Golf by night and greens good enough for the pros? Find out why golfers are flocking to the floodlit courses of Belek in Antalya, one of Türkiye’s most popular sporting spots
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My golf ball is in the water. Which is not, all things considered, the place I’d wanted it to be, as I’d had my eye on the green of the par-three sixth hole at the Regnum Carya Golf Resort’s course in Belek.
I’ve just found out the hard way why this hole is called The Wall. I’d hit a clean shot that looked green bound until a late dip saw it smack against the brick wall that guards the green. One law of physics later and my ball went plop.
But I’m not annoyed. On this beautiful night in this coastal region of Türkiye, I’m trying something I’ve never done before: playing golf at night.
Here, on the sumptuous greens and fairways of the Carya Golf Club course, I’m discovering yet another way to love this beguiling game.
This is the country’s first floodlit golf course, the flagbearer since 2015 of a new experience of the game that has quickly given rise to other floodlit courses across Europe. It’s utterly incredible.
There are many reasons why clients may be interested in taking a golf holiday in Antalya, a Turkish province connected by regional flights from the UK or a 90-minute hop from Istanbul.
But floodlit golf could be the USP to end all USPs. I’ve never experienced anything like it.
On this balmy evening, as the sun dips below the horizon and the floodlight bulbs banish the gloom, everything looks different, everything smells different and everything feels different.
Carya Golf Club under floodlights
All around me, I can hear the sounds of nature – nocturnal animals in nearby bushes; the breeze rustling the leaves – mingling with the call to evening prayers from the nearby mosque. No wonder I don’t feel annoyed about literally hitting the wall.
While floodlit golf attracts criticism for its environmental impact, the low-power LED lights and rigorous schedule for using the lights – largely to avoid playing in the heat of the day – offer some reassurance.
I played three courses during my brief stay in Belek – the Regnum’s Carya Golf Club, Gloria Golf Club and the Dunes course at Sueno Hotels Deluxe. Each has fairways so lush you could sleep on them. Mid-level players will have the time of their lives.
Green fees at Carya Golf Club cost €145 for 18 holes or €100 for nine in spring and autumn, or from €85/€70 in summer or winter, for hotel guests.
Montgomerie Maxx Royal Golf Resort
How Belek became a golfing destination
Belek has been developed as a golf tourism hub since the 1990s, with hotel chains and golf clubs taking advantage of the region’s flat terrain, a climate that allows for golf virtually year-round and sandy soil that lends itself to easily maintained grass.
The resort is home to a dozen golf resorts and hotels, which collectively boast 16 championship golf courses. You could stay here for a week, play 36 holes a day, and still not play every hole.
Driving along the road that leads to the Sueno, I pass numerous other resorts and hotels, many of which display giant golf balls outside their lavish entrances. It feels, in some ways, like the Las Vegas of golf.
Accordingly, there’s a dizzying array of ways to keep golfers and their travel companions entertained.
There are world-class beaches on the doorstep, just a three-iron shot away, while Antalya is an extraordinary combination of Türkiye’s ancient history and exciting modern character. But for clients who like clubbing (of the golf variety), Belek is the bee’s knees.
Clubs at Türkiye’s National Golf Club, Antalya
Professional tournaments in Türkiye
Don’t just take my word for it. Matthew Jordan is an English professional golfer who competed in this year’s Turkish Airlines Open, a prestigious event on the DP World Tour (the leading men’s pro golf tour in Europe and the one that gave Rory McIlroy his start) that has returned to the schedules.
It was staged this year at Regnum’s National Golf Club, which was the first club in Belek. The course is open to the public, so clients can be lured by the prospect of playing on the exact same turf as some of the world’s finest golfers.
After he had finished his final round of the tournament, Jordan waxed lyrical to Travel Weekly about the golfing appeal of Belek. “It has been a really, really nice place to come,” he said.
Gloria Golf Resort
“It’s a very relaxed place, with the hotel and the resort. And of course it’s all-inclusive, so I’m sure you can enjoy that side of it as well.” It’s an excellent point.
All inclusive options are commonplace in Belek’s resorts, ensuring that clients won’t have to worry about anything other than their tee time. Well, except for maybe avoiding that darn wall.
Kaleiçi, Antalya
What to do in Belek
Wondering what to do in between golf games in Antalya? Here are three ways to go ’off course’ on a golfing holiday in Türkiye.
Kaleiçi: Antalya’s historic heart, Kaleiçi is home to some incredible ancient sights, including Hadrian’s Gate. Visitors could easily explore for at least half a day.
The Land of Legends: Türkiye’s largest theme park is home to an amusement park with three ‘lands’, water park, shopping mall and more – ideal for families who need an outlet.
Aspendos Theatre: A second-century AD Roman theatre about an hour’s drive from Belek, its acoustics are still astonishing.
Aspendos Theatre
Book it
Mercury Holidays offers a seven-night stay at Gloria Golf Resort from £1,385 per person, based on two adults sharing a Double Standard room on an all-inclusive basis. The price includes flights from Luton on October 17.
mercuryholidays.co.uk
EasyJet holidays offers seven nights at Regnum Carya on an all-inclusive-plus basis, for £2,868 per person, based on two sharing, including a Gatwick flight on April 7, 2027, priority bag drop, fast-track security and private transfers.
easyjet.com/holidays
Find out more at goturkiye.com/golf
Pictures: Gülcan Acar/Ministry of Culture and Tourism/Tanitma Genel Müdürlüğü; Elaart Production/Ibrahim Kara; Shutterstock/Nejdet Duzen, saiko3p