Interviews

Oakmont: An interview with Gil Hanse

With the 2025 US Open arriving at Oakmont, Richard Humphreys spoke with the architect, who renovated the course in 2023, about what to expect

Martin Ebert: Design journey

With a portfolio that includes eight of the ten Open venues, Mackenzie & Ebert occupies an enviable position in the golf design industry. Adam Lawrence spoke with principal Martin Ebert to learn how they got there

Designs for the big screen

Chad Goetz and Agustin Piza discuss their design decisions for the virtual holes that featured in the first season of TGL

Bob Harrison: Wizard of Oz

The Australian designer has had a long career and, like many of his countrymen, has spent much of it away from home. Adam Lawrence listened to his tales from the road

Ben Cowan-Dewar: Shock and awe

Golf development firm Cabot now has properties in six countries. Richard Humphreys speaks with co-founder and CEO Ben Cowan-Dewar about what makes a great site, selection of golf course architects, and more

Team building

Turfgrass has launched its US arm with the appointment of John Lawrence, Adam Moeller and Brad Owen. Richard Humphreys speaks with them, Turfgrass founder John Clarkin and director of agronomy Julian Mooney to find out more

Brian Curley: Life of Brian

The designer has surely clocked up more air miles than anyone else in the business. Adam Lawrence caught up with him in between flights to discuss his career and his new venture with Jim Wagner

Oakmont: An interview with Gil Hanse

With the 2025 US Open arriving at Oakmont, Richard Humphreys spoke with the architect, who renovated the course in 2023, about what to expect

Martin Ebert: Design journey

With a portfolio that includes eight of the ten Open venues, Mackenzie & Ebert occupies an enviable position in the golf design industry. Adam Lawrence spoke with principal Martin Ebert to learn how they got there

Designs for the big screen

Chad Goetz and Agustin Piza discuss their design decisions for the virtual holes that featured in the first season of TGL

Bob Harrison: Wizard of Oz

The Australian designer has had a long career and, like many of his countrymen, has spent much of it away from home. Adam Lawrence listened to his tales from the road

Ben Cowan-Dewar: Shock and awe

Golf development firm Cabot now has properties in six countries. Richard Humphreys speaks with co-founder and CEO Ben Cowan-Dewar about what makes a great site, selection of golf course architects, and more

Team building

Turfgrass has launched its US arm with the appointment of John Lawrence, Adam Moeller and Brad Owen. Richard Humphreys speaks with them, Turfgrass founder John Clarkin and director of agronomy Julian Mooney to find out more

Brian Curley: Life of Brian

The designer has surely clocked up more air miles than anyone else in the business. Adam Lawrence caught up with him in between flights to discuss his career and his new venture with Jim Wagner

Richard Humphreys
/ Categories: News

Ankara’s first full-length course now in construction

Construction is now in progress on what will be the first full-length eighteen-hole course in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

The course has been designed by Tim Lobb and will be his fourth in Turkey, and his third working with developer Fikret Ozturk, who is the CEO of Turkish petroleum firm Opet.

Construction of the Regnum Ankara Golf Estate course is being overseen by Naki Evandir of Golf Tek, who has collaborated with Lobb on previous projects.

“The site is 200 hectares and slopes towards the city, with 70 metres of fall from one side to the other. In the distance you can see Ankara city, and the property is bounded by mountains,” said Lobb. “Ankara is growing rapidly, in the direction of our site, and so both the golf course and the associated housing estate, which has been master planned by my old friend Adam Crozier of Hatch, should be excellent propositions.”

Uniquely for Turkey, the Ankara course will have cool season grasses. “We’ll definitely have fescue roughs, and I want to incorporate some random shaping,” added Lobb. “There are only a couple of trees on the entire property – it has a prairie-type feel.”

There will be elevation changes on the course which will help to provide views of the surrounding mountain ranges and Ankara. “I’ve tried to restrict the uphill holes. Obviously, you must climb, but I don’t like holes that just go straight uphill.

“Some of the highlights will be the third, a downhill par five with the city of Ankara in the distance, and the par-four fourteenth, which is being shaped now, and plays over a natural valley.”

Lobb’s design is intended to produce “a flowing golf course” that is also “player friendly” as GCA reported before construction began.

Construction is expected to be completed in summer 2019.

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Slideshow HTML
  • Ankara

    Construction is in progress on the new Regnum Ankara Golf Estate course in Turkey

  • Ankara

    The site is located approximately 30 kilometres from the Turkish capital Ankara

  • Ankara

    The course will be the city’s first full-length eighteen holes

  • Cumberwell

    Lobb, left, with Naki Evandir and Cengiz from the construction team

Richard Humphreys

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