In the first of this Travelling Golfer series, Rory Anderson heads to Mallorca to experience Pula and Alcanada. He plays both courses to see what the area has to offer.
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00:00Hello guys and girls and welcome to a brand new series here on the Golf Monthly channel
00:07called The Travelling Golfer. I'm your host, my name's Rory. If any of you who do recognize
00:12me you know that I'm an eight handicap golfer. I've spent years travelling the world, filming
00:16golf content and whacking it on YouTube. I'm here on the Golf Monthly channel to pretty
00:20much do the same and show you guys some of the best destinations that you guys might
00:23want to consider for future golf holidays. To kick off the series, I'm off to Mallorca,
00:2948 hours, two golf courses. Let's get going.
00:43Right guys, just got to Gatwick Airport. I've got a two hour, 20 minute flight time from
00:46here to Parma, capital city of Mallorca. Once I get there, I've got an hour's drive to the
00:50northeast corner of the island where the two golf courses that I'm playing this week are
00:55waiting for me. Two epic golf courses. Stay tuned, 48 hours in Mallorca, golf, sun, maybe
01:01a couple of beers and we'll see what happens. 48 hours in Mallorca, here we come.
01:19Right guys, morning of day one of my Mallorca adventure. I'm at Pula Golf Resort, one of
01:24my favorite venues that I visited here in Mallorca. Basically, it's like a one-stop
01:28shop, stay and play resort. You've got two different accommodation options, one here
01:32and then some proper golf-centric apartments up there. Got the Sierra de Pula restaurant
01:36just literally 20 yards away from where I am now. Fantastic restaurant, great pro shop,
01:42track man on the driving range, two-tier driving range here at Pula. Everything you need for
01:47a golf holiday, literally roll out of bed onto the first tee or onto the driving range
01:51and away you go. 18-hole golf course. I'm going to set myself a target of breaking 80
01:55today. We'll see. It's a European tour venue. It's hosted multiple European tour events
02:00in the past, so we'll see how I get on. Obviously, I play off eight, so breaking 80 is an ambitious
02:08slash realistic target depending on how I'm playing. I'm kind of quietly optimistic. Let's
02:13take to the golf course, show you what it's all about here at Pula, what you can expect
02:16if you head to Mallorca on your next golf holiday.
02:31You all have noticed I've gone baby blue, head to toe. I hope that's okay with some
02:37of you guys. I know, got beard, got man bun, and now head to toe in the same color. Apologies
02:43if that offends anyone, but here we go. Stroking X18, par 4, downwind. Bunkers up the right,
02:51I'm not sure if I can fly them or not, but let's find out, I guess.
02:55Straight at them, drifting right a touch, but it should be fine, findable for sure.
03:13Could be nice. Oh, zipped. That's gone a little bit long. Right guys, long and left
03:26of the first green here, or the fourth green should I say, after skipping the first three
03:31holes. Texas wedging, don't really feel like chipping it off a bare lie. I'm trying to
03:37practice my chipping at the moment, after a few years of duffing it all over the world,
03:42this is definitely a putt in my eyes.
03:48Sit down now. Go, go in. That's it. Oh, there's a lot of emotion going on. You can probably hear
03:54on the cam, it is quite windy today here in Mallorca. I've looked at the forecast the last
03:59couple of days, it does look like it's going to die down a bit. Look, it's start of March,
04:04in the UK we're wearing underarmour, base layers, bobble hats, thermal leggings if you're getting
04:10on a bit like I am, and here in Mallorca, I'm in a t-shirt, it's lovely weather, it's about 10,
04:1512 degrees. I'll definitely take a pile on the first, two points.
04:33So straight away here on the fifth hole at Pula, you're faced with what this course is really all
04:37about. In the middle of the round here at Pula, you've got quite big, sizeable water hazards.
04:42Like I said, it is a little bit windy today. So all up the right of this hole,
04:46I've got water. Into the wind today, so playing a little bit longer than I usually would,
04:50I'm going to hit driver, which I think is pretty aggressive, considering the fairway just gets
04:55narrower and narrower and narrower the further up the hole you go. You know, if it was a still day,
04:59I wasn't just straight out my hotel room onto the course. I'd flirt with the idea of hitting
05:03a two iron down there into the fat part of the fairway. But today, I'm going to hit driver.
05:07I'm on holiday. I'm wearing baby blue head to toe, so I shouldn't be taking myself too seriously,
05:14should I? Ah, it's an arrow. Just leaking right. Get down. I'm not going to lie.
05:27Ah, I've rinsed one into the water. So taking a bit of a drop. Got about 110-ish yards.
05:35Getting into the wind. Got a 50 degree wedge. What a disappointing start. Pile on the first.
05:43Stupid club choice off the second, to be fair. So I'm going to hit the green and
05:50top two, play three. In for a five with two putts.
05:54Ah, it's at it if it's the club. Be up. Be up. Yes, please. That is six feet or so.
06:06I've got a par putt, people. Come on. Right, this would be very sneaky getting out of here with a
06:12four. Great wedge shot, if I don't say so myself. Not like me at all. Come on, left to righter.
06:23Put another par. I've hit that quite hard as well. Don't miss this now, Rawls. Thank God.
06:41That's exactly where I wanted to hit it. I think that's perfect.
06:46And he's fatted it. Not going to lie, fatted that. It's done quite well, actually.
07:02Right, for a four. Pretty uninspiring after the tee shot, which was in a great position, to be fair.
07:09Go. Go. I'll take it. Four or five hives to kick things off with. Not the end of the world.
07:20I nearly missed that.
07:38Now, Pula opened for play in 1995, and it was just about a decade after that that the course
07:53went through an extensive remodelling phase. And it was none other than Jose Maria Arlathabel,
07:57who was overseeing that project. And anyone who's ever played an Arlathabel course knows that the
08:03guy knows exactly what he's doing. Hardly surprising for a double Masters champion
08:06and Ryder Cup legend. But yeah, he oversaw the renovations here at Pula. And you can definitely
08:11see how from these back tees, if you look behind me there, the white tee is a good, I don't know,
08:1760 yards further back than the yellow tee here today on the 12th. There really is championship
08:23golf on offer here at Pula. If you're the kind of low handicap golfer who likes to test yourself,
08:27this is definitely a course that will test your game. But with multiple tee positions,
08:32it is definitely a more friendly proposition for handicapped golfers who just want a bit more
08:37holiday golf vibe. Today on the 12th, I've got 127 yards, plays uphill, wins slightly off the right
08:43and a little bit against, I would say. So let's see what we can do here. I've not had the best
08:49of front nines. Respectable in places and something to work on for tomorrow when I head to
08:54Alcanada, which is one of the favourite courses that I've played over the last few years.
08:58So yeah, enjoying my time so far here in Mallorca. Let's see if we can finish strong
09:02on the back nine, rack up a few more pars, starting with the par 3, 12th.
09:09That is a toey hook, but I reckon I'm putting. Right, as you can see, just about held onto the
09:18putting green to be honest with you. Great result after a pretty bang average shot.
09:23And I'll show you in a second, but the step in this green is quite severe.
09:27So the pin literally three or four yards up onto the top level.
09:31This is not an easy hole, despite only being 130 yards from the yellow tees today.
09:39Go, go. Okay.
09:43As you can see, if you get this just slightly wrong, that is just going to go and go and go
09:51off the front edge of the screen. That's a naughty little pin, isn't it?
09:58And that's out to the right. Get out of that bunker.
10:12All right, this is kind of my nightmare considering how bad my chipping is. Ball
10:20off the downslope, green running away from me. I've got the 60 degree wedge out,
10:27weight on the left. Oh God, this is so difficult for me.
10:33I played that quite nicely though. Not understanding how it's not rolling right
10:39instead of left, but oh well, it's on the green. That could have been Duff City.
10:44Right. One final putt. Can I scramble a par? Can't believe that that chip has rolled down
10:51here. Although now that I'm on this side of the hole, it is a little bit more obvious.
10:55See that thing that tall pros do when they kind of look at it from all angles,
10:59doesn't make sense, but ain't nobody got time for that.
11:02If I can slot this one, I'll be happy with the way I've played on day one.
11:06Looking very much forward to trying a little bit harder to put a score together tomorrow.
11:11The golf course tomorrow is out of this world, so make sure you stay tuned for that.
11:18Not hit that hard enough. That's poor, to say the least. All right, tap in bogey.
11:29Oh well. Right guys and girls, there's a bit of a snapshot of what is on offer here at Pula Golf
11:34Resort in Mallorca. Make sure you stay tuned because tomorrow we've got an absolutely amazing
11:38course playing at Alcanada Golf Club, host of the Challenge Tour Grand Final, three-time host
11:43as of November this year. If you are looking for a winter golf holiday later on in the year,
11:47definitely consider Mallorca because you can play a few rounds of golf here at Pula.
11:50You can go to the event at Alcanada. You can obviously then play that golf course the day
11:54after the event in tournament condition. There are some other courses in this corner of the island as
11:59well. So yeah, good first day at Mallorca. Hopefully you've enjoyed what you've seen of
12:04Pula Golf Resort. If you have any questions about this place, make sure to pop in the comment
12:08section. But for now, I'm going to head into the Pula Clubhouse, get changed, go for dinner in a
12:13banging restaurant, get up early tomorrow, hit the road for some more golf.
12:29All right guys, day two of my Mallorca adventure and I'm off to a place called Alcanada Golf Club.
12:50It's about an hour's drive, just less than an hour from where I'm sitting here at Pula Golf
12:54Resort, still up in the northeast corner of the island. And this, I have to say, is one of my
13:00favorite golf courses that I've played over the last few years. So yeah, special one in store for today.
13:24So
13:37right guys and girls, arrived at Alcanada Golf Club. And as you can see from the drive-in,
13:40the location of this course is pretty spectacular. We'll see more of the amazing views
13:45as we get to the high points around these mountains, which some of the rays tease
13:49looking out over the Bay of Alcudia, looking pretty special. I have played this golf course
13:54before and I was last here. I didn't play, but I was watching the Challenge Tour Grand Final,
13:59which has been hosted here at Alcanada twice, is coming back in 2023 for a third visit. So as you
14:05can see, when you come here, play off those back tees, Championship Golf is very much on the cards.
14:10And the winning score last year was only minus nine. And bearing in mind, these guys are obviously
14:15playing for their rights on the DP World Tour. So they're at the top end of the professional game,
14:19really, really amazing players. And only coming out with a winning score of minus nine shows you
14:24what the test of golf is like here at Alcanada from those back tees. Now I'm not man enough to
14:29take on those white tees. It's over 7,000 yards from back there. I get my handicap at a 6,200
14:34yard course. So I've edged forward onto the yellows, which is still 6,600 yards. And I've
14:40set myself a target of breaking 80. Now, an educated guess, I'd say I'm probably not going
14:45to do it. But anyway, let's crack on, play a bit of golf here at Alcanada. Like I said, an hour from
14:50where I'm staying at Pula and a really, really special course. Can I break 80? Jump in the
14:55comments down below. Yes or no? It's up the right. It's well hit. It's fine. It's just over that
15:05bunker. Kicking down now. It could be on the adjacent fairway once gravity gets involved, but
15:12considering I'm fresh out of the car with no time to warm up, I'll take that to start.
15:25Not really expecting to hit this all the way up to the green.
15:28Anything in play and over that trouble, I'll be happy with.
15:36Ripped it straight at the bunker.
15:42Yeah, that is about five, six yards short of the green. Exactly where I was aiming.
15:46Happy, happy with that start. Like that. Run. Ah, not enough to get over that slope.
15:57Not the best, but given my history of the duffs, I'm not overly disappointed with that.
16:05Just needed to fly a little bit further or take a little less loft. Something to think about.
16:09Obviously, I didn't have a chance to warm up on the practice screen before I teed off. A little
16:14bit of guesswork with how the green is going to react over the first couple of holes, but hopefully
16:18I'll get up to speed with them for lack of a better pun. Apologies. Birdie putt on the first.
16:26Go in, go in. Oh, I will take a two-inch tap-in par putt on the first hole without a warm-up any
16:39day of the week. Level par through one. Yeah, actually a bit of a cut there, but that's absolutely
16:48fine. Hit the slope, and go a bit, and go a bit more, and go in. I think we can all agree
17:07that that is a gimme. Worth noting that Alcanarda boasts this Tag Marshall buggy system, which is
17:14a really, really detailed GPS of the golf course. Tells you what your pace of play is like, what
17:19your start time was. I've been playing for 29 minutes, so too old. Maybe need to speed up a
17:25little bit, but you can do all sorts of stuff with this. Give it a bit of food and Bev's action.
17:32Lovely. As you can see, map of the course. Don't get lost, all that kind of stuff. It's a great
17:39system. One of the fancier GPS units out there, for sure. A bit skinny, low on the face, up the
17:49right. Not a good shot at all, but it's bouncing. Could even get a bit of cart path love and a few
17:57extra yards out of that one. Quick shout out to Alcanarda, actually. The course opened for play
18:01in October 2003, so we're creeping up on the 20th birthday of this magnificent golf course. We'll
18:08just see if I can find my ball. Flick another little wedge shot into this par four green and
18:12hopefully start off with par, par, par. That would be lovely. I've taken the wrong club down here.
18:19I've got a 60 degree wedge, so I'm going to have to throw this quite far, but I definitely can't
18:24be bothered to go back to the buggy. Played it nice and sit. Definitely take that.
18:34No, that was low all day long. Now, to be honest with you, I'm struggling for a bogey.
18:43Yeah, in for five, one over through three. To be honest with you, without a warm up,
18:48take that for sure. Right, seventh tee, raised tee. Absolutely spectacular view in the background,
18:53as you can see, as this par five snakes its way down the hill, in between bunkers and rows of
18:58trees. Brilliant, brilliant golf hole. I would argue this is the signature hole
19:01on this golf course. There are other candidates later on the round, which I'm sure you'll see
19:05on this video. But yeah, if I can get a good drive away over this bunker, chasing down the
19:10hill, even though it's a 600 yard par five from this yellow tee, I reckon I can get pretty close
19:15in two. So bombs away, as they say, and let's see if we can sneak one down there in the fairway.
19:23Bit necky, definitely not my best strike. Up the left, it's absolutely fine. It's at that
19:29kind of big tree right in the middle of the two bunkers. But as you can see, I've been so close
19:35to going down this slope and getting a few extra yards. That would have been lovely. But as it
19:41stands, I've got about 320 yards left in. So I'm going to try and get a few more yards in.
19:47But as it stands, I've got about 320 yards left in. So there are two bunkers down there,
19:54one right, one left, which I do think make this lay up a little bit more complicated than it
19:58needs to be. So I am kind of tempted to hit three wood and just try and get as close to
20:03the green as possible over these bunkers and in play with a wedge. Unfortunately, though,
20:10three wood off the deck is not really my strong suit. I'm going to be a wimp. I'm sorry. I'm
20:17going to play this hole as a three shotter, which let's be honest,
20:20unless I absolutely ripped one down the right side here and chased down the hill.
20:24It was always going to be anyway. I was going to hit a six iron, which I don't think is enough
20:30to reach the bunker on the right. If I go in that direction, should leave about a wedge in.
20:37That's straight out the bunker, so it does reach it. I'm an absolute plonker.
20:47Yep, comes to be right in the middle of that bunker.
20:51Right, so nine iron, one three six. Try and catch it a little bit clean.
21:00Like that. That's the yardage. That's such a good shot. Get down, get down, get down.
21:07It's straight over the top of the pin, but I think I have hit that a little bit too hard.
21:13Probably got like a 35 footer for a birdie. I'll take it though.
21:38So
21:45so
22:05come on.
22:06So
22:08par required to break 80.
22:15Oh, a bit bottomy, but that's so straight and safe.
22:22Oh, that's fairway I think. Rubbish for distance, but accuracy wise, lovely.
22:30Stay there and be the yardage. Stay there.
22:35Just not quite reached the green, but I think it's literally like a yard short,
22:39should be putting that. Now I know I said I quite fancy practicing my chipping at the moment,
22:44but, and this would be a good opportunity to practice that strike off the tight fairway lie.
22:50But let's be honest, I need to get this down in two for a 79. So I'm running back to the putter
22:58off the left, quite a few left to right putts today, all on the pace.
23:06And swing and go and that's a tapping 79. Nothing to write home about for decent golfers,
23:17but for me, eight handicapper, seven over broken handicap, break 80 done.
23:26There we have it guys. All done at Alcanada, all done in Mallorca. I'm sad to say that was my 48
23:30hours on this amazing island, playing two really cool golf courses. Really enjoyed my stay at
23:36Pula as always. Fantastic, all encompassing resort, track man driving range, superb restaurant,
23:42great place to have a few drinks in the evening, really relaxed kind of vibe, friendly people.
23:46And obviously the two different accommodation options on site, making it a super convenient
23:51place to stay and play in Mallorca. And then you've got this place, Alcanada Golf Club,
23:55an hour's drive or just less than an hour from Pula. So if you're looking at maybe like three
24:00nights, five nights, kind of holiday stay and play package, definitely recommend Pula as a good
24:05base. There are accommodation options near Alcanada, but as a standalone golf club, they
24:09don't have their own hotel as of yet. So this is definitely a kind of tack it onto the itinerary
24:15kind of vibe option. And I certainly would recommend it. One of my favorite courses that
24:20I've played over the last few years. And I'm lucky to say that I've ticked off a fair few
24:24all the way around the world. And this is definitely one of the most spectacular places
24:27to play as you can see behind me. And as I said, at the start of the video, super friendly,
24:32really great clubhouse to have a spot of lunch after your round. Unfortunately, I don't have
24:37time for all that. I've got to shoot back to Palmer airport now and back to the UK,
24:42back to base layers and jumpers and bubble hats. And can I just stay in Mallorca?
24:57Transcribed by https://otter.ai