Golf guide • Turkey • Aegean coast

Golf in Bodrum: a course among the olive trees, above the Aegean

Bodrum, on Turkey's Aegean coast, offers a single great course: the Regnum Golf & Country Club, an eighteen-hole layout by Tim Lobb opened in 2018 in an olive grove in the peninsula's interior, about twenty-five minutes from town. Golfers come less to play course after course than to pair a few rounds with the sea, the grand hotels of the coast and two Michelin-starred restaurants. The best months are March to May, October and November.

Plan this tripUpdated 11 October 2026

Bodrum sits at the tip of a peninsula cut with coves, facing the Greek island of Kos. Ancient Halicarnassus, birthplace of Herodotus, saw the rise of the Tomb of Mausolus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, whose stones ended up in the walls of the castle built by the Knights of St John. Around the harbour, white cube-shaped houses step down towards the boats moored along the quay.

Let us be frank: Bodrum is not a golf destination in the way Belek is. The peninsula has only one full-size eighteen-hole course, the Regnum Golf & Country Club, laid out by the London architect Tim Lobb in an inland valley of olive trees and pines. The Turkish federation lists a second club on the peninsula, Bodrum Golf Kulübü, a compact nine-hole course at Ortakent, useful for practice but not for a golf trip.

So the trip is built differently: two or three rounds at the Regnum, in the cool of the morning, then the afternoon at sea, by a pool or in a coastal village. Yalıkavak and its marina to the west, Göltürkbükü to the north, Gümüşlük and its sunken ruins at the tip: each bay has its own character, and grilled fish is eaten facing the sea.

The courses

Fairway winding between old olive trees and a small lake, at the foot of rocky hills covered in scrub

Regnum Golf & Country Club Bodrum

Architect: Tim Lobb
Opened 2018
18 holes
Par 71

Opened in 2018, the Regnum is the first eighteen-hole course on the Bodrum peninsula, the work of the same pairing as Carya in Belek: the architect Tim Lobb and the developer Fikret Öztürk. It unfolds at almost 500 metres above sea level, in the Çamlık area, on rocky, rolling ground that Lobb largely designed on site. This par 71 of just over 6,000 metres from the back tees winds between lakes, pines and a still-working olive grove, whose oil the club sells. Few bunkers, plenty of contour: a pleasant course for every level, cooler than the coast.

Where to stay

The Bodrum EDITION

In Yalıkavak, The Bodrum EDITION terraces around a hundred rooms, suites and villas down a hillside to its own beach, almost all facing the Aegean. Reception is at the top and everything else below, linked by paths and stairs: ask for a Premier Sea View room, whose colonnaded balcony takes a dining table, and for a buggy for the luggage. The Michelin-starred Kitchen is on site; allow around forty minutes to the Regnum.

Maçakızı

In 1977 Ayla Emiroğlu, nicknamed Maçakızı, the Queen of Spades, opened a small guesthouse in Bodrum that became a refuge for Istanbul's bohemians; her son Sahir Erozan moved it to Türkbükü bay in 2000. Ask for a sea-view room, spend the afternoon on the wooden deck above the water and dine at chef Aret Sahakyan's Michelin-starred table. The house closes in early November; the Regnum is about thirty-five minutes away.

Beige stone buildings terraced on a pine-covered hill, above a turquoise bay and a wooden jetty

Where to dine

Kitchen by Osman Sezener

The restaurant of The Bodrum EDITION, in Yalıkavak, holds a Michelin star. Chef Osman Sezener cooks Aegean fish and shellfish with herbs and vegetables from the hotel's gardens and neighbouring farms. Order the grilled local prawns with their prawn mayonnaise, and ask for a terrace table above the bay. In the shoulder season it opens on fewer days: call ahead.

Sait

Sait started out in 1993 with a handful of tables in Bodrum; today it is a family-run restaurant selected by the Michelin Guide, with a terrace on Yalıkavak marina. The day's catch is laid out on ice: choose your fish, then share dolmas or a prawn ceviche with citrus and dill. Arrive before sunset for a table at the edge of the quay.

Otantik Ocakbaşı

In town, on Atatürk Caddesi, this ocakbaşı, the Turkish grill house cooking over embers, has fed Bodrum's residents since the late 1990s and opens every day. The grill and the wood-fired oven face the entrance; take a table on the small terrace in the lane behind and order the mixed grill, with bread fresh from the oven and a pinch of sumac. The easy supper after a round at the Regnum, twenty-five minutes away.

Seaside taverna table at sunset, grilled fish and meze, small boats and a rocky islet in the background

Beyond golf

St Peter's Castle and underwater archaeology

The Knights of St John began the castle that closes off Bodrum harbour in 1402. Since 1962 it has housed the Museum of Underwater Archaeology, one of the most important of its kind. Highlights include the cargo of the Uluburun wreck, dated to the Bronze Age: ingots of Cypriot copper, tin and glass. In the walls, look out for the polished marble blocks taken from the Mausoleum.

In the footsteps of the Mausoleum

Raised around 350 BC for Mausolus and Artemisia II, the tomb, some 45 metres high, gave its name to every mausoleum since. Earthquakes ruined it, then the Knights reused its stones to fortify their castle. On the site, in town, only the foundations remain; the great sculpted friezes are in the British Museum. The ancient theatre of Halicarnassus can still be visited in town.

Gümüşlük and ancient Myndos

At the western tip of the peninsula, Gümüşlük is built on the site of ancient Myndos, part of whose waterfront slid beneath the sea after an earthquake. The remains, on land and underwater, are protected, which has spared the village from development. Opposite the village, Rabbit Island closes off the bay, and people come to watch the sun set over the Aegean.

When to go

March to May is the best period: highs rise from 18 to 27°C, the countryside is green and the Regnum, at altitude, stays cool. October and November are just as good, between 21 and 26°C, with a sea that is still warm and fewer people. From June to September highs top 30°C and the coast is very busy: play at dawn. Winter is mild but rainy, especially in January.

Getting there

Milas-Bodrum airport (BJV) lies 36 kilometres north-east of town: allow about three-quarters of an hour by road to Bodrum, a little more to Yalıkavak. The Regnum is around thirty kilometres from the airport. A hire car or a driver is essential for getting between the bays and the course. Ferries link the harbour with the Greek island of Kos.

Frequently asked questions

How many golf courses are there in Bodrum?

Just one full-size eighteen-hole course: the Regnum Golf & Country Club, opened in 2018. The Turkish federation also lists Bodrum Golf Kulübü, a compact nine-hole course at Ortakent. The next course, Kuşadası International Golf Club, is about two hours' drive away.

Is Bodrum a good destination for a golf holiday?

For a trip that combines golf, sea and fine dining, yes; to play a different course every day, no. For that, Belek, on the Turkish Riviera, is better suited.

Who designed the Regnum Golf & Country Club in Bodrum?

The British architect Tim Lobb, with the developer Fikret Öztürk, who had already worked together on Carya Golf Club in Belek. This par 71 was largely designed on the ground, in an olive grove at almost 500 metres above sea level.

When is the best time to play golf in Bodrum?

From March to May, then in October and November, with highs between 18 and 27°C. Summer is very hot and the coast very busy.

Where should you stay in Bodrum for golf?

The Regnum is in the peninsula's interior, about twenty-five minutes from Bodrum. The grand hotels are on the coast, at Türkbükü or Yalıkavak, thirty-five to forty minutes from the course: a reasonable drive for two or three rounds.

Tailor-made

Your golf trip: Bodrum

Tee times, suites, transfers and tables: your concierge replies within 24 hours with a proposal shaped around you.

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