Antalya, Turkey
The area of south-west Turkey, with its enviable climate, wide open spaces, seemingly limitless coastline and spectacular mountain backdrop, has possibly been Europe's most lovingly developed golfing destination since the Costa del Sol led the way some quarter of a century ago.
Within a comfortable drive of each other is a collection of luxurious hotels alongside golf courses that have been embroidered into the terrain with fairways dipping, rising and dog-legging through mature forestry and around either natural or man-made waterways.
Where this region scores maximum merit points is in its concentration on quality both in the architecture of the courses and in the standard of the hotels. Iconic names such as, European Golf Design, Peter Thomson, Nick Faldo, Perry Dye and Colin Montgomerie are among those attached to the designs of the courses in the vicinity thereby ensuring that enjoyable playability is interspersed with risk-and-reward challenges.
In the heart of the area are the two Antalya courses alongside the Kempinski 'The Dome' Hotel where the PGAs of Europe-endorsed Pro-Am of that name is played each January and the Beko Classic later on, in the autumn. To this, next January, in the preceding week to the Kempinski 'The Dome’ event will be added a re-launched PGAs of Europe Fourball Championship.
Add to all this, the fact that Antalya’s The Sultan course is PGA-branded and there is evidence enough of the approval that the Destination receives from both the professional golfers and their amateur partners in the pro-ams. In 2012 comes another major compliment with the staging the world's top all-amateur event, the Eisenhower Trophy at the Antalya venue.
In laying out The Sultan course many of the taller pine trees were preserved not only for scenic purposes but also to toughen up the challenge. Also there are some a dozen water hazards and about a hundred sand traps amidst all the seductive natural beauty that is backed by the Taurus Mountains.
The Pasha course was opened in 2002, a year before The Sultan, with the purpose of being a touch more friendly to the higher handicapper and ideal for those groups and societies who maybe find that The Sultan asks a shade too much of their game.
Its undulating, Bermuda grass greens, are larger than the average to make them a touch easier to find while, in ensuring a consistent degree of difficulty, possibly offering a three-putt conclusion. Meanwhile, the tranquil journey around this lovely golf course is punctuated by both pine and eucalyptus trees.
Just like The Sultan it was created by European Golf Design with PGA pro David Jones, of Northern Ireland, its consultant designer.
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