TPL’s Carya Golf Club voted into Top 100 Courses in Europe
Thomson Perrett & Lobb's heathland inspired Carya Golf Club has been listed in Europe's Top 100 courses just 11 months after opening.
The course, designed by the golf course architecture practice founded by five-times Open champion Peter Thomson, has taken its place among the best courses on the Continent after being ranked in UK magazine Golf World's Top 100 Courses in Europe.
This comes hot on the heels of the course, in Belek, Antalya, being chosen to host Turkey's first European Challenge Tour event for 11 years, when it stages the Turkish Challenge from April 26-29 next year.
Tim Lobb, TPL principal, said: "When Peter, Ross and I started out nearly five years ago we had a vision to create top quality developments, and Carya has proved to be just that. Being placed in Europe's Top 100 Courses, just six months after opening is extremely pleasing for all of us."
By the end of the year the club will receive a further boost when a brand new on-site short game academy, also designed by TPL, will open for play.
The new academy will include three chipping greens, two putting greens, practice bunkers, including a fairway bunker, practice tee, short iron target area and a video analysis facility.
There will be separate Bermuda grass and Bent grass putting and chipping greens, giving golfers the opportunity to fine-tune their game for any golfing environment.
Carya Golf Club was inspired by the classic heathland courses in the UK, and in a first-of-its-kind project, the heather was propagated on-site in specially constructed glasshouses.
"The course has bedded in extremely well, and the concept has been well received," added Tim Lobb. "We have now laid the foundation of the heather and we look forward to seeing that grow and mature. Nearly all of the million plants we propagated have now been planted, but it is an on-going process with more plants being grown all the time."
Carya Golf Club is designed to be enjoyed by all golfers. The free flowing holes run between pine and eucalyptus trees and across a dramatic sand ridge. From the Championship tees, the 7,186 yard (6,570 metres), par 72 course, is a demanding test of golfing strategy - while tourists playing from the Regular tees (6,366 yards / 5,821 metres) will appreciate the generous fairways and enjoyable approaches.
Carya Golf Club has also opened a luxurious new clubhouse to welcome international visitors, featuring comfortable changing facilities and a stylish outdoor terrace bar, resonating to the sounds of a cooling water feature.