The choice of new golfing destinations continues to expand around the world with new golf courses opening up regularly. I have been privileged to sample many of the world’s most exotic golf holiday destinations including Mauritius, South Africa, Thailand, Seychelles, Turkey, Malaysia and Dubai. Below is a brief guide to 3 of these new golfing destinations.
Mauritius
For best value for golfers, I’d recommend the Belle Mare Plage which offers free green fees on its two 18-hole championship courses, the Legend and the Links. At Belle Mare Plage the Legend course offers a stern test, whilst not particularly long, the course is tricky and has a lot of water! The Links course is more forgiving but again a really top quality layout. Reduced green fees are available at the Le Touessrok Golf Course, which is 15 minutes away, this is a stunning course on a small paradise island, a 10 minute boat transfer is required to play on this truly unique course.
Turkey
LykiaWorld is one of several good five star resorts that have blossomed in the Belek area of Southern Turkey in the last few years. These are served by low cost direct, daily flights to Antalya. Lykia Links Golf Antalya is a stunning golf complex on the shores of the Mediterranean. The 18-hole course set in the sand dunes by the sea was designed by celebrated golf architect Perry Dye (son of Pete Dye).
I’ve recently visited the resort and enjoyed the challenge.
Having played the course I’d endorse it very highly, whilst like most links courses it is reasonably challenging but at no time did I find it punitive. In true links fashion the course requires ‘punch and run’ shots. The quilted fairways have a sense of famous courses in Scotland and an assortment of pot bunkers guard the greens and require reasonably accurate placement on the fairways if you are to score well.
Buggies are available but the walk is not particularly arduous. The course has excellent practice facilities.
I thoroughly enjoyed the views of the sea and the surrounding mountain peaks as well as the daily call to prayer from a distant minaret. The course is definitely one you can enjoy day after day, I played it two days in a row and would happily have played it the following day but had to fly back to colder climes!
Thailand
Having visited Thailand recently I found the standard of the hotels has improved and the golf is better than ever. With its great climate, fantastic scenery and top class hotels, Thailand is a golfing destination with unparalleled variety. You can play a new course every day, with courses designed by the great players and golf architects such as Pete Dye, Peter Thomson, Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo.