Lykia Links Fact FileLocation: 45 minutes east of BelekYear Established: 2008Par: 73Length (yards): 6,417Green Fees (weekdays): €95Signature Hole: As far as strong par 4s go, the 11th ticks all the boxes.Website: lykialinks.com
UK golfers tend to take firm, bouncy seaside links for granted. After all, in many areas they’re almost the default mode of golf. Lykia Links however, located in the burgeoning golf area of Belek on Turkey’s Southern Mediterranean coast, is something entirely different, and instantly stands apart as one of Turkey’s best golf courses as well as its most unique.
While most courses in the area rightly put the emphasis on Belek’s bounty of natural pine forests and setting between the sea and the Taurus mountains, Lykia has been introduced as a test unlike anything else locally: a treeless design with railway sleepers propping up the bunkers. About 45 minutes east of the town, it’s also nowhere near the other courses in an already overdeveloped area— a fact that made its construction possible in the first place. As such, unless you’re staying near Lykia World resort, you will be here for the links-like challenge.
There is a danger when you have at least half a dozen fantastic courses, on top of another half a dozen very good ones pretty much on your doorstep, that you get lazy at the prospect of an hour’s drive. On many golf trips this would barely be questioned but in this part of the world it’s different.
But it’s worth the short drive and slight effort to play Lykia, a course linked with one of the most iconic architectural names in the game.
Perry Dye, son of Pete and Alice of Sawgrass fame, designed the links here. The name Dye generally throws up visions of hellish golfing examinations and, while this is a ridiculous 7,600 yards off the tips, there are plenty of gentler options.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
Dye would work with his father over the years, serving as a project manager, and he would set up his own company in the early 80s, going on to design courses all over the world.
Lykia Links would prove to be one of a few projects in Europe – San Roque New being a notable one – and, sadly, he would die in 2021 at the age of just 68.
Lykia Links
Lykia Links Review
Visually this is so different from the tree-lined avenue of eucalyptus and pine trees of the Belek Strip. It offers two loops of nine with the 9th coming back to the clubhouse and the relative rarity of a par of 73. You will hear a lot about the length, maybe the plan was to have tees all set for tournament golf, but the yellows are set at around the usual 6,400-yard mark and, with a bit of run on the fairways, perfectly acceptable.
You will also hear a lot from fellow travellers about the dormant grass in the Turkish winter, which is when you might well escape here, and the ideal time to visit should be in April or May.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
Straight off the bat you know you are in for a test of your skills. The fairways are generous, and many are bordered by large waste areas, so you will do well to lose a ball unless it ends up wet but the fairways are also rippled so you can expect some uneven lies. And then you have to locate some generally small and sloping greens. Take note of the planner and at least have a good idea of where the miss is.
Lykia Links
There is a fresh water lake by the 7th and 8th but otherwise that’s as close as you will get to the manufactured look of the Belek courses. There is a backdrop of the Mediterranean on the front nine but the back nine is where the best holes sit.
The 11th might be the best hole, a par 4 that feeds into a sloping green, while the next features the only blind tee shot that you will face. The greens and their surrounds on the back nine are pretty funky and there’s a lot going on, both visually and the way that they play.
The 15th is a brilliant par 3, and a hole which would push the 11th as the best on the site, and one YouTuber correctly describes it as ‘Whistling Straits-esque’. The 16th and 17th offer the opportunity to steal a shot or two back with a sporty 5 and 4 before one final par 4 with the formidable hotel in the background.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT
Final Verdict
Reviews of Lykia Links are probably more mixed than other courses. This might be down to the perceived condition or the time of year or it might just be down to personal taste.
Links golf tends to divide opinion by its very nature. Some golfers think Royal County Down is the best course on the planet, for instance, while others will feel underwhelmed by the place. If you are a fan of links golf, however, I can safely say that this is worth the visit. It’s different, and in a region like Belek where so many courses start to meld into one another, different is good.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars ️️️️️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For more information, please visit the club’s website here
Subscribe to our Newsletter
