Golf Majorca
Real Golf de Bendinat
Designer: Martin Hawtree
When the President of your golf club is a royal, in this case the King of Spain, then you can be certain that the course will be very special.
Visitors are welcomed with open arms at Real Golf de Bendinat, it's an excellent choice for any golf group or society. And do take your time to relax at the 19th hole, where according to Jorge Pando, director of Real Golf de Bendinat, there is deliberately no golf memorabilia or decoration, but a contemporary light airy clubhouse, perfect for sinking a refreshing beer and having a bite to eat.
The course is wonderfully manicured and a good test. It was originally a 9 hole course built in 1985, but was extended to a full 18 holes in 1995.
No two holes play the same way, and English architect Martin Hawtree has created a course in two distinct styles. The front nine winds through a residential area, bordering private villas and exclusive hotels, whilst parts of the back nine are played in blissful isolation, in a natural and environmentally protected area in the hills. (Taking a buggy is sensible as the course winds up through some fairly hilly terrain). It is here that you will encounter the club's mascots, the mountain goats that roam the surrounding hills, and are soon to be celebrated with a life size sculpture by the 14th green.
The goats are golfer friendly, and merely graze while you tackle the club's signature 12th hole. A downhill par 3, you play from an elevated tee looking down on the Bay of Palmanova. to a green guarded by a lake. It's a stunning sight, and later complemented by holes played back towards the castle, such as the 14th where a 15th-century viaduct flanks the green.
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