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Golf guide • Spain • Balearic Islands

Golf in Palma de Mallorca: three courses on the doorstep of the old town

Palma de Mallorca, capital of the Balearic Islands, has three 18-hole courses a quarter of an hour from the centre: Son Vida, opened in 1964 and the oldest course on the island, Son Muntaner, host of the 2022 Mallorca Golf Open, and Son Gual, designed by Thomas Himmel on a finca east of the city. Come to play in the morning and dine in the old town in the evening, ideally from February to June and from September to November.

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Few capitals let you sleep in a 17th-century palace and be on the first tee a quarter of an hour later. Palma does: the airport is eight kilometres away, the old town is walkable and the courses are scattered across its hills. To the west, the Son Vida estate gathers the island's historic layouts among pines and villas; to the east, on the Manacor road, Son Gual unfolds its lakes and bunkers across a former farming finca.

Founded by the Romans in 123 BC, the city has kept from its past a Gothic cathedral set on its ramparts, facing the sea, and a maze of lanes where the patios of noble houses open behind heavy wooden doors. In the evening you dine in a former convent or a neighbourhood bodega, and walk back along the quays as the golden stone of La Seu lights up above the bay.

Three to five nights are enough to play all three courses without rushing, with a day kept for the Serra de Tramuntana. The climate does the rest: mild winters, luminous springs and autumns that stretch the summer out. Only July and August, hot and very busy, call for booking the first tee times or coming in another season.

The courses

Fairway lined with pines and olive trees, pale-sand bunkers and a lake, limestone mountains behind

Golf Son Vida

  • Architect: F. W. Hawtree; Kurt Rossknecht (2001)
  • Opened 1964
  • 18 holes
  • Par 71

The oldest course still in play on the island: Prince Rainier III of Monaco hit the first official shot here in 1964, when the layout by the Briton F. W. Hawtree had only nine holes. Extended to 18 holes a few years later and completely redesigned by Kurt Rossknecht in 2001, this par 71 of 5,601 metres from the yellow tees winds between the villas of the Son Vida estate, north-west of the city. It hosted the European Tour's Balearic Open in 1990, won by Severiano Ballesteros, and in 1994. Short but narrow, it calls for strategy more than power.

Signature hole. The 18th, a 470-metre par 5, puts water in front of the green: the boldest try to get there in two, in full view of the clubhouse.

Official website

Golf Son Gual

  • Architect: Thomas Himmel
  • Opened 2007
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

About fifteen minutes east of the centre, on the Manacor road, Son Gual opened in 2007 on a former finca, to a design by the German Thomas Himmel. The par 72 reaches 6,621 metres from the black tees, but five sets of tees make it playable for everyone. The terrain is gentle, the wind often present, and the course stands out for its vast bunkers, such as those you carry from the tee at the 2nd, nicknamed "Sandy Lane", and for its lakes. A demanding, beautifully kept course that features in rankings of Europe's best.

Signature hole. The 18th, a 532-metre par 5, follows a stream that crosses and recrosses the fairway before a green set behind a lake, facing the clubhouse terrace.

Official website

Golf Son Muntaner

  • Architect: Kurt Rossknecht
  • Opened 2000
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Son Vida's neighbour on the same estate, ten minutes from the centre, Son Muntaner opened in 2000 to a design by Kurt Rossknecht. Longer, at 6,305 metres for a par 72, it offers wide fairways and technical greens that reward thoughtful play. The European Tour came here for the 2022 Mallorca Golf Open, won by Yannik Paul, and the Ladies European Tour for the 2023 Mallorca Ladies Golf Open. The estate's benchmark course, restricted to players with a handicap of 36 or lower.

Official website

Where to stay

Can Cera

Just fourteen rooms in a Mallorcan mansion whose origins go back eight centuries, remodelled in the 17th century and restored in 2012, on Carrer de Sant Francesc in the heart of the old town. A stone arch leads to the planted patio, then to the marble staircase and the salons. A small spa with hammam and sauna, and a Mallorcan tapas bar. Adults only and awarded two Michelin Keys.

Hotel Cort

On the Plaça de Cort, facing the 17th-century town hall and its old olive tree, a former bank building turned into a sixteen-room hotel by the designer Lázaro Rosa-Violán. The mood is lighter than at Can Cera: a restaurant with a terrace, a sun deck and a pool open from April to October. A lively address at the centre of everything, selected by the Michelin Guide.

Castillo Hotel Son Vida, a Luxury Collection Hotel

To sleep as close as possible to the courses: a manor house surrounded by pine woods on the heights of the Son Vida estate, with views over the bay and the Tramuntana, a few minutes from the Son Vida and Son Muntaner tees. With 174 rooms, a spa and indoor and outdoor pools, it is Palma's resort option, a member of the Luxury Collection and awarded a Michelin Key.

Stone patio of an old mansion, round arches, a staircase with a wrought-iron banister and potted palms

Where to dine

Marc Fosh

In the minimalist refectory of the Convent de la Missió, a 17th-century former seminary in the old town, Marc Fosh, the first British chef to win a Michelin star in Spain, serves seasonal Mediterranean cooking drawn from the island's produce and his own finca. Michelin-starred, with tasting menus at lunch and dinner and a patio terrace in fine weather.

La Bodeguilla

Opened in 1986 on Carrer de Sant Jaume, La Bodeguilla is a city-centre institution: a wine bar for nibbling tapas, several dining rooms for produce-led Spanish cooking, and more than 300 wines. Continuous service from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m., handy after a late round. Selected by the Michelin Guide.

Beyond golf

La Seu and the old town

Begun in 1229 and completed in 1601, the cathedral overlooks the bay from the ramparts, between the royal palace of the Almudaina and the bishop's palace. Its rose window, nearly 14 metres across, is one of the largest in Gothic architecture, and Antoni Gaudí led a campaign of works here from 1903 to 1914. Do not miss the Sant Pere chapel, covered in ceramics by Miquel Barceló.

Bellver Castle

Built from 1311 for King James II of Mallorca, Bellver stands 112 metres above the city, three kilometres from the centre. Its circular plan is unique on the island. It now houses Palma's history museum, and its terraces open onto a wide view of the bay and the port, best enjoyed late in the day, when the light gilds the stone.

The Serra de Tramuntana

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape in 2011, the range running along the island's north-west coast is a world of dry-stone terraces, olive groves and stone villages such as Valldemossa, Deià and Sóller. A rest day here combines a hike along the clifftop paths with lunch facing the sea.

Dry-stone olive terraces below a village of ochre houses, limestone cliffs and the sea in the distance

When to go

Spring, from February to June, and autumn, from September to November, are the best seasons: the weather is mild, the courses in fine condition and tee times easier to come by. Winter remains playable, with highs around 15 °C in January. Summer is hot, around 30 °C in August, and the island very busy: play at dawn. Autumn brings the heaviest rain, often as short storms.

Getting there

Palma airport (PMI), Spain's third busiest, is eight kilometres east of the centre, about fifteen minutes by car, and receives direct flights from all over Europe. Son Gual is on the same side of the city as the airport; Son Vida and Son Muntaner are about twenty minutes away, on the heights to the north-west of the city. A hire car or a driver is all you need for the whole stay.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course in Palma de Mallorca?

Son Gual, designed by Thomas Himmel and opened in 2007, features in rankings of Europe's best courses. Son Muntaner, host of the 2022 Mallorca Golf Open, and Son Vida, the oldest on the island, complete the trio.

How many golf courses are there around Palma?

Three 18-hole courses lie a quarter of an hour from the centre: Son Vida and Son Muntaner on the Son Vida estate, to the north-west, and Son Gual to the east, on the Manacor road.

When is the best time to play golf in Mallorca?

From February to June and from September to November. Winter is mild and playable; July and August are hot and very busy.

Do you need a handicap to play golf in Palma?

Yes: Son Muntaner requires a maximum handicap of 36 and Son Vida 54. Bring your handicap card.

Which airport should I fly into for a golf trip to Palma de Mallorca?

Palma airport (PMI), eight kilometres from the centre, about fifteen minutes by road. Son Gual is on the same side of the city.

Tailor-made

Your golf trip: Palma de Mallorca

Tee times, suites, transfers and tables: your concierge replies within 24 hours with a proposal shaped around you.

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