Golf in Mallorca: A Practical Guide to the Island's Best Courses

What golf in Mallorca is actually like

Mallorca is one of the few Mediterranean islands where you can build a serious golf week without ever driving more than an hour. The courses cluster in three broad zones: the resort belt west of Palma, a run of parkland and hillside layouts around Calvià and Camp de Mar, and a smaller but scenic set in the north around Pollença and the Bay of Alcúdia. The terrain does most of the work here — pine, olive and holm oak, dry-stone walls, and holes that tilt toward the sea or climb into the Tramuntana foothills.

This is not links golf. Expect mature parkland and mountain-parkland conditioning, generous but tree-lined corridors, and greens that reward a bit of local knowledge. It suits golfers who like their rounds framed by scenery and paired with good food and a short transfer back to a comfortable base near Palma.

When to go

The prime windows are spring and autumn. March to May gives you green, well-watered courses, wildflowers on the roughs, and daytime temperatures that are comfortable for 18 holes plus a warm-up. September to early November is the other sweet spot — the sea is still warm, the summer crowds have thinned, and the light is superb for late-afternoon rounds.

High summer, June through August, is playable but hot. Book early tee times, carry more water than you think you need, and treat the middle of the day as pool time rather than golf time. Green-fee demand peaks in spring and again in the autumn school-holiday shoulder, so the marquee courses fill their morning slots fastest in those months.

Winter is Mallorca's quiet secret. December to February can deliver mild, still days that beat almost anywhere else in Europe, though you should expect the occasional wet or windy spell and shorter daylight. It is the best time for availability and the calmest for booking a spontaneous round.

The courses worth planning around

The Palma resort cluster

The three Son courses above Palma form the natural heart of a golf trip. Golf de Son Muntaner and Golf de Son Vida are mature, tree-lined layouts set into the hillside neighbourhoods northwest of the city, with the kind of established parkland character that only comes with time. Golf de Son Quint completes the trio and is the most accessible of the three for a quick round close to town. Their great advantage is proximity — you can be teeing off within twenty minutes of central Palma, which makes them ideal for a city-and-golf combination.

A short drive east of Palma sits Golf de Son Gual, one of the island's most talked-about modern courses. It is a big, sculpted design with generous fairways and serious length from the back tees, and it tends to be the course visiting golfers most want to tick off. Nearby, Maioris and T Golf Palma Puntiro add to the choice on the Palma side, giving you enough variety to fill several days without repeating a layout.

Calvià, Camp de Mar and the southwest

West of Palma, the golf gets more dramatic. Golf de Andratx at Camp de Mar is a tight, hilly layout with water and elevation changes that demand accurate positioning rather than brute power — a course you'll enjoy more the second time round once you understand where not to go. Reial Golf de Bendinat in Calvià is shorter and characterful, threaded through pine and dry-stone walls with sea glimpses, and it rewards shot-making over distance.

The two courses at Golf Santa Ponça — Santa Ponça I and Santa Ponça II — sit in the heart of the southwest resort strip and are a convenient pair to play back to back if you are based around Magaluf, Palmanova or Santa Ponça itself. T Golf Calvia adds another option in the same corner of the island, keeping transfers short if you set up camp in the southwest rather than in Palma.

The north: Alcúdia, Pollença and the east

Club de Golf Alcanada, on the Bay of Alcúdia, is the course most people rate as Mallorca's finest. It runs along the coast with a lighthouse island offshore, and several holes play directly toward the water — the scenery alone justifies the drive north, and the golf backs it up. If you play only one course away from the Palma cluster, make it this one.

Golf Pollença, in the hills above the town of the same name, is a shorter, cleverly routed course with far-reaching views — an enjoyable morning round rather than a championship test, and a good pairing with a visit to Pollença's old town. Over on the northeast side, Capdepera near Artá is a rolling, spacious layout that works well if you are exploring the quieter eastern coast or basing yourself around Cala Ratjada.

Practical matters

Getting to Mallorca is straightforward: Palma airport is one of the best-connected in the Mediterranean, with direct flights from across the UK, Germany, Scandinavia and mainland Spain, especially in season. A hire car is essential for a golf trip — the motorway network out of Palma is fast and modern, and it opens up the whole island.

Distances are manageable. From a Palma or Calvià base, the Son courses, Bendinat, Andratx, Santa Ponça and the Palma-side layouts are all comfortably within a 20-to-45-minute drive. The north is the one stretch that needs planning: Alcanada, Golf Pollença and Capdepera are roughly an hour or more from the southwest, so it's worth grouping them into a single day or two — or better, spending a night up north to play Alcanada in the morning light.

A typical week looks like this:

• Base near Palma or Calvià for easy access to the Son courses, Son Gual, Bendinat and Andratx.
• Play the western and Palma clusters on consecutive days, keeping drives short and afternoons free.
• Dedicate a day (or an overnight) to the north for Alcanada and Pollença, taking in the Tramuntana coast and Alcúdia's old town on the way.
• Keep one round flexible — Santa Ponça or T Golf Calvia are easy to slot in at short notice if weather shifts your plans.

Off the course, Mallorca is unusually well set up for non-golfers: Palma's cathedral quarter and tapas scene, the beaches and coves of the west and northeast, cycling in the Tramuntana, and the wine country around Binissalem all sit within easy reach of the same bases you'd use for golf.

Who it suits — and who it doesn't

Mallorca is close to ideal for a mixed group or a couple where only one person plays seriously. The short transfers mean the golfer can get out for an early round and be back for lunch, and the island's food, beaches and culture keep everyone else busy. It also suits players who value scenery and variety over a single flagship stadium course — you can play a dozen genuinely different layouts within an hour of Palma.

It's less suited to golfers chasing true links golf or hard, fast, coastal terrain — this is parkland and mountain-parkland country. It's also not the destination for a rock-bottom budget week; the marquee courses around Palma and in the north command the fees you'd expect for their quality and setting, and peak-season demand in spring and autumn rewards those who book ahead. Come in the shoulder or winter months, plan your one trip north around Alcanada, and Mallorca delivers a golf week that's hard to match for convenience and character.