Son Gual - Balearic Islands - Spain

I was unfortunate with the weather when I visited Son Gual two weeks ago as it was what they call in Ireland a “soft morning” with light rain falling until lunchtime. It dampened the spirits somewhat but it certainly didn’t stop quite a few golfers heading out for a hit as soon as it brightened up a bit.

Interestingly, for such a big muscular layout, there are six sets of tees on every hole here and I noticed particular attention was paid to allow golfers playing the shortest red tees a decent passage from tee box to fairway on every hole, which is exactly how it should be for those who don’t hit the ball so far but still pay the same green fee!

Some might think it’s a pity there are so many water hazards on the course but when you look at the old aerial pictures in the clubhouse lobby to see how flat the property was originally, then you realize material for creating movement in the land had to be obtained by excavating several lakes which could then be brought into the playing strategy.

My favourite holes on the front nine included the short par four 3rd (where lots of sand and a very interesting saddle-shaped green are the main protectors of par) and the slightly uphill, right doglegging par four 7th (which plays through a little valley as it narrows towards a long, hourglass-shaped green).

On the longer back nine, I liked both the par threes at #15 and #17: the first one is probably Son Gual’s “signature hole,” played to a green that’s benched into a hillside green in front of the old manor house, and the second one features water and sand to the front right of the putting surface. They’re two tough holes but both offer very reasonable bail out areas for lesser players.

The par five 18th is a mighty par five that fully justifies its stroke index rating of 2. The fairway slides to the left off the tee, so there’s no initial view of the flag. A fair-sized pond then has to be carried to the second portion of fairway before contemplating an approach to a home green which has more water to the right of the target – what an epic finish to the round!

On the downside, I was surprised to see low-lying power cables cross four of the fairways and the arrival every few minutes of aircraft on final approach into Palma airport was rather distracting. Some might feel better use could have been made of the old manor house rather than currently storing equipment but I’m sure there are reasons for not developing it into a habitable building.

Hopefully, the imminent renovation of the old Mallorca Golf Park Puntiro facility (now called T Golf Palma) may well result in the island boasting a handful of courses – including Alcanada, T Golf Calvia, Son Muntaner and Son Gual – that are a cut above all the others in Mallorca, with each of them worthy of consideration as Spanish Top 100 contenders.

Jim McCann

Another impressive day of golf in Mallorca. Having played so much golf in England during lock down even at some of the best courses in the country you forget how well done golf is, in the likes of Spain and Portugal. The set up at Son Gual is first class. Great driving range and short game facilities, proper caddie masters on hand to get you out quickly and efficiently. It’s a real joy to play on such well managed courses and as my new found South African playing partner mentioned, Son Gual boasts some of the best kept fairways we have both seen. Water is used well in the course design to provide some challenging and memorable holes. If I was going to be fussy I’d say it’s a shame that the course is so close to the airport and the frequency of in coming airplanes was a slight disappointment but to be honest it didn’t detract from the quality of the course and the joy of playing it.

A difficult course to grade. San Gual is well maintained and clearly a quality course. If you are single handicap, you will probably enjoy the design and challenge that makes you think of Golf National in France. If, like me, you are a 15+ player, you can get annoyed by loosing your ball(s) in the high grass that serves as rough, and with the noise of the aircrafts landing at the nearby airport

Son Gaul is undoubtedly a top end golf course. The layout is perfect in almost every way, as you would expect from a purpose built design, with 2 loops of nice returning to the clubhouse and a strong par 5 to finish. We were lucky enough to see the original photos of the site before and during the creation and it’s pretty fair to say it was built from the ground up, with almost all undulations and features created from the architects imagination. I haven’t played any other courses designed by Thomas Himmel but you can tell his style is very technical and deliberate, which is no surprise being of German origin.

If you chose the right tees around here you could have a lot of fun, but it’s not a course for beginners so I’d expect there to be some low scoring golf played here to a high standard as well.

The atmosphere is welcoming and professional, with excellent practice facilities on site.

If you ask any democrat politician to describe Donald Trump, you’re unlikely to get a positive assessment. I’m a bit like that with courses like this. And in Holland where I live, they might even describe a democrat voter as “Links”, which is where I’d rather be.

Son Gual was a vivid green and very soft, which made the playing conditions pretty boring. I seemed to be getting back spin with my driver and options to use the ground were not even a false promise in the manifesto. The tees were extravagantly sized and the water hazards were occasionally adorned with fountains. Not to my taste but I guess they are par for the course and in line with public sentiment. The routing felt a little monotonous (up then down, up then down, whilst going around in 2 circles).

And there were positives. Firstly, the holes themselves were well designed and challenging. They were probably the best designed and most challenging holes in the world of golf. Fact. It’s true. Okay, not quite, but it’s got substance after all - if Son Gual was a US politician perhaps it would have built a wall by now. And secondly, the conditioning was top class. Not a hair or blade of grass out of place. You could argue that these are significant positives. Thirdly, both the facilities and staff were very good.

Favourite holes included the par 4 uphill doglegs of holes 7 & 14, which had similar tee shots, but different challenges to hit the elevated greens. Then there was the pretty par 3 15th, with a green perched into the hillside with trouble all along the left side, and a bailout short right. I ended up in the bunker and really wanted to hit another ball just to have the pleasure of finding this green. Hole 18 was also a highlight, and it’s one you need to play well if you’re needing a birdie to avoid being a loser, with water in play twice and a shallow target in front of the clubhouse.

This course carries a high ranking in opinion polls which surprises me a little. Not quite fake news or a rigged election but democracy can throw up some surprises. If I compare it to superficially similar courses I’ve played that don’t make the Euro Top 100 (e.g. Faldo’s Elea in Cyprus and Palmer’s Victoria Course in Portugal), it’s perhaps better, but not by a great margin. I enjoyed my round here, in part due to the raw quality of the holes. I also enjoyed being paired up with a compete stranger (from the US, hence the silly metaphor) and sharing 18 holes in kindred spirited conversation - perhaps allowing for nicer memory or a softer or more distracted critique of the course. As it is, Son Gual seems a strong 4 ball course - which would get my vote as a 5 ball if policy would opt for severe sanctions against such soft playing conditions.

I have played golf at some great courses in the UK and abroad and this is my first review. The set up at Son Gual is first class. Greens and fairways immaculate. Hospitality first clas too. A must play if you are in Mallorca.

I have played Son Gual GC 8 times over the past 3 years. Together with Alcanada GC, it simply stands out. Incredible design, tough choices from tee, a true gem and I always get blown away by the stunning features along the way, when I try to negociate my path, golfshot selections and my ambition to make as many pars as possible. Yes, there will be birdie opportunities during your round, but its very easy to maintain pressure on the course - even though I always feel like a million dollars before the teeshot on hole 1.......... if you are a true golfer and you are staying several days in Mallorca, I consider it to be a huge mistake, if you dont play this course......... atleast once. The range is motivating, hang time is great, even with your Driver........ The terrace is charming and has a super overview on the 1st tee (sit there for half an hour, watch others tee it off, and you are sure to witness some funny shots) and the spectacular 18th green (difficult PAR5). The Clubhouse is just perfect. I always feel at home at Son Gual GC, regardless of my 36 or 22 stableford points

First time I played Son Guál, all I saw was a course that was so much better in every aspect than virtually every other course on the island, except perhaps Alcanada, which occupies a much prettier site.

Having played the course five times, I still think it is the best on the island, but it is the strategic aspect of the design that makes me come back again and again.

Let us take an example: the hole most people talk about is the 18th, mostly because they fail to score well on it...and it is there in front of you when relaxing on the clubhouse terrace afterwards! At over 500 yards with water just in front of the green, the reflex is to try to get as far as possible in two so as to be able to hit a wedge into the green. Simple? Afterwards, you will appreciate that an easier way to make par is to place your second shot further back and as far left as you dare to have a lot of green to work with on your approach. Moreover, the penalty for a less than perfect contact is a longer putt or a straightforward chip or pitch rather than a penalty shot plus a reload or a nerve-wrecking recovery from rough into a green that slopes away from you towards the water.

On the (very slight) minus side: too few ground game options hitting into greens.

My fourth round at Son Gual and as enjoyable and as immaculate as ever. We have a very technical course and one that is probably suited to the better player rather than the high handicap golfers – in saying that, choose the tee that reflects your standard and you will have an enjoyable game without getting beaten up by playing too far back. I played this time with two who had not seen the course before and it was interesting to get their first time opinions – some of which were, is there too much sand and monster size bunkers just for the sake of it? This is a very valid point and certainly the ‘desert’ between the 2nd and 3rd holes would be the obvious example of this. Maybe a little picky but definitely a talking point. The run of holes from the 4th to the 6th bring water into play in a big way; in play approaching the 4th and in play for both tee shots at the 5th and the 6th. The par-3 9th is a great hole; a mid to long iron to a very slim green with water on the left and sand to the right. Overall the back nine is stronger I think, with the par-5 12th a great hole with the main problem being water left and right that is a concern whether going for the green in two or laying up. The 15th is great looking short hole but another comment from my playing partners was, ‘Is an 80 yard bunker really necessary?’ – probably not but it’s there more for the look than as a hazard. The course ends on such a high with the closing hole being the best on the course for most. A par-5 crossing water at least twice to a beauty of a green just below the welcoming terrace. I gave the course a 5-ball ranking just after it opened and that remains in place – one thing I would like to ask is, could the trees and bushes around the course be enhanced to give the holes a more intimate feel? The course has been always been very open and you see many other holes at all times – tighten this up and just maybe the course could move higher into Europe’s elite modern courses.

Played Son Gual in January with melting frost on the fairways, which must be an unusual feat. Despite this, the ground staff had managed to present a course in more than decent condition and we soon had a pleasant +15 degree playing temperature.Son Gual is a typical big American style course, with "collars" around the greens. This latter feature is something I personally strongly dislike and is a real shame on this course as the undulating green complexes could be so much more fun if more recovery options than the lob wedge would regularly be in play. As it is, you still have to think about the topography of the greens quite a bit if you have more than a wedge in hand. With the length from the tees further back that is also the case most of the time.Will comment again on this course once I have played it when the conditioning is nearer the top and when I can compare to more than a handful of the courses on the island. Still, it is probably a 5-ball in its category (American-style parkland) and that will be my provisional rating.