Golf guide • Turkey • Marmara

Golf in Istanbul: Belgrad Forest, Silivri and a city between two seas

Istanbul is not a destination for intensive golf: only two eighteen-hole courses serve the city, Kemer Golf & Country Club, in the Belgrad Forest, 40 to 50 minutes from the centre outside rush hour, and Tony Jacklin's course at Silivri, formerly Klassis, about 1 hour 20 minutes away. Golfers come to slip two or three rounds into a stay devoted to the city, between bazaars, the Bosphorus and its tables, from Mikla's starred rooftop to the meze of Tarabya. The best periods are April to June and September to October.

Plan this tripUpdated 11 October 2026

Istanbul spreads across both shores of the Bosphorus, the strait that links the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and separates Europe from Asia. The historic peninsula, listed by UNESCO, gathers Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapı Palace; opposite, across the Golden Horn, Beyoğlu and Karaköy are packed with galleries, rooftop terraces and modern restaurants. The ferries crossing from one shore to the other are as much a part of daily life as of the scenery.

Golf here remains a club affair. The city has only two eighteen-hole courses, both on the European side. Kemer Golf & Country Club occupies the wooded hills of the Belgrad Forest, to the north, near the new airport. The second, designed by Tony Jacklin and opened in 1994 under the name Klassis, lies in the wooded hills of Silivri, near the Sea of Marmara, some 70 kilometres west of the centre as the crow flies; it is now run by the Turkish Golf Federation.

A successful trip is therefore built the other way round from a classic golf holiday: three or four days in the city, two or three rounds scheduled early in the morning to beat the traffic, and the rest of the time for the bazaars, the Bosphorus and the restaurants. For those who want to play course after course, better to extend the trip to Belek, on the Antalya coast, by domestic flight.

The courses

Green and flag at the end of a rolling fairway lined with oaks in autumn colours and pines

Kemer Golf & Country Club

Architect: Joan Dudok van Heel
18 holes
Par 73

Kemer Golf & Country Club is Istanbul's benchmark course. Designed by the Dutch architect Joan Dudok van Heel in the mid-1990s, first as nine holes and soon extended to eighteen, this par 73 winds between the oaks of the Belgrad Forest, over hills where ponds and changes in elevation demand careful ball placement. It is known as short but narrow: precision matters more than length. The club, a pioneer of Turkish golf, hosts more than fifty national and international tournaments each year. Visitors play on payment of a green fee, with caddies on request.

Official website

TGF Silivri Golf Sahası

Architect: Tony Jacklin
Opened 1994
18 holes
Par 72

Opened in 1994 as Klassis Golf & Country Club, this Tony Jacklin championship course survived the club's closure at the end of 2012: the Turkish Golf Federation took over the site, renamed TGF Silivri. A par 72 of 6,032 metres, it is played over broken ground among oaks, with four par 3s and four par 5s. It hosted European Challenge Tour events in 1997 and 1998. A nine-hole academy course and a large driving range complete the facility. This is a demanding course, best kept for good players willing to make the drive.

Official website

Where to stay

Kemer Country Hotel

Right beside the course, the Kemer Country Hotel sits at the heart of the country club in the Belgrad Forest. The Autoban studio designed its twenty-eight rooms, with wooden floors and tall windows onto the greenery. Ask for a Premium with terrace, facing the pool and the forest. The airport is half an hour away, the old city 40 to 50 minutes outside rush hour.

Hotel Empress Zoe

In Sultanahmet, two sisters run the Empress Zoe, named after the Byzantine empress whose mosaic graces Hagia Sophia. Twenty-three rooms fill old Turkish houses around a garden bordered by the ruins of a hammam built in 1483. Ask for the Penthouse Suite: a marble Turkish-style bathroom and a private terrace facing the Blue Mosque. In the evening the bar moves to the garden in summer, beside the fireplace in winter.

Sirkeci Mansion

On the edge of Gülhane Park, a few minutes' walk from Hagia Sophia, the Sirkeci Mansion has an indoor pool and a hammam, welcome after a day on foot or a trip to the course. Ask for a Deluxe on the top floor, with a jacuzzi and a terrace over the trees of Gülhane. Tea is offered in the afternoon, and the chef teaches Turkish cooking on Fridays at 2pm.

Cobbled lane lined with ochre Ottoman houses, wisteria in bloom and a lit lantern above a door

Where to dine

Mikla

Opened in 2005 by chef Mehmet Gürs, Mikla occupies the eighteenth floor of The Marmara Pera hotel in Beyoğlu, with a 360-degree view over the city. Holding a Michelin star, its 'New Anatolian Kitchen' draws on produce from every corner of Anatolia. Book for opening time, 6pm, and have a drink first at the rooftop bar: last food orders are at 9.30pm. Closed on Sundays.

Kıyı

Facing Tarabya marina, on the European shore of the Bosphorus, Kıyı has served meze and the day's catch on white tablecloths since the 1960s, among wood panelling and contemporary art. Ask for a table upstairs, on the marina side, start with lakerda, octopus and aubergine salad, then the seasonal fish, grilled or steamed. Twenty kilometres from Kemer, it is the natural dinner after a round.

Restaurant terrace with white-clothed, candlelit tables facing the water and illuminated mosques

Beyond golf

The Grand Bazaar and the historic peninsula

Begun in 1455–1456 under Mehmed II, shortly after the conquest of Constantinople, the Grand Bazaar has sixty-one covered streets and more than four thousand shops: carpets, ceramics, jewellery, copperware. Come early, before the crowds. It lies at the heart of the Historic Areas of Istanbul, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, which are easy to explore on foot from Sultanahmet, from Hagia Sophia to the Süleymaniye Mosque.

The Bosphorus by boat

The best view of Istanbul is from the water. Public ferries and private boats sail up the Bosphorus between the two continents, past Ottoman palaces, the fortresses of Rumeli and Anadolu Hisarı and the yalı, wooden mansions set right at the water's edge. Plan the trip for late afternoon, when the light turns the façades golden, then dine on the Asian shore.

The Belgrad Forest

Around the Kemer course, the Belgrad Forest covers more than 5,500 hectares of oaks, dams and Ottoman aqueducts, including those of Kemerburgaz and Mağlova, built during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. A 6.5-kilometre jogging trail starts from the Neşet spring, and the Atatürk Arboretum brings together more than two thousand species: a fine walk before or after your round.

When to go

Spring, from April to June, and autumn, from September to October, offer the best conditions: mild temperatures, courses in good shape and superb light on the Bosphorus. July and August are hot and above all muggy, with high humidity; play at first light. From November to March rain is frequent, snow is possible and the south-westerly lodos wind can blow hard; some days remain playable, but with no guarantee.

Getting there

Istanbul Airport (IST), on the European side, has direct flights from the major European cities. Allow 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes to Sultanahmet or Beyoğlu depending on traffic, and half an hour to Kemer. Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW), on the Asian side, is further from the courses. A car with driver is a must for your rounds: Kemer is 40 to 50 minutes from the centre outside rush hour, Silivri about 1 hour 20 minutes.

Frequently asked questions

How many golf courses are there in Istanbul?

Two eighteen-hole courses: Kemer Golf & Country Club, in the Belgrad Forest, and TGF Silivri Golf, formerly Klassis, at Silivri. There is also a small six-hole course at Ataşehir, on the Asian side, but Istanbul lends itself above all to a trip where the city matters as much as the golf.

What is the best golf course in Istanbul?

Kemer Golf & Country Club, a par 73 designed by Joan Dudok van Heel in the Belgrad Forest, is the closest to the centre and the airport, and the busiest. Tony Jacklin's course at Silivri, further out, is hillier and more demanding.

Does Klassis Golf & Country Club still exist?

Klassis Golf & Country Club closed at the end of 2012, but its Tony Jacklin course is still played: the Turkish Golf Federation runs it as TGF Silivri Golf Sahası, and Klassis Golf Kulübü is based there.

How long does it take to get to a golf course from central Istanbul?

Allow 40 to 50 minutes to Kemer outside rush hour, often more than an hour at peak times, and about 1 hour 20 minutes to Silivri, up to two hours in heavy traffic. Leaving before 7am changes everything.

When is the best time to play golf in Istanbul?

From April to June and from September to October. Summer is hot and humid, winter rainy and sometimes snowy.

Tailor-made

Your golf trip: Istanbul

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

Fairway lined with umbrella pines and pale sand beside a lake, in front of limestone mountains in the evening haze

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Aegean harbour with white houses tiered up a hillside, a stone fortress on a headland and a wooden gulet in the bay

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