- The Dalaman Golf Club was officially inaugurated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 30.
- The club hosted the 36-hole 2026 Turkish Golf Federation Republic Cup.
- The par-72 measures 6,123 metres, with 15 natural water hazards and 55 bunkers.
The Dalaman Golf Club has had its formal opening, two months after the first golfers teed it up. Dr Osman Aşkın Bak, Türkiye’s minister of youth and sports, former foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Turkish Golf Federation (TGF) president Yıldırım Demirören led the guests at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, October 30.
The ceremony followed a run of firsts at the course. The Founding Preview Invitational was played on August 30, and the club opened for play on September 1. Its first international event came in late October, when the Balkan Senior Tour staged its Grand Final there.
A national fixture for Republic Day
The ceremony was timed to coincide with the 2026 TGF Republic Cup. The federation organised the 36-hole national tournament, played on October 29 and 30, to mark Republic Day, with titles contested across several categories.
For a club that wants to become a regular venue for national competition, having the federation bring one of its own events to Dalaman so soon after opening is a notable endorsement.
Also in attendance were Mustafa Göçen, chairman of the board of Hilton Dalaman Sarıgerme Resort & Golf and The Dalaman Golf Club, and vice-chairman Onur Çetinceviz. Board members İhsan Çetinceviz, Aslı Çetinceviz, Mehmet Göçen and Erdal Eren attended alongside general manager Ümit Yaşar Atalay, local and regional officials, and figures from the tourism industry.
The course
International Design Group routed the par-72 between the Mediterranean coastline and the landscape around the Dalaman River. It measures 6,123 metres from the championship tees, with 15 natural water hazards and 55 bunkers. Practice facilities include a driving range with TrackMan, short-game areas and a golf academy, and the clubhouse has a restaurant and pro shop.
The neighbouring Hilton Dalaman Sarıgerme Resort & Golf developed the club and manages it. The resort sits about 20 minutes from Dalaman International Airport and has 550 rooms, suites and Lake House suites, an ultra-all-inclusive dining offer, a 650-metre private beach and the Elysion Spa. Earlier this autumn the club launched stay-and-play packages from €814 per person.
What comes next
The club says it wants to attract international tournaments and use its academy to develop young golfers. Its owners have set a clear benchmark further along the coast. Before the opening, Göçen pointed to Belek.
“Belek has become one of Europe’s leading golf destinations,” Göçen said. “With its remarkable natural landscape and accessibility, Dalaman has every opportunity to become another internationally recognised golfing destination.”
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Related: Recep Turan Wins Balkan Senior Tour Final as Dalaman Golf Club Makes Its Tournament Debut
Simon Bale
Simon Bale is the publisher of Golf Today. A low single-figure handicap golfer, he was previously a major shareholder and course reviewer for Top100GolfCourses.com for over a decade, starting in 2010. Through this role, he developed extensive knowledge of golf course design and architecture while playing more than 300 courses worldwide.