Klassis

Organised golf may have been played in Turkey exactly a hundred years before Klassis Golf and Country Club opened its doors in 1995 but it deserves its own historical recognition for being one of the first modern clubs in the country to embrace the new wave of golfing tourists.

Located in woods outside the holiday resort of Silivri – fifty miles west of Istanbul – on the shores of the Marmara Sea, the club offers many sporting activities ranging from horse riding to swimming, tennis to basketball. And for those who take an extended visit, there is the convenience of a 116-room hotel on site.

Designed by Tony Jacklin, the 6,869-yard golf course at Klassis is configured with four par threes, five par fives and nine par fours, giving an overall par of 73. Water only comes into play on three holes, but one of these, the 188-yard, par three, 9th is considered the signature hole. It’s played from an elevated tee across a lake to a tricky two-tiered green on the other side where two putts for par can never be guaranteed.