- 03/07/2025
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 called
00:08the traveling golfer i'm your host my name's rory for any of you who do recognize me you know that
00:13i'm an eight handicapped golfer i spent years traveling the world filming golf content and
00:17whacking it on youtube but i'm here on the golf monthly channel to pretty much do the same and
00:21show you guys some of the best destinations that you guys might want to consider for future golf
00:26holidays to kick off the series i'm off to mallorca 48 hours two golf courses let's get going
00:32right guys just got to gatwick airport uh got a two hour 20 minute flight time from here to palma
00:47capital city of mallorca once i get there got an hour's drive to the northeast corner of the island
00:52where the two golf courses that i'm playing this week are waiting for me two epic golf courses yeah
00:57stay tuned 48 hours in mallorca golf sun maybe a couple of beers and uh yeah we'll see what happens
01:04but yeah 48 hours in mallorca here we come
01:07right guys morning of day one of my mallorca adventure and i'm at pula golf resort one of my
01:24favorite venues that i visited here in mallorca basically it's like a one-stop shop stay and play
01:29resort you've got two different accommodation options one here and then some proper golf centric
01:33apartments up there got the sierra de la pula restaurant just literally 20 yards away from
01:38where i am now fantastic restaurant great pro shop track man on the driving range two-tier driving range
01:45here at pula like everything you need for a golf holiday literally roll out of bed onto the first
01:50day or onto the driving range and away you go 18 hole golf course i'm going to set myself a target
01:54of breaking 80 today we'll see you know it's a european tour venue it's hosted multiple european
02:00tour events in the past so we'll see how i get on obviously i play off eight so you know breaking 80
02:06is an ambitious slash realistic target depending on how i'm playing i'm kind of quietly optimistic
02:12let's take to the golf course show you what it's all about here at pula what you can expect you head
02:17to mallorca on your next golf holiday
02:19you all have noticed i've gone baby blue head to toe hope that's okay with some of you guys i know
02:38got beard got man bun and now head to toe in the same color apologies if that offends anyone
02:44but here we go stroking x18 par four downwind
02:48bunkers up the right i'm not sure if i can fly them or not but let's find out i guess
02:55straight at them
03:05it's been right a touch but it should be fine findable for sure
03:17it should be nice oh that's gone gone a little bit long all right guys long and left of the first
03:27green here or the fourth green should i say after skipping the first three holes
03:31um texas wedging don't really feel like tipping off a bear lie i'm trying to practice my chipping
03:38at the moment after a few years of duffing it all over the world but this is definitely a putt in my
03:44eyes
03:44sit down now go go in that's it oh there's a lot of emotion going on you can probably hear on the cam
03:55it is quite windy today here in majorca obviously i've looked at the forecast the last couple of days
04:00it does look like it's going to die down a bit look it's start of march in the uk we're wearing
04:05underarmoured base layers bobble hats thermal leggings if you're getting on a bit like i am
04:11and here in majorca i'm in a t-shirt it's lovely weather it's about 10 12 degrees now definitely take
04:17a 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 a big sizeable water hazards
04:42like i said it is a little bit windy today so all up the right of this hole you've got
04:46water into the wind today so playing a little bit longer than it usually would i'm gonna hit
04:51driver which i think is pretty aggressive considering the fairway just gets narrower
04:55and narrower and narrower the further up the hole you go you know if it was a still day i wasn't just
05:00straight out my hotel room onto the course i'd flirt with the idea of hitting a two iron down there
05:04into the fat part of the fairway but today i'm gonna hit driver i'm on holiday i'm wearing
05:09baby blue head to toe so i shouldn't be taking myself too seriously should i
05:17ah some arrow just leaking right get down i'm not gonna lie ah rinse one into the water so
05:30taking a bit of a drop got about 110 ish yards getting into the wind got a 50 degree wedge
05:39what a disappointing start par on the first stupid club choice off the second to be fair
05:48so i'm gonna hit the green and top two play three in for a five with two putts
05:54oh it's at it if it's the club be up be up yes please that is six feet or so i've got a papa people come
06:08on right this would be very sneaky getting out of here with a four great wedge shot if i don't say so
06:16myself not like me at all come on left to writer for another par
06:24oh i've hit that quite hard as well don't miss this now rules thank god
06:37that's exactly where i wanted to hit it i think that's perfect
06:46and he's fat at it
06:57not gonna lie fat at that it's done quite well actually all right foot four
07:03pretty uninspiring after the t-shot which was in a great position to be fair
07:13go go ah i'll take it four or five hives to kick things off with not the end of the world i nearly
07:26missed that
07:47now pula opened for plate in 1995 and it was just about a decade after that like the course went
07:53through an extensive remodeling phase and it was none other than jose maria alathabel who was
07:58overseeing that project and anyone who's ever played a alathabel course knows that the guy knows
08:03exactly what he's doing hardly surprising for double masters champion and rider cup legend but yeah he
08:08oversaw the renovations here at pula and you can definitely see how from these back tees if you look
08:13behind me there the white tee is a good i don't know 60 yards further back than the yellow tee here today
08:20on the 12th there really is championship golf on offer here at pool if you're the kind of low
08:25handicap golfer who likes to test yourself this is definitely a course that will test your game
08:30but with multiple tee positions it is definitely a friendly or a more friendly proposition for
08:35handicapped golfers who just want a bit more holiday golf vibe um today on the 12th we've got 127 yards
08:42plays uphill wind slightly off the right and a little bit against i would say so let's see what we can
08:47do here i've not had the best of front nines respectable in places and something to work
08:53on for tomorrow when i head to alcanada which is one of the favorite courses that i've played over
08:56the last few years so yeah enjoying my time so far here in majorca let's see if we can finish strong
09:02on the back nine rack up a few more pars starting with the par 3 12.
09:06that is a toey hook but i reckon i'm putting right as you can see just about held on to the
09:18putting green to be honest with you great result after a pretty bang average shot and i'll show you
09:24in a second but the step in this screen is quite severe so the pin literally three or four yards up
09:30onto the top level this is not an easy hole despite only being 130 yards from the yellow tees today
09:36go go go okay as you can see if you get this just slightly wrong that is just going to go
09:52and go and go off the front edge of the screen that's a naughty little pin isn't it
09:57and that's yeah out to the right get out of that bunker
10:17right this is kind of my nightmare considering how bad my chipping is ball off the down slope
10:21green running away from me i've got the 60 degree wedge out weight on the left oh god this is so
10:30difficult for me i played that quite nicely though not understanding how it's not rolling right instead
10:39of left but oh well it's on the green that could have been duff city right one final putt can i scramble
10:47apart can't believe that that chip is rolled down here although now that i'm on this side of the hole
10:53it is a little bit more obvious see that thing that tall pros do when they kind of look at it from
10:58all angles does make sense but ain't nobody got time for that if i can slot this one i'll be happy
11:04with the way i've played on day one looking very much forward to trying a little bit harder to put
11:09a score together tomorrow the golf course tomorrow is out of this world so make sure you stay tuned for that
11:15not 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 pool of golf
11:34resort in mallorca make sure you stay tuned because tomorrow we've got an absolutely amazing course playing
11:38at alcanada golf club host of the challenge tour grand final three-time host as of november this year
11:44so if you are looking for a winter golf holiday later on the year definitely consider mallorca
11:48because you can play a few rounds of golf here at pooler you can go to the event at alcanada you
11:52can obviously then play that golf course the day after the event in tournament condition there are
11:56some other courses in this corner of the island as well so yeah good first day at mallorca hopefully
12:03you've enjoyed what you've seen of pooler golf resort if you have any questions about this place
12:07make sure to pop in the comment section but for now i'm going to head into the pooler clubhouse get
12:12changed go for dinner in a banging restaurant get up early tomorrow hit the road for some more golf
12:24right guys day two of my mallorca adventure and i'm off to a place called alcanada golf club it's about an
12:50hour's drive just less than an hour from where i'm sitting here at the golf resort still up in the
12:55northeast corner of the island and this i have to say is one of my favorite golf courses that i've
13:02played over the last few years so yeah a special one in store for today
13:16so
13:32right guys and girls arrived at alcanada golf club but as you can see from the drive in the location
13:41of this course is pretty spectacular we'll see more of the amazing views as we get to the high points
13:47around these mountains with some of the raised tees looking out over the bay of alcuda looking pretty
13:52special i have played this golf course before and i was last here i didn't play but i was watching the
13:58challenge tour grand final which has been hosted here at alcanada twice is coming back in 2023 for
14:04a third visit so as you can see when you come here play off those back tees championship golf is very
14:09much on the cards and the winning score last year was only minus nine and bearing in mind these guys
14:14are obviously playing for their rights on the dp world tour so they're at the top end of the
14:18professional game really really amazing players and only coming out with a winning score of minus nine
14:23shows you what the test of golf is like here at alcanada from those back tees now i'm not man
14:28enough to take on those white tees because it's over 7 000 yards from back there i get my handicap at
14:33a 6 200 yard course so i've edged forward onto the yellows which are still 6 600 yards and i've set
14:40myself a target of breaking 80. now an educated guess i'd say i'm probably not going to do it but
14:47anyway let's crack on play a bit of golf here at alcanada like i said an hour from where i'm staying at
14:51pooler and a really really special course can i break 80 jump in the comments down below yes or no
15:01it's up the right 12 hit it's fine it's just over that bunker kicking down now could be on
15:08the adjacent fairway once gravity gets involved but considering i'm fresh out the car with no time
15:13to warm up i'll take that to start not 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
15:32i'll be happy with that right that run ah not enough to get over that slope
15:56not the best but given my history of the dust i'm not overly disappointed with that i just needed
16:05to fly a little bit further or take a little less loft something to think about obviously i didn't have
16:10a chance to warm up on the practice screen before i teed off so a little bit of guesswork with how the
16:16greens are going to react over the first couple of holes but hopefully i'll get up to
16:19speed with them for lack of a better pun apologies right birdie putt on the first
16:31go in go in oh i will take a two inch tap in par putt on the first hole without a warm-up
16:38any day of the week level par through one
16:41and hit the slope and go a bit and go a bit more and go in oh i think we can all agree
17:07that that is a gimme so worth noting that alcanada boasts this tag marshall buggy system which is
17:14a really really detailed gps of the golf course tells you what your pace of plays like what your
17:19start time was i've been playing for 29 minutes so too old maybe need to speed up a little bit but
17:25you can do all sorts of stuff with this give it a bit of a food and bevs action lovely as you can see
17:33map of the course you know don't get lost all that kind of stuff it's a great system
17:40one of the fancier gps units out there for sure
17:46a bit skinny low on the face up the right not a good shot at all but
17:52it's bouncing could even get a bit of car path of love and a few extra yards out of that one so
17:58quick shout out to alcanada actually the course opened for play in october 2003 so we're creeping
18:04up on the 20th birthday of this magnificent golf course we'll just see if i can find my ball flick
18:10another little wedge shot into this par four green and hopefully start off with par par par that would
18:15be lovely i've taken the wrong club down here i've got a 60 degree wet so i'm gonna have to throw this
18:22quite far but i definitely can't be bothered to go back to the buggy played it nice and sit definitely
18:33take that
18:37no that was low all day long now to be honest with you struggling for a bogey
18:45yeah in for five one over through three to be honest with you without a warm-up take that for sure
18:51right seventh tee raised tee absolutely spectacular view in the background as you can see as this par
18:56five snakes its way down the hill in between bunkers and rows of trees brilliant brilliant golf
19:01i would argue this is the signature hole on this golf course there are other candidates
19:06later on the round which i'm sure you'll see on this video but yeah if i can get a good drive away
19:11over this bunker chasing down the hill even though it's a 600 yard par five from this yellow tee
19:16i reckon i can get pretty close in two so bombs away as they say and uh let's see if we can sneak
19:22one down there in the fairway
19:30bit necky definitely not my best strike up the left it's absolutely fine it's at that kind of big tree
19:37right in the middle of the two bunkers but as you can see i've been so close to going down this slope
19:44and getting a few extra yards that would have been lovely but as it stands i've got about 320 yards
19:51left in so there are two bunkers down there one right one left which i do think make this layup a
19:57little bit more complicated than it needs to be so i am kind of tempted to hit three wood and just try
20:02and get as close to green as possible over these bunkers and in play with a wedge unfortunately though
20:08three wood off the deck is not really my strong suit so i'm going to be a wimp i'm sorry i'm going to play
20:17this hole as a three shotter which let's be honest unless i absolutely ripped one down the right and
20:22side here and chased down the hill it was always going to be anyway so i'm just going to hit a six
20:28iron which i don't think is enough to reach the bunker on the right if i go in that direction
20:34should leave about a wedge in that is straight out the bunker so if it does reach it i'm an absolute plonker
20:47ah yep comfortably right in the middle of that bunker right so nine iron 136 try and catch it a little bit clean
20:56like that that's the yardage that's such a good shot get down get down
21:09straight over the top of the pin i think i have hit that a little bit too hard probably got like a 35
21:15footer for a birdie i'll take it though
21:24so
21:37so
21:45so
21:51Come on, par required to break 80.
22:12I've hit a bit bottomy, but that's so straight and safe, that's fairway I think, rubbish
22:24for distance, but accuracy wise, lovely.
22:30Stay there and be the yardage, stay there.
22:36Just not quite reached the green, but I think it's literally like a yard short, I should
22:39be putting that.
22:40Now I know I said I quite fancy practicing my chipping at the moment, but, and this would
22:44be a good opportunity to practice that strike off the tight fairway lie, but let's be honest,
22:51I 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.
23:07One swing, and go.
23:10And that's a tap in.
23:1379, nothing to write home about for decent golfers, but for me, 8 handicapper, 7 over,
23:20broken handicap, break 80, done.
23:25There we have it guys, all done at Alcanada, all done in Mallorca I'm sad to say.
23:30That was my 48 hours on this amazing island, playing two really cool golf courses, really
23:35enjoyed my stay at Pula.
23:37As 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,
23:47and obviously the two different accommodation options on site, making it a super convenient
23:51place to stay and play in Mallorca.
23:53And then you've got this place, Alcanada Golf Club, an hour's drive, or just less than
23:57an hour from Pula.
23:58So if you're looking at maybe like three nights, five nights kind of holiday stay and play package,
24:03definitely recommend Pula as a good base.
24:06There are accommodation options near Alcanada, but as a standalone golf club, they don't have
24:10their own hotel as of yet.
24:12So this is definitely a kind of tack it onto the itinerary kind of vibe option, and I certainly
24:18would recommend it.
24:19One of my favorite courses I've played over the last few years, and I'm lucky to say that
24:23I've ticked off a fair few all the way around the world, and this is definitely one of the
24:26most spectacular places to play, as you can see behind me.
24:29And as I said at the start of the video, super friendly, really great clubhouse to have
24:33a spot of lunch after your round.
24:36Unfortunately, I don't have time for all that.
24:38I'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...
24:46Can I just stay in Mallorca?
24:48Can I just stay in the water?
24:49I do you know, a different spot of events during the pandemic.
24:51I'll probably last a few weeks from the leave for a while.
24:53Actually, I see.
24:56If you have time for the first time, I can just come in the waterillah ta dead
24:58.
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