Top Newcomer
Cornelia Golf Club is a superb 27-hole
facility that amply
justifies the long journey. Named for a
beloved
Roman matron,
Cornelia
opened its Nick
Faldo-designed
Tiberius and Sempronia nines
last November. The
Gaius nine
will debut this fall. (The nines are
named
for Cornelia’s children.)
The core 18 is, without question, the
top course in Turkey.
Cornelia was revered
in the
ancient world for her
character;
the club will share her
reputation.
Faldo was a tactical
thinker as a player, and it shows in his
course designs. On a
sandy,
pine-clad site with a broad dune ridge running
through
the center of
the property, Faldo created a strategic gem. Straightaway
holes are in
short supply at Cornelia. Par 5s are subtly
Z-shaped or make
hairpin
turns through the woods. Among the
more memorable holes is Tiberius’
short par-4 7th, called
“Faldo’s Choice.” The safe play is to the
higher ground,
though big hitters can take dead aim over sandy
wasteland and
trees to a
sprawling green that slopes to three deep
bunkers
intended to swallow pushed
shots. Cornelia is an eco-sensitive
design that shelters hundreds of plant and
bird species,
notably the
hooded owl, symbol of the Belek region.
Coming Attractions
Belek’s newest venue is Papillon Golf Resort, which is
scheduled to open its Colin Montgomerie design in late 2007.
While more
open
than Cornelia, the course’s site, a mixed pine
forest interspersed
by sandy
ridges, is exceptional. The
resort is angling to host a
European Tour event.
The
ribbon-cutting will continue this fall at
Sueno Golf Club, its Pines
and
Dunes courses proceeding from a new
hotel. Pines is
the region’s longest
course to date at 7,057
yards.
Thirty
minutes east of Belek is Lykia Links,
yet another
newcomer
scheduled to open this fall. The nearly treeless course by
Perry Dye is set along the sandy shore a stone’s throw from
the beach.
Looking
ahead, Carya Golf Club, a heathland-style
course by Thomson
Perrett & Lobb,
the firm founded by
Australian great Peter
Thomson, will debut next year.
Like
Cornelia, the expansive site, a
mere 200 yards from the beach, is
bisected
by a sandy ridge and is
heavily forested.
Hotels
Arguably the finest property in Belek is the Kempinski Hotel
The Dome, a 157-room resort that fronts a private beach and is next to
Antalya
Golf Club. The hotel’s ornate architecture was
inspired by the
Seljuk dynasty,
which dates to the 11th
century. The Dome Spa is one of
the largest spa and
Thalasso
facilities in Turkey.
Among the
newcomers, the top choices are
Gloria Serenity Resort, a nicely
landscaped, low-density
property with 270 rooms
and three a la carte
restaurants, and
the 178-room Sueno Hotels Golf Belek,
which fronts a
pair of
courses and is slated to open in late 2007.
