The Balearic Islands of northern Spain are a phenomenal yacht cruising ground, partly due to the incredible variety of what’s on offer. On a Balearics yacht charter you can party in the superclubs of Ibiza, visit quiet mountain monasteries, dive seagrass meadows and WWII shipwrecks, and explore Mediterranean cities with fairy-tale cathedrals and dark medieval hearts. From Formentara’s sugar-white beaches to Majorca’s towering sea cliffs and Menorca’s sleepy villages, the Balearics have something for everyone – including some splendid golfing opportunities.
A Balearics Golf & Yacht Charter
The Balearics are an excellent golfing destination with 24 golf courses, and a Balearics yacht charter is the ideal way to create a golfing-heavy vacation, as you float between the islands sampling the best courses and perfecting your game by the turquoise sea.
What’s even better about chartering in the Balearics is that if your charter companions don’t care for golf in the slightest (imagine that), then due to all the dazzling pleasures of these islands, they will still be utterly thrilled with your choice of charter destination. In the Balearics, you can golf to your heart’s content, while your family and friends swim, shop, spa, explore, and party – or just laze about living the good life on the yacht.
On charter in the Balearics, everybody wins. (Including you out on the green, hopefully.)
Best Golf Courses of the Balearics
Golf Son Gaul, Majorca
We won’t keep you in suspense: if you’re looking for the best course of the Balearics (and one of the top 100 in Europe), then Golf Son Gaul is it. Located on a grand estate in the Majorcan countryside edged by olive groves and vineyards, this sprawling link-style course is likened to Augusta for its wide fairways, huge tees, and enormous bunkers. Add in some confounding Mediterranean wind, lots of water features (complete with waterfalls and fountains), and the marvellously challenging 18th hole, and you’ve got a splendid, impeccably-maintained course that will test your mettle.
Son Gaul has a rather grand clubhouse too, with the terrace proving the perfect place to celebrate an idyllic yet challenging day on the green – while watching people tee off from hole one just below with varying degrees of success. (Also a great way to cheer yourself up if your own performance was less than stellar.)
The Top 100 Golf Courses review describes this course as ‘captivating’, and for those who enjoy American-style parkland courses, it’s hard to disagree.
Club de Golf Alcanada, Majorca
Not everyone falls headlong for the expertly-manicured charms of Golf Son Gaul, and for those seeking a rather extraordinary course located by the sea in the north of the island, Alcanada is the one you seek. It would be very easy just to talk about the scenery at this course, for the setting on the bay of Alcudia with the hills behind is genuinely spectacular. The Trent St Jones Jr- designed course sits into this landscape beautifully, with a natural terrain crossing valleys and some very fun elevated tee shots.
You’ll definitely have to contend with sea breezes whipping off the bay as well as a very tricky first hole, meaning that Alcanada is not the course for novices. Mind you, beginners will probably still have a fine old time making a mess of things in such a visually stunning place, while the end-of-round beer on the club terrace overlooking the bay lighthouse is enough to make anyone smile.
While Alcanada is generally ranked second behind Golf Son Gaul, there are many who swear blind that it should be the other way around. Those visiting after February 2019 will benefit from the substantial renovations taking place over the winter months.
Golf Park Puntiro
‘Risk and reward’ is the name of the game at this excellent course by Nicklaus Design. Opening its greens in 2006, the course is flanked by olive and pine trees and players have plenty of natural hazards to contend with, from rocky outcrops to large lakes and stony ground. Each hole at this wonderful course has its own unique character, and accuracy is a necessity – particularly with some slanting fairways and balls bouncing away into the native vegetation, never to be seen again.
Of all the Majorcan golf courses, Puntiro has a reputation for the firmest and fastest playing conditions due to a strategic club policy of less seeding and watering over winter. You’ll see less lush green grass as a result, but will very likely enjoy a good game. And located just nine kilometres outside Palma, this course is very easy to reach from your yacht berth in one of Palma’s fantastic marinas.
The Arabella Golf Trifecta
The Arabella Golf and Spa Resort has three high-quality 18-hole courses to offer. Son Vida is the oldest course on the island, opening in 1964 with a F.W. Hawtree design, updated in 2000 by Kurt Rossknecht. This solid course offers beautiful views across to the Bay of Palma, and ends with five challenging holes, including a gnarly 18th with its double-dogleg, two lakes, and stream.
The Son Quint course opened in 2007 and is the newest of the three Arabella offerings, with a pleasant undulating course surrounded by pine and olive trees. Lovely sea views and short distances between holes makes this a very nice walkable course.
But of the three Arabella courses, it is Son Muntaner that deserves the most attention. A Kurt Rossknecht design, the course follows two loops of nine, with plenty of ponds and stone dykes over the vast course. The greens have been reseeded in recent years, making for a firmer playing surface, with a couple of the holes also redesigned for the better.
All in all, golfers will find plenty to be happy about and lots of variety at the Arabella Golf and Spa Resort.
Golf Son Parc, Menorca
The best courses of the Balearics are unquestionably on Majorca, but you’ll definitely want to explore the other islands while on charter – and why not have a bit of golfing fun while you do so? Golf Son Parc is the only course on the breathtaking island of Menorca, and while this Dave Thomas-designed course (he of La Roque fame) is one best for beginners and intermediates, it has a gloriously natural old-school charm about it that may get the more experienced players amongst you harking back to simpler times.
Located on the island’s quiet north coast, Golf Son Parc was initially a 9-hole course, but has been expanded to 18 in recent years, with more improvement works in progress. There are some fantastic holes, including one particularly memorable shot over a lake, some great dog-legs that reveal the skill of the late designer’s hand, and a lovely tree-lined avenue that will definitely test the less experienced. The course is undulating and quite technical in places, with a few absolutely joyful moments– including playing past the resident peacock colony that lives on the greens.
Golf Son Parc is by no means a world-leading course but quite lovely all the same, and its small size makes it very convenient for walking between holes.
Golf de Ibiza
In between the bohemian-chic beach bars and the wild parties, you might find time for a round of golf on the White Isle. While paling slightly in comparison to the quality of the Majorcan clubs, this course has pretty views of forested hills and startling turquoise sea, and is in easy reach of Ibiza Town if you wanted to leave your group to a summer afternoon of shopping and cocktails.
Golf de Ibiza is actually two courses in one club: a challenging 18-hole course as well as a very scenic 9-hole layout. The 18-hole course is set over rugged terrain with some steep hills and high-risk shots, with holes 16 and 18 the most tricky of all. Since the club came under the management of Azuline Hotels, a new Mediterranean restaurant called Hoyo 19 has opened on site, with a gorgeous shady terrace overlooking the rolling greens. Golf and luxury yachts are the perfect combination. To book a golfing yacht charter in the Balearics while also enjoying all the other treasures the archipelago has to offer, contact Bespoke Yacht Charter
