Golf in the Spanish Balearic Islands The Mallorca Press Cup showcases some of the island’s best courses At the moment, we feature a dozen courses from the Balearic Islands, which represents only 10% of the Spanish layouts in our regional and national charts. It may be only a small fraction of the overall number of Iberian tracks that we promote but it’s an important cluster, attracting an ever-growing number of golfers who visit the islands every year. The Mallorca Press Cup, sponsored by Arabella Golf, Starwood Hotels and Air Europa, is intended to showcase some of the best golf facilities in Mallorca so Top 100 Golf Courses was delighted to receive an invitation this year to participate in the 7th edition of the event. Based in the wonderful Castillo Hotel Son Vida, one of three prestigious hotels in the Arabella Golf portfolio, golf writers from the UK, Sweden, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands made up the majority of the thirty-two journalists and top junior players taking part in this year’s tournament, with competitors from Belgium, France and Italy also appearing for the first time. Before the 2-day event got under way, we thought it might be a good idea to have a proper look around the Arabella Golf Resort as it boasts three impressive 18-hole layouts and a 9-hole pitch and putt course. As only one of Arabella’s courses was being used for the competition, it made sense to arrive a day early to check out the other two. And so, we joined up with respected French golf writer Roland Machenaud on the eve of the tournament to play Arabella’s Son Vida and Son Quint courses. We knew in advance that Son Vida was the oldest layout on the island, set out fifty years ago by Fred Hawtree – what we didn’t know was that it had hosted a couple of European Tour events back in the early 1990s, won by Seve Ballesteros and Barry Lane. A fabulous new clubhouse is currently being built in a magnificent position, high above Son Vida’s 18th green, and this is scheduled to open in Spring of next year. Bernat Llobera, the Arabella Director of Golf, assures us the fabulous action photos of Seve that currently adorn the locker room walls in the old clubhouse will be reinstalled in the new building, preserving some treasured items of Spanish golfing history. The tight, roller-coaster playing corridors of Son Vida were something of a throw back in time as it’s hard to imagine any modern day course ever being designed nowadays to co-exist in such close proximity to the substantial residential properties that back onto many of the fairways on the opening twelve holes. By way of contrast, the newer Son Quint course was not nearly as confined, even though its fairways occupy a more compact site. The short par four 8th is one of the quirkiest holes you will ever play, squeezed into the south west corner of the property, where a blind approach shot can be played to the green over a high-walled tennis court at the foot of an adjoining property! On the back nine, the 195-metre 12th is as tough a par three as you will find anywhere. One of only three short holes on the card, it requires a forced carry across water from the tee to find the green – and for those who attempt to bail out to the left, there’s a cavernous bunker just waiting to gobble up golf balls. After 36-holes of golf, it was time to return to the Castillo Hotel Son Vida to meet up with the other newly arrived Mallorca Press Cup competitors. Before a buffet dinner in the hotel’s El Castell restaurant, Pilar Carbonell, the manager of the Mallorcan tourist authority, was introduced to the assembled group and he expressed the hope that everybody would enjoy their short stay before “leaving as ambassadors for the island”. And so, next day, it was on to the Son Muntaner course, which is marketed as the number 1 layout at Arabella Golf. There’s no doubt it’s a cut above the other two courses, though it’s in something of a transitional state right now because land that had previously been set aside for another hotel is now being used in the design of two new holes. Even more radically, the course will close from March to October next year when it will be totally overseeded with Bermuda Celebration, a type of grass which is currently being introduced on a number of other top-end courses on mainland Spain. Such a progressive move is indicative of Arabella’s intention to keep one step ahead of the others in Mallorca’s fiercely competitive golf market. When play was done for the day – and with Italy, France and Netherlands occupying positions 1, 2 and 3 in the competition – it was time for a tapas dinner in the Bodega del Green restaurant in the Sheraton Mallorca, one of the other two hotels operated by Arabella Golf, before transferring back to the Castillo Hotel Son Vida. And so to the final day of the short visit, where the golf action moved on to Golf Maioris, on the other side of the Bay of Palma, which is owned by Air Europa, one of the sponsors. A little less polished than the other three Arabella layouts, Maioris has more the feeling of a golf members’ club (as opposed to a modern resort) which was a very pleasant surprise. Apart from a couple of dubiously designed holes, this linksy layout was a real treat to play and a fitting track to conclude the trip. Having returned to base and with dinner concluded, Golf Director Bernat Llobera presented the Mallorca Press Cup prizes. He revealed that the 4-man team from the Netherlands had overtaken their French counterparts to claim the runner-up position but the winners, by just one point, were Team Italy, who lifted the trophy at their very first attempt. However, once the cheering had died down, it was unanimously agreed that Mallorca Golf was actually the real winner. As part of our biennial re-ranking exercise for our Spanish Top 100, we took the opportunity to consult with a number of local golfers about the current Balearic golf scene. The most prominent of these correspondents was Elmar Schreiber from mallorcagolf.info, a website that performs something of a golfing quality control function on the island, visiting every course on a regular basis to basically check that standards are being maintained. We’re grateful for the feedback that we obtained from Elmar and from the others that we conferred with. We’ve still to finalise our new Top 10 for the Balearic Islands, never mind our Top 100 for Spain, but it’s hard to see either Son Gual or Alcanada, both of which the Top 100 team visited a couple of years ago, being seriously challenged at the top of the regional standings. Our poll of local journalists did indicate strong support for the courses at Canyamal and Son Serva in the north east of the island so we’ll make a point of checking those two out when we next visit the island. Golfers are certainly not lacking in choice when visiting Mallorca, with more than twenty places to play, half of which we publicise in our Balearic Islands chart. If you think there’s one that shouldn’t be there or alternatively, if there’s a favourite of yours that we’ve missed, then please let us know by clicking the “Respond to this article” link above and below. If you’ve played any of the featured courses then please post a review or reply to any of the reviews already posted. Sincere thanks to Christine Crespo, Director of Corporate Communications for Starwood Hotels Mallorca, for the ultra-smooth running of the Mallorca Press Cup. Her attention to detail was fantastic as she effortlessly looked after the transportation, accommodation and other logistical needs of more than thirty very demanding visitors. Gracias y nos vemos de nuevo en algún momento. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses

Marvellous Mallorca – where good golf abounds Last month, we looked at golfing options across the Canary Islands so we’re now turning our attention a little closer to mainland Spain and the island of Mallorca in the Ballearic Islands. One of the clubs we visited near Palma last month published an in-house magazine article which reckoned almost 9 out of 10 rounds on the island are played by visiting golfers (44% Germans, 17.5% Spanish, 14% British, 10% Nordic) and this obviously generates a substantial financial benefit to the local economy. Without the usual large numbers of incoming tourists over the last two years due to covid travel restrictions, it’s a minor miracle that all the clubs have survived. Manfred Mallon, managing director of SIEMA Golf & Print, states in the excellent little pocket book Mallorca Golf Guide 2022: “Almost 90% of the golf courses in Mallorca are economically managed and depend on golf tourists and green fees. And a golf course doesn’t have many opportunities to save money… the maintenance and management measures have to continue. I got a personal impression of the condition of the golf courses at the beginning of this year and I am positively surprised in what good condition the courses are in. If travel conditions permit, come to Mallorca as usual and play your favourite courses.” Most golf facilities are situated in either the northeast or southwest of the island, near the main city of Palma de Mallorca. When we last published a Mallorca article six years ago – entitled Golf in the Spanish Balearic Islands – we stayed near the capital so this time we branched out to the northeast, allowing easier access to the cluster of five golf courses in that part of the island. CARROSSA HOTEL SPA VILLAS Part of the Hamacher Hotels & Resorts group with four holiday residences in Austria and Mallorca, the 5-star Carrossa Hotel Spa Villas sits just outside the small village of Artà, making it the perfect golfing base for visitors playing any of the five golf courses that operate in the local area. There are 75 air-conditioned rooms and suites located in either the 300-year-old historic manor house or in several new single-storey luxury accommodation blocks. The spa boasts an indoor and outdoor swimming pool and there’s a wide range of treatments to complement the saunas and steam bath. Bistro Badia is open all day, offering tapas, sandwiches and salads during the afternoon then anything from steak to fresh seafood in the evening. The Carrossa Restaurant presents fine dining options from 7pm in the evening, with meals served as a 4-course option or à la carte. The wine cellar also stocks the best local and international vintages. A couple of attractive packages aimed at golfers include full use of the spa facilities, along with buffet breakfast and multi-course gourmet half-board. The 4-night Golf Package permits play at two nearby courses whilst the 7-night Premium Golf Package allows guests to tee it up at four courses (one of which is Alcanada). ALCANADA Club de Golf Alcanada nestles to the north of Carrossa, a 45-minute drive to the other side of Port d'Alcúdia, and not only is it the best golf course on Mallorca, it’s also highly ranked in both our Spanish and Continental European Top 100 listings. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Junior, this is a championship layout that’s scheduled to host the season-ending Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final in November this year. It takes a bit longer to get here than it does to reach the other four northeast courses but it’s well worth going the extra few kilometres to play this magnificent Mediterranean beauty. PULA Located a mere 13 kilometres from Carrossa, the modern-day course at the Pula Resort is quite a bit different to the one unveiled in the mid-1990s. According to Esencia Pula Golf 25 años which was published in 2020, José María Olazábal’s parting shot to owner Romeo Sala after a tournament in 1998 was “do you see this face? Look at it long and hard because it’ll be the last time you’ll see it around here. The course is (expletives deleted)!” Olly was eventually taken to task and between 2004 and 2006 he assisted in transforming the layout into a far more challenging affair so it was only fitting he should win his last professional event here at the Mallorca Classic during the renovation work in 2005. SON SERVERA Less than three kilometres away as the crow flies, lies the Club de Golf Son Servera, where Rafa Nadal holds a membership. It’s the second oldest course on the island and the only one owned by its members so there’s an entirely different feel to this place. Commander John Harris laid out the original 9-hole course in the late 1960s and another nine holes were added just a decade ago by Francisco López Segalés. Five of these new holes (from the 3rd to the 7th) are marketed as “The Pine Trap” and they constitute quite a challenge, with stroke index ratings of 12, 7, 1, 5 and 3. CANYAMEL The 18-hole layout at Canyamel Golf sits four kilometres to the north of Son Servera but there’s no direct road connection between the clubs so it takes 15 minutes by car (about the same time from Carrossa) to get here. The course is a late-1980s José Gancedo design, culminating in a par three closing hole that’s played to a three-tiered green benched into a hillside in front of the clubhouse. Configured as two returning nines, the course plays to a par of 73 with three par fives between the 13th and 17th holes. CAPDEPERA Capdepera Golf is situated a little further inland from Canyamel, with the course dating back to the late 1980s, when Dan Maples designed the layout. Maples is better known for his work in the Carolinas (his grandfather Frank was the long-time superintendent at Pinehurst and a construction engineer for Donald Ross) so it’s anybody’s guess how Dan was ever appointed to set out eighteen holes in the northeast corner of Mallorca! The first twelve holes below the clubhouse are set out in a valley that was once an almond plantation then the last six holes were hewn from a wooded hillside on higher ground, with the signature par three 15th offering panoramic views all the way to the coast. Of course, it would be a shame to come all the way to Mallorca and not play any of the highly rated tracks around Palma so you’ll be doing yourself a big favour by arranging a game on at least one of the following three courses. SON MUNTANER Golf Son Muntaner is the flagship 18-hole course at the 63-hole Arabella Golf Mallorca resort and the layout at this European Tour Destination was designed by Kurt Rosskecht, opening its doors to visitors in 2001. The course was reseeded six years ago, using Bermuda Celebration on every fairway and Agrostis V8 on all the greens. A couple of new holes were also introduced at that time, indicating the willingness of Arabella to continually develop and improve its golf product. T GOLF The course at T Golf Calvia hosted the season-ending Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final in 2020 and 2021 so there’s no questioning its championship-hosting capabilities. Originally opened in the late 1970s as Golf de Poniente, it’s one of the oldest layouts on the island but a substantial investment from new owner Heiner Tamsen since 2015 has taken the course to a whole new level. In recent days, T Golf acquired the Nicklaus-designed facility at Puntiro (which will now be known as T Golf Palma), making it an even bigger player now on the island. SON GUAL Son Gual Golf has enjoyed unparalleled success in the Spanish rankings since the course first appeared on the Mallorcan golf scene, occupying Top 10 positions in the national chart for three editions between 2014 and 2020. It took great vision by the owners to take a predominantly flat, largely featureless property and turn it into the top-spec track that it undoubtedly is – albeit with the expert assistance of architect Thomas Himmel and a very creative construction crew. As Son Gual is positioned less than a 15-minute drive from the airport, it’s an ideal place to either start or finish a golf trip to the island. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses

The Rain in Spain falls mainly at the wrong time Introduction Few of us expect our course back home to be at its best every day of the year. For example, we are a bit more tolerant of imperfect conditions in early spring when we get out on the course for the first time to kick-start the golfing season. Likewise, we do not expect the greens to be at their firmest during the heaviest of autumn rains. Yet, many of us show much less understanding for imperfections once we head to warmer climes on a golf trip. This is quite evident when reading golf course reviews online. Is this because the weather is so much better or are we not aware that the course maintenance issues are different? On Mallorca, one of four main Balearic Islands, three factors conspire to make autumn a trying time for greenkeepers, accounting for variable course conditions due to: a) mandatory irrigation with wastewater during the hot summer, b) occasional deluges and c) the transition between summer and winter grasses. Irrigation with wastewater Many parts of Mallorca consist of limestone substrata. Readers from London know this equates to hard tap water and crusty limescale in the kettle. Therefore, much of the island softens its drinking water with extracted salts going down the waste pipe. Furthermore, the many tourists enjoying Mallorca’s beaches in the summer put a lot of stress on the island’s limited freshwater resources as very little rain falls during the hot summer season. It may not come as a surprise to learn that golf courses on Mallorca are only permitted to use recycled wastewater for irrigation during the summer. Due to the water softening process, this wastewater is unfortunately high in salt, almost to the point of being toxic to grass. Not watering at all is not an option during a hot summer with temperatures way above 30oC (86°F). Ignoring the rules, by sinking an illegal well or borehole to extract freshwater, is not an option either and significant fines have had to be paid recently by some prominent courses. Therefore, course managers are doing all they can to treat this wastewater to make it friendlier to the grass. Despite these efforts, autumn is often spent recovering summer damage, whereas your greenkeeper back home has a similarly busy time in spring. Apart from repairing unsightly bare patches on fairways and greens, these efforts often also involve a lot of extra watering at night to flush out accumulated salt deposits and restore the chemical balance in the soil. Therefore, you might be playing a very wet course if you start early in the morning, even if no rain has been recorded for quite some time. The rain in Spain… Mallorca has a dry Mediterranean climate, but when it does rain, it tends to come in bursts, sometimes in very high quantities. Fortunately, this seldom happens over the whole island at the same time or for any extended length of time. The tourism industry in general does not mind, as it makes it easier to rent hotel bedrooms and sunloungers. Golf courses, however, have a more challenging time, as few courses anywhere have a drainage system that can cope with a 50 mm (2-inch) deluge in a few hours. Superintendents are often good at recovering the courses after these rainy assaults. But if you arrive a day or two after a very major downpour they might not have been able to cut fairways and there may still be standing water in some bunkers, despite the sunny weather you might now be enjoying. However, most courses drain well and very few have to shut completely for more than the odd day during a year. Another consequence of the irregular rainfall pattern is the plethora of ponds doubling as water hazards on most Mallorcan courses. Greenkeeping without the ability to store water is not a realistic proposition. Overseeding Mallorca falls into what is knows as the “transition zone” where neither warm nor cool season grasses grow successfully throughout the year. No strain of grass has yet been developed that will cope with hot summers and cool winters while withstanding golf carts and year-round traffic and still looking looking permanently happy and healthy. Therefore many courses alternate between a heat-resistant (warm season) grass that thrives in summer (often Bermuda) and a cool season strain that grows in winter (often ryegrass). This is achieved by verti-cutting the turf, topdressing and overseeding with the desired grass and, of course, watering a bit more and cutting a bit less than usual until the new grass has taken hold Course managers do their best by moving tees and restricting buggy traffic to paths only, but the fact of the matter is that you will be playing on a partially substandard surface for a short period and may be unlucky if you’re visiting during that time. Value-for-money Apart from conditioning, the main point of criticism levelled at golf courses on Mallorca concerns value for money. However much we like to focus primarily on design qualities, many of us make a conscious or subconscious value-for-money comparison when playing a new course… “How does this course compare with others where I’ve paid a €100 greenfee?” When considering value-for-money do remember that compared to most clubs in Northern Europe and the British Isles, Mallorcan courses have to spend much more on water, both in terms of capital investment (ponds, treatment plants etc) and in terms of ongoing water rates and maintenance costs. Also, golf courses on Mallorca are commercial operations, which are open 365 days a year with greenfees as their main source of income. Most facilities further north are member-owned clubs, some of which set a low green fee to attract marginal revenue from additional guest play. This point is further underscored by the fact that peak season green fees for 18 holes vary from €60 to about €150, whereas the gap between the least and most expensive green fees tend to be much bigger further north. Conclusion The purpose of this article is not to warn you from visiting Mallorca as a golfing destination – quite the contrary – but to help you understand why course conditions vary, even in the autumn high season. In reality, Mallorca is a great place to go golfing in spring and autumn, especially if you want to combine your golf with other things like hiking, cycling, wine tasting or more traditional sun, sea and sand holiday pursuits. Some of the points raised in this article are likely to be equally valid for other destinations. Who knows, with climate change advancing these issues might soon have some relevance for the golf club you belong to back home? This article was written by one of our regular contributors (who does not wish to be credited) after consulting with a number of course managers on the island of Mallorca.