Andy DevaneyDalaman Golf Club will officially open on 30 August, giving the Turkish Riviera a new 18-hole championship course and Dalaman something it has not previously had: a serious argument for golf travellers to arrive outside the usual summer rush.
Managed by Hilton Dalaman Sarıgerme Resort & Golf and just 20 minutes from Dalaman International Airport, the project is designed to do more than add another amenity to a luxury hotel.
Its backers want to turn the region into a year-round golf destination. That is the easy sentence. The harder part is persuading golfers who already know Türkiye through Belek to point their clubs somewhere else.
Dalaman golf course puts the landscape to work
The first impression, at least on paper, is that the architects have been given plenty to play with. International Design Group has laid out a par-72 course measuring 6,152 metres from the back tees, or 6,728 yards, across natural sandy soil.
There are 55 bunkers, significant elevation changes and 15 natural water hazards, with the Mediterranean providing the sort of backdrop that can make a three-putt feel briefly less consequential.
The course sits among pine forests, wetlands and an extensive stretch of Mediterranean coastline. The developers say sustainable practices have shaped construction in this biologically diverse setting, a claim that will matter because golf developments are judged increasingly by how lightly they sit on their surroundings, not merely by how photogenic the 18th looks at sunset.
The wider club will include a golf academy, extensive practice facilities, a premium clubhouse, dining and contemporary social spaces. In other words, the intention is to build the machinery of a golf destination rather than simply cut 18 holes into resort land.
Can Dalaman become Türkiye’s next Belek?
That is the central wager. Belek is already one of Europe’s recognised golf destinations; Dalaman is starting with a single championship course and a large ambition.
One course does not make a golf region, however well raked the bunkers. But a major resort, an international airport nearby and a landscape suited to leisure travel give the project some useful cards before the first competitive score is posted.
Mustafa Göçen, chairman of Göçay-Onur Tourism Management Inc., makes no attempt to disguise the scale of the plan.
“The Dalaman Golf Club is not simply a new golf facility,” said Göçen. “It is a strategic destination investment that strengthens the overall experience offered by Hilton Dalaman Sarıgerme Resort & Golf while contributing to Dalaman’s long-term vision as a year-round international tourism destination.
“Our ambition is to create a lifestyle destination where championship golf, wellness, gastronomy and nature come together seamlessly. We are investing not only in our resort, but also in the long-term international value and sustainable development of the Dalaman region.
“Türkiye possesses exceptional natural and cultural assets. Golf tourism is one of the most valuable sectors for sustainable tourism growth. We believe this investment will create lasting value not only for Hilton Dalaman, but also for Dalaman and the wider Turkish tourism industry.
“Belek has become one of Europe’s leading golf destinations. With its remarkable natural landscape and accessibility, Dalaman has every opportunity to become another internationally recognised golfing destination.”
The comparison is useful because it sets a clear benchmark. It is also a reminder that destinations are built through repeat airlift, tour-operator confidence, tournament visibility, multiple reasons to stay and, eventually, habit. Dalaman has the access. The next task is to create the habit.
Hilton Dalaman sees golf as a year-round engine
The timing is not accidental. Hilton Dalaman opened in 2009, and the owners frame the golf club as part of a longer attempt to reduce the region’s dependence on a short leisure season.
Board member Aslı Çetinceviz points to the resort’s earlier investment in business tourism as evidence of that approach.
“When we first arrived in Sarıgerme, we recognised the extraordinary potential of this region. Since then, every investment has been made with the vision of creating lasting value for both our guests and the local community.
“Fifteen years ago, we opened the region’s first congress centre, helping establish Dalaman as a year-round destination. Today, The Dalaman Golf Club represents another major milestone that will encourage further investment in golf, hospitality and tourism infrastructure throughout the region.”
Fellow board member Mehmet Göçen puts the golf course in the same long-term frame.
“Since opening Hilton Dalaman in 2009, our philosophy has always been to invest with a long-term vision. Every success has been reinvested into Türkiye’s tourism industry.
“With the opening of The Dalaman Golf Club, we are proud to introduce the region’s first 18-hole championship golf course. We believe it will attract golfers from around the world, enhance Dalaman’s international competitiveness and play an important role in reducing seasonality.”
There is a commercial logic to that ambition. Golf gives resorts a product that can sit alongside accommodation, food, wellness and other leisure facilities, while its value to a destination depends less on beach weather alone.
The strength of that year-round proposition will ultimately be judged by the offer golfers that actually book.
Twenty minutes from the airport is a useful opening shot
Golf travellers are not famous for loving long coach transfers, particularly after an early flight and a baggage-hall wrestling match with a hard travel case. Dalaman Golf Club’s location, around 20 minutes from the international airport, may therefore prove one of its most practical advantages.
General manager Ümit Yaşar Atalay describes the course as part of the resort rather than an isolated sporting add-on.
“This is far more than an additional facility – it is a strategic enhancement of our guest experience. By combining championship golf with luxury accommodation, exceptional gastronomy, wellness and breathtaking natural surroundings, we are creating an entirely new level of resort experience.
“Our objective is not simply to attract new golfers, but to establish Dalaman as a permanent destination on the international golf tourism map.”
That integration matters. A golfer choosing between established destinations and a newcomer rarely buys a course in isolation; the surrounding stay, transfer time, food, practice facilities and ease of arranging the trip all count. Dalaman’s advantage is that many of those pieces already sit in one resort ecosystem.
The bigger test starts after opening day
Club director Mitat Batır is already looking beyond the opening tee sheet towards partnerships, tournaments and player development.
“Our ambition is to establish The Dalaman Golf Club among the leading golf destinations in the Mediterranean by developing strong international partnerships with golf clubs, tour operators and industry stakeholders. We also aim to host international tournaments while supporting the next generation of golfers through our golf academy.”
Those are sensible priorities. International tournaments can supply visibility; tour operators can supply volume; an academy can give the club roots deeper than the arrivals hall. None guarantees that Dalaman will become another Belek, but together they show the project understands that destination golf is an ecosystem, not a single immaculate fairway.
For travelling golfers, the immediate proposition is straightforward: a new championship course, substantial practice facilities, resort-level hospitality and a short airport transfer, all wrapped in a part of Türkiye already built around international tourism.
The Mediterranean view may sell the first tee time. The measure of Dalaman Golf Club will be whether golfers book the second trip.
The Dalaman Golf Club officially opens on August 30, 2026, marking the beginning of a new chapter for golf tourism in Türkiye.
