Golf Course Architecture - Issue 63, January 2021

43 TEE BOX Images: Tim Lobb A new 18-hole golf course designed by Tim Lobb has opened for preview play in Ankara, Turkey. Regnum Golf & Country Club Ankara is the third project that Lobb has completed with developer Fikret Ozturk in Turkey, joining the Regnum G&CC in Bodrum and Carya Golf Club in Belek. The course is laid out on a 200 hectare site 30 kilometres from the Turkish capital and has over 70 metres of elevation change. Lobb says he worked closely with course superintendent Ufuk Dincer on “giving a wide and strategic playing experience on this rolling, open site, which is very different to most other tree-lined courses found in Turkey.” “We tried to avoid straight uphill holes and worked hard to bounce holes off the contours in a natural fashion, slowly rising and falling in altitude,” said Lobb. Two returning loops of nine provide constant changes in direction, with some adjacent holes having connected fairways. Water comes into play on three holes, including the par-five fifth and alongside the approach and green of the par-three fifteenth. The project has also seen the first Rain Bird IC System installed in Turkey. “I have been fortunate enough to design and open four courses in Turkey over the past 20 years,” said Lobb. “On all projects Rain Bird was selected as the irrigation supplier. They bring a wealth of experience to the region and each individual project in Turkey. We have been working with many of the same people during this period which gives a consistency of performance across all projects.” The course was originally set for an official opening in 2020. But with the pandemic limiting access to the site for personnel and supplies, the course is now scheduled to fully open in spring 2021. Ankara club previews new Lobb course ahead of spring opening