Belek sets the bar high in golf, aims to host 2019 Solheim Cup

From the balcony of a luxury hotel room in the Mediterranean resort town of Belek, overlooking swimming pools and a golf course, the fierce political debates with 17 days to go for the general elections seem so distant. Under the scorching sun, even President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an?s high-toned rebuke to the media is music to the ears.

I was in Belek for two days upon an invitation by the Carya Golf Club, which hosted the seventh edition of the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open, the Turkey leg of the Ladies European Tour (LET). It is the seventh time the tour has visited Turkey?s top golfing destination, which has proven itself in recent years as a venue for international tournaments.

With its 18 golf courses, Belek has also hosted the Turkish Airlines Open, a part of the European Tour that has attracted superstar players such as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. The town also hosted a leg of the European Challenge Tour last week, with Turkish Airlines investing in the sport as a major sponsor.

Buoyed by the success of the events held so far, the organizers of the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open have now set a higher target: To bring the 2019 Solheim Cup to Turkey.

?The Solheim Cup is a very popular event with a broad audience,? Bülent Göktuna, chairman of Mineks International and the president of National Golf Club, told a group of journalists in Belek on May 19. ?We have submitted a bid to host the event at the National when it comes back to Europe in 2019.?

Göktuna said the race will be tough and coming up with the estimated cost of 10 to 15 million euros for the biennial tournament, which pits teams from the United States and Europe against each other, will be a challenge, but they are up for it.

?Maybe we have set the bar...