Ankara’s first full-length course now in construction

Construction is now in progress on what will be the first full-length eighteen-hole course in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

The course has been designed by Tim Lobb and will be his fourth in Turkey, and his third working with developer Fikret Ozturk, who is the CEO of Turkish petroleum firm Opet.

Construction of the Regnum Ankara Golf Estate course is being overseen by Naki Evandir of Golf Tek, who has collaborated with Lobb on previous projects.

“The site is 200 hectares and slopes towards the city, with 70 metres of fall from one side to the other. In the distance you can see Ankara city, and the property is bounded by mountains,” said Lobb. “Ankara is growing rapidly, in the direction of our site, and so both the golf course and the associated housing estate, which has been master planned by my old friend Adam Crozier of Hatch, should be excellent propositions.”

Uniquely for Turkey, the Ankara course will have cool season grasses. “We’ll definitely have fescue roughs, and I want to incorporate some random shaping,” added Lobb. “There are only a couple of trees on the entire property – it has a prairie-type feel.”

There will be elevation changes on the course which will help to provide views of the surrounding mountain ranges and Ankara. “I’ve tried to restrict the uphill holes. Obviously, you must climb, but I don’t like holes that just go straight uphill.

“Some of the highlights will be the third, a downhill par five with the city of Ankara in the distance, and the par-four fourteenth, which is being shaped now, and plays over a natural valley.”

Lobb’s design is intended to produce “a flowing golf course” that is also “player friendly” as GCA reported before construction began.

Construction is expected to be completed in summer 2019.

Richard HumphreysRichard Humphreys

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