Turkey Golf Course Renovations to Watch in 2026
Belek is the engine of Turkish golf, and its resorts rarely sit still. The headline for 2026 is a wholesale reconfiguration at Cullinan Links, alongside the quieter bunker and drainage work that keeps the region's championship courses sharp. Here is what is changing and what it means for your trip.
The headline: Cullinan Links rebuilds its nines
The most significant change in Belek for 2026 is at Cullinan Links, the 36 hole complex that grew out of the former Antalya Golf Club. The club has reorganised its two layouts into a New Olympos Course, which pairs the old Olympos front nine with the Aspendos back nine, and a New Aspendos Course, which joins the Aspendos front nine to the Olympos back. It is a reshuffle of holes rather than a teardown, but it gives both routings a fresh rhythm and changes how a familiar resort plays.
For a region where many courses date from the 2000s building boom, this kind of reconfiguration is a sensible way to keep the product current without the cost and disruption of a full redesign. If Cullinan is on your Belek list, it is worth checking which of the two new layouts is open for your dates, because clubs often stage this sort of work and rotate which 18 is in play.
Bunkers, drainage and the unglamorous work
The other theme across Belek for 2026 is maintenance rather than reinvention. At Gloria Golf Resort, the Old Course is in line for bunker and drainage refurbishment, the patient kind of work that protects a course built more than two decades ago and keeps it draining and playing well through the busy autumn and winter season. It is the sort of project that does not make headlines but matters most to the golfer standing in a freshly rebuilt fairway bunker.
Overseeding is the other date to know. Belek courses transition their turf in early autumn, and clubs publish their windows: the National Golf Club, for example, schedules overseeding in the middle of September. During those weeks a course can be closed or playing soft, so the practical move for a value autumn trip is to confirm each course's overseeding dates before you lock in tee times.
The wider picture in Belek
Belek's strength is density. Within a short drive you have the Montgomerie Maxx Royal, the Nick Faldo course at Cornelia, the two Sueno layouts, Carya's heathland style and the Tom Weiskopf design at the National, so a single base puts a week of championship golf on your doorstep. That concentration is why the region keeps investing: the competition between resorts for the European winter golfer is intense, and presentation is how they win.
The trend, then, is evolution rather than revolution. No major new championship course is opening in Belek in 2026 that we can confirm, but the established names are tuning bunkers, drainage and routings to stay ahead. For travellers that is good news. It means the courses you have read about for years are being looked after, and the surfaces you play in the cool season are the product of real investment.
What it means for your trip, and our take
If you are planning a 2026 Belek trip, build the schedule around two questions: which courses are mid project, and when each one overseeds. The peak window of October through April is when Belek is at its best, mild and dry while northern Europe is frozen, but it overlaps with the autumn turf transition, so a quick check avoids a soft course or a closed nine. Carya, the Montgomerie at Maxx Royal and the National remain the anchors we would build a week around.
Our take is that Belek is doing exactly what a mature resort destination should. The Cullinan reconfiguration freshens a familiar venue, and the bunker and drainage work at Gloria is the unspectacular spending that keeps a course great into its second and third decade. Play Belek in the cool months, confirm the state of play for your dates, and let one of the best value luxury golf trips in the world do the rest.
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Questions
What is changing at Cullinan Links in 2026?
Cullinan Links has reconfigured its two courses into a New Olympos Course, combining the Olympos front nine with the Aspendos back nine, and a New Aspendos Course, combining the Aspendos front nine with the Olympos back nine.
Is any new championship course opening in Belek in 2026?
We cannot confirm a major new championship course opening in Belek in 2026. The activity is reconfiguration and maintenance, including bunker and drainage work at the Gloria Old Course, rather than new builds.
When is the best time to play golf in Belek?
The Belek season is strongest from October through April, mild and dry while northern Europe is cold. Note that courses overseed in early autumn, so confirm each course's transition dates before booking.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Renovation and overseeding details verified June 2026 from resort and industry sources; projects and schedules change, so always confirm directly with the course. Last reviewed June 2026.