Gloria Old Course Belek, Turkiye
Golf travel journalist James Mason from www.planetgolfreview.com planetgolfreview.co.uk and www.sportsjournalist.info takes a trip to Belek, Türkiye to Play Gloria Old Course. Golf holiday review.
Gloria old
After the perfect golfers lunch of a steak sandwich and a few cold beers I crash my drive down the 1st hole on the Old course and to be honest I am already impressed with the design. There are four umbrella pines at the edge of the water and if you place your ball in the right position you can have crack at the green on this risk and reward opening par 5 hole, which weighs in at 527 yards – and like the New course there are four teeing options here.
There is a beautifully designed stone wall that fronts the green from the fairway, which I have managed to hit and watch my ball bounce back into the water – all risk and no reward for me going for the green in two!
The first of two par 3s on the front nine comes at the 2nd and again is another aesthetically pleasing design, measuring 192 yards played over water to a green that has a stone wall similar to the first hole and a bunker at the back of the green.
The second of the par 3s on this nine arrives at the 7th and again plays over water and measures 127 to 199 yards.
Water also comes into play at the 8th, where it runs down the right side of the fairway and is again risk and reward with your second shot if you are going for the green in two. You not only have the water to carry but also a bunker that wraps itself around the front of the green.
Like the new course this morning there are three par 5 on the front nine of the old course and the final one is framed by pines and brings this nine to a close.
The back nine opens up with a short par 3 at 154 yards, but there are three of them on this nine and there are some fantastic par 4s before you get to what would in my opinion vie for signature hole status with the 2nd hole on this course, is the par 3 14th. Again played over water and measuring 195 yards with a large bunker wrapping itself around the front and left of the green and a bunker right, for me the 2nd gets that accolade but I am sure you may see it differently.
The final par 3, unusually, brings the course to a close, but I have enjoyed playing both courses. The Old does come out on top for me, but if I only got to play the New I certainly wouldn’t be disappointed as they are both wonderfully designed golf courses.