Son Termens

Despite being one of Mallorca's newest layouts, the course at Golf Son Termens is known for its excellent condition and idyllic hillside location - offering stunning views from vantage points along the back nine.

Son Termens is an appealing golf course set amid idyllic natural surroundings. The only building you can see while you're out on the course is the attractive ochre Mallorcan style clubhouse, and the steady rise in the course enables you to experience stunning views across the landscape from vantage points along the back nine.

The course is in an excellent location, between the village of S'Esglaieta and the Soller Road, 10km north of Palma on the way to Valldemossa. Even the drive here is a relief from the busy motorway that circles Palma.

The course was designed by the Harris group, and Jose Rodriguez and opened as recently as 1998 - so is one of Mallorca's newest courses. Despite its tender age, Son Termens is already renowned for its quick, smooth greens and its magnificent condition. It's rare to find a new course built to a par of 70, but at Son Termens the designers have got it exactly right.

Birdie opportunities abound, and it's enjoyable to play a well kept course that offers a chance to score well. The par-4 1st can be driven by the long hitter, while the course's two par 5s, the 5th and 6th, are reachable by the better player in two.

But there are some demanding holes too. The 4th and 10th in particular are two punishing par 4's, played uphill to raised greens surrounded by bunkers. Both require good tee-shots if you're to reach the greens in two.

The most interesting hole at Son Termens is the par-4 2nd. A blind tee shot to a narrow fairway requires just an iron, leaving a 100-yard pitch to a green protected by water to the front and right, while a huge bunker awaits behind for the nervy golfer who hits his approach just a little too hard.

Reproduced by kind permission of Golf Monthly & the ACGB.

Key Information:-
Handicap Gentlemen: 28
Handicap Ladies: 32
Price: Approx £47

www.simplymallorcagolf.com

Son Servera Golf Course

Son Servera is the second oldest golf course on the island Mallorca. Designed by John Harris it was was opened in 1967.

This 9 hole course has well preserved fairways and fast greens surrounded by pine trees. A large storm on the 11th of November 2001 blew down approximately 2,200 pine trees, and changed the course dynamics.

The friendly course and club house is a favourite of many of the local people, and the course itself has an intriguing history. Today you will still find local people and returning visitors debating whether the storms impact improved the course, and also the plans turn this into an 18 hole course.

Son Servera is a challenging 9 hole golf course that demands good accuracy off the tee as most of the fairways are narrow.

If you're staying in the Cala Millor or Cala Bona areas, this is a great course to play on either your day of arrival or departure.

You may be required to present a handicap certificate at this course.

Key Information:-
Handicap Gentlemen: 34
Handicap Ladies: 36
Price: Approx £32

www.simplymallorcagolf.com

Son Muntaner

Nestled between the hills of Son Vida and the island's capital of Palma, the Arabella resort consists of two classic courses, Son Vida and Son Muntaner.

Son Muntaner was added in May 2000, when Kurt Rossknecht who renovated theSon Vida, returned to work on a tougher longer companion for its sister course.

Muntaner is a player's course, and from the 1st hole you're confronted by difficult approach shots over water to bunkered greens. A slithering lake runs the length of the 2nd and 3rd holes, testing your accuracy on each shot.

Son Muntaner boasts the island's oldest olive tree - "Sa Capitana" is said to be 1,000 years old. It stands near the 15th tee, so do try to avoid belting it with a golf ball!

The joy of playing here not only lies in having to shape the ball off the tee to get the ideal position for your second shot, but also in the size of the greens which offer the opportunity for varied pin positions, making the course play differently every day.

Key Information:-
Handicap Gentlemen: 28
Handicap Ladies: 36
Price: Approx £70

www.simplymallorcagolf.com

Marriott Golf Son Antem

This 36-hole golf resort boasts two Francisco Lopez Segales courses - the championship standard West course, and the East, more suited to beginners and intermediate golfers. If you're hoping to learn the game or test yourself against a tough course, this is an ideal place to do both.

At Marriott Golf Son Antem, you'll find the largest driving range on the island - it boasts 200 bays - and a prestigious golf academy with six specialist instructors.

A round on the West course is the best way to experience Marriott Golf Son Antem. Opened in 2001, this 6882-yard par 72 is a challenging proposition built on former hunting grounds and set amid olive and pine trees. The opening 5 holes are gentle, enabling you to get a score going before the quirky 6th. While only 325 yards, this right-to-left dogleg demands a precise pitch to the raised green surrounded by pot bunkers.

There are birdie chances at the par-5 7th and short par-3 8th before you play the best of the West, at the 357-yard 9th. This par 4 is quite narrow and so a good drive must avoid the well-positioned fairway bunkers right and left, setting up a tricky approach to a two-tiered green set behind one of the courses three lakes.

There's a break from aquatic peril until the 14th, where hitting your approach long into the pond or the large bunkering that rings the entire green surely spells dropped shots.

There is much to challenge you at Marriott Golf Son Antem, but the relatively young courses require further improvement to rival Mallorca's older courses for condition. The 18th at the West, however is one of the best finishing holes on the island and has water running along its entire left side.

At the shorter 6,274-yard East course, the best holes are the par-3 12th, guarded by a pond and with views back down to Llucmajor, and the treacherous 15th, whose green is guarded by two stretches of water and is reached over a bridge.

Key Information East Course:
Handicap Gentlemen: 54
Handicap Ladies: 54
Price: Approx £45

Key Information West Course:
Handicap Gentlemen: 27
Handicap Ladies: 35
Price: Approx £49

www.simplymallorcagolf.com

Golf Santa Ponsa

There are some places in the world, such as St. Andrews in Scotland, that are synonymous with golf. Mallorca's equivalent is the stunning resort of Golf Santa Ponsa.

Golf Santa Ponsa is Mallorca's principal golf village, containing three courses and a stunning four star hotel. One of the distinguished elder statesmen of Mallorca golf, Santa Ponsa hosted the Balearic Open on the European Tour on seven occasions between 1988 and 1998.

Less than 30 minutes from Palma, Santa Ponsa is ideally reached via its own turn off on the Palma - Andratx motorway.

Once there head, straight for Santa Ponsa 1, the resort's expansive stadium course, which was designed by the late Italian Folco Nardi and open in 1977. It is open, uncomplicated and the fairways are among the most generous on the island, making this a great place to enjoy ripping into your drives and approach shots.

There's a superb shape to the course with several doglegs and intelligent use of water, particularly at the dramatic par-4 16th. At 437 yards, this sliding left-to-right dogleg is difficult enough, but it skirts an enormous lake on the right for the entire length of the hole. Good course management is required to safely negotiate a water hazard of this size, and for some laying up and playing the hole as a par 5 could be the wisest option.

The par-4 18th is a fine finish to a very enjoyable round of golf, and was the scene of an epic play-off between Seve Ballesteros and Jesper Parnevik for the 1992 Balearic Open. They played the hole 6 times before Seve eventually triumphed. The story goes that Parnevik's caddie was so exhausted, the Swede took up the bag for the final stretch.

The resort is also known for the par-3 18th on the Santa Ponsa II course, containing an island green in the shape of Mallorca. It's a stunning hole and a joy to play. Just beware of the south-east couast, the water awaits the wayward shots!

Santa Ponsa 1 is open to the public, whilst Santa Ponsa II and III are for members only.

You may be required to present a handicap certificate at this course;

Key Information:
Handicap Gentlemen: 28
Handicap Ladies: 36
Price: Approx £50

www.simplymallorcagolf.com

Pula Golf

Situated in Levante, in the north-east of the island, near Son Servera and the bay of Cala Millor, Pula is a young course that has achieved much recognition in a short time. Built in 1995, this 18-hole par 70 course has since been re-designed with the help of Olazabal who changed 12 holes in 2004 & 2005.

The Pula complex has everything to meet the golfer's needs, including a two-tier driving range, short game area and a delightful clubhouse-cum-hotel renovated from an ancient farmhouse, dating back to 1581.

It serves as an intimate 10 bedroom hotel and clubhouse, close to Pula's gastronomic centrepiece, the S'Era de Pula restaurant, which during the Mallorcan Classic doubles as a VIP and player hospitality area overlooking the final green.

The course is tough and demanding, but fun to play for players off all ability. The range of teeing areas offers a choice as to how hard you wish the course to play.

The 172-yard par-3 2nd is an early treat. It is played over a canyon to green which the Americans would say has an "elephant burial ground" - it is raised and humped in the middle. It's tough to two-putt, but fun to try.

If you can fade the ball you'll do well at Pula. Holes 3, 6 and 7 all dogleg left to right quite sharply and if you're safe from the tee, offer birdie chances.

The redesigned 17th was the centrepiece of the 2005 Mallorcan Classic. It's a long par 4 played downhill with a vast lake to the left and a well-bunkered green equals great potential for drammatic moments.

The Pula group is developing a new course in the south of the island which is set to open in 2006. Golf de Maioris will be a 7,000-yard, par-72 course designed by the German architect Dieter Cabus, near the coastal resort of Cala Blava. It will feature four lakes and two holes with island greens.

Key Information:
Handicap Gentlemen: 36
Handicap Ladies: 36
Price: Approx £57

www.simplymallorcagolf.com

Golf Poniente

Opened in 1978, Poniente has the kind of status on the island that is afforded to the older Scottish clubs in Britain, and is a favourite of British & German golfers staying in the coastal resorts around Palma.

Its 7,032-yard, par 72 layout was created by John Harris, and combines woodland, lakes, sweeping terrain and large, quick greens. The first four holes form a gentle start but the course bares its teeth on the intriguing stretch between the 7th and 10th.

The 8th hole plays blind and steeply downhill with a ravine to the right. Place your drive on the fairway and you'll have a medium iron left to a big green surrounded by palms and offering panoramic views,

Poniente's best - number 10 - will scare you from the tee. Water and reed beds loom on the right while bunkers guard the run-off at the end of the fairway. The green at first seems unreachable, but it is possible to carry the water with a sweet strike.

You may be required to present a handicap certificate at this course;

Key Information:
Handicap Gentlemen: 28
Handicap Ladies: 36
Price: Approx £49

www.simplymallorcagolf.com

Pollensa Golf Course

This 9 hole golf course opened in 1986 and underwent a complete renovation programme in the year 2000 with the help of Mike Pinner a member of the Jack Nicklaus golf designing team.

The course has panoramic views over the Tramuntana mountains, olive groves, the bays of Pollença and Alcudia and s’Albufera reserve. By the end of the first round, the visitor will surely agree that challenge, variety, and harmony with nature are focal points around which the club’s success is built.

The golf course is irrigated using purified water.

Golf Pollensa has the following facilities:-

Driving Range with Putting green and pitching area
Golf Professional and special golf classes
Club rental, trolleys and car rental
Golf shop
Bar and Restaurant

You may be required to present a handicap certificate at this course;

Key Information:
Handicap Gentlemen: 36
Handicap Ladies: 36
Price: Approx £39

www.simplymallorcagolf.com

Capdepera Golf Course

The natural beauty and incomparable tranquillity of its surroundings characterise the privileged location of Capdepera Golf, one of the most beautiful courses on the island that captivates golfers at first sight.

Designed by the North American architect Dan Maples, Capdepera Golf was inaugurated in 1989. It offers 18 holes, par 72 and a very balanced distribution that requires precise play. Expert golfers as well as beginners find their individual challenge on this course.

Capdepera Golf stands out for its spacious greens, the charming combination of long, wide fairways with other narrower ones, and its six lakes. Its first holes are comparatively flat, with the odd dogleg surrounded by water to make the game more interesting. The last 6, more intricate holes, are hidden among the mountains of Arta. Particularly attractive is hole 15, par 3, which apart from having given more than 1 player the satisfaction of getting a birdie, offers incredible views of the valley and the Mediterranean sea.

Capdepera Golf has the splendid and renowned Roca Viva restaurant, famous for its exquisite cuisine and friendly service. Located on the edge of the 18th green, it invites golfers to rest after a successful game, and enjoy the company of other players.

Pro Shop facilities of Capdepera Golf are located on the ground floor of the club house. The Pro Shop offers everything that you need, including reservations, professional golf classes and information on any aspect of the course.

Key Information:
Handicap Gentlemen: 36
Handicap Ladies: 36
Price: Approx £46

www.simplymallorcagolf.com

Canyamel Golf Course

When Pepe Gancedo surveyed the beautiful countryside around Canyamel, he knew that he needed to spoil Mallorca as little as possible when designing the course.

As a result, this course has been developed taking into account many of the existing features. The little house on the 9th hole was preserved as were the typical dry stone walls on the 7th, 13th, 14th and 15th, where they come into play across and adjacent to the fairways.

This is a course of two contrasting halves. The first nine holes are quite difficult, with Hole 5 offering a particularly excellent view of Menorca. The second nine holes are longer and flatter than the first, but make for an excellent and challenging round of golf.

The European PGA visited the course and proposed a series of modifications which have now been carried out. The PGA have classified Canyamel Golf Course as an ideal course for playing an Open event.

Among its facilities Canyamel Golf offers a double driving range for 40 people, 2 putting greens, a pitching green and a practice bunker. In addition to this, at the Club House there is a restaurant, showers and lockers and a lounge with video.

Key Information:
Handicap Gentlemen: 28
Handicap Ladies: 36
Price: Approx £49

www.simplymallorcagolf.com