20 Summit in 2015, while the attached music hall has seen artists like Jennifer Lopez and Dua Lipa grace its stage.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
National Golf Club, Belek
National Golf Club Review
National Golf Club will always be able to boast of being the first championship-level course in Belek, kickstarting a golfing revolution in what was once a sleepy fishing village. And while it’s never fallen into risrepair, a multi-year period of relative neglect, along with an upswell of new courses opening in the region, saw its reputation fall somewhat beyond the wayside.
Recent investment, however, has National back on the ascendency. It emains one of the most enjoyable courses in the area and a brilliant test of tight, narrow parkland golf. It also boasts some of the area’s best practice facilities, including a superb 40-bay driving range, indoor facility, TrackMan, two putting and chipping greens and plenty of opportunities to sit back and unwind inbetween stretches hitting balls in the sunshine.
Winding between mature and eucalyptus trees with the snow-capped Taurus Mountains a spectacular backdrop, National remains a tight, stern test of golf. It emphasises the need to pick your tees sensibly—the white tees taking its total length to around 6,000 metres (more than enough for most of us) while the yellows play a more reasonable 5,600m.
National Golf Club, Belek
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
The start is certainly varied with a narrow par 5 to kick things off before an island green which comes very early in the round for a shot with possibly dire circumstances.
The club says: “Hole 2 has earned its reputation as the course’s signature challenge. A stunning par 3 framed by water, it demands precision. From the tee, the green appears temptingly close, its beauty enhanced by the shimmering water surrounding it.
“But don’t be deceived — the margin for error is razor thin. This hole embodies the essence of National Golf Club: a blend of elegance, risk, and unforgettable drama. It is a hole that tests your nerve, showcases your skill and lingers in memory long after the round is complete. Breathtaking to behold, exhilarating to play.”
The good news, for your presumptive score at least, is that the 2nd measures just 116m off the yellows and really represents most of the difficulties water will present throughout the 18. On the other hand, you could also make the argument that having a course’s showstopper at Hole 2 leaves the rest of the course struggling to match the same lofty heights.
The short 5th is a stronger par 3 than its predecessor and a canal will catch your eye on certain tee shots but this is a varied and interesting layout where, what sits in front of you, tells you precisely what to do.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
National Golf Club, Belek
There is plenty of movement, both ways, with the par 4s and the par-5 14th – described as ‘quite possibly the toughest in Europe’ – is certainly spectacular with the option to take on the distant green where anything left or long will finish up wet. This is the first of back-to-back par 5s and five in total which give National a par of 73.
The last four holes offer the option of floodlight golf and the 18th is probably the most recognisable hole on the property, due to its tour presence, with water hugging the left side. Here only two proper shots will see your third shot take place with a putter.
Visually, National is very easy on the eye and, given that it has been here for a little over 30 years, has matured into a track with an air of class that’ll ensure it remains a popular choice among Antalya’s growing numbers of golfing tourists. It’s certainly not straightforward, however, and provides a fun test of your ability to find the fairways and position yourself around the course.
It paints itself as ‘the first and still the best’ in the region, which perhaps doesn’t ring as true as it once did, but it’s certainly right up there.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars ️️️️️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For more information, please visit the club’s website here
Subscribe to our Newsletter
