From the Challenge Tour Grand Final to the stunning Mediterranean manor at Pula: Here's why Mallorca MUST be on your golf travel list

It is the business end of the golf season.

Players across the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour are jostling for positions in a bid to be crowned the Race to Dubai or the FedEx Cup champion.

But over in Mallorca, one of the most important events of the season is unfolding at the outstanding Club de Golf Alcanada.

It is the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final, the last tournament of the Race to Mallorca season, that offers players one final chance to climb the rankings and gain a DP World Tour card for the following season.

Many of the game’s greatest players have graduated from the Challenge Tour onto the parent circuit, including the likes of Thomas Bjorn, Tommy Fleetwood and Edoardo Molinari.

And this year, it was Kristoffer Reiten who claimed victory at Alcanada to climb 29 places in the Road to Mallorca standings and secure his spot on the DP World Tour for 2025. Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, meanwhile, topped the Race to Mallorca rankings and also booked his place on the DP World Tour for the following season.

Mallorca has been home to the tour-ending showpiece for the past six years, with this golf club and stunning Balearic island providing the perfect setting to draw the curtain on the season.

It is also one of the best places in Europe to visit for a golfing holiday, with Mallorca being blessed with a plethora of outstanding courses, including Alcanada and the stunning Pula Golf Resort and Spa, located about an hours drive north of Alcanada.

So we took a trip to Mallorca to find out more about golf on the island and here’s why a trip to watch the Challenge Tour Final, and a couple of rounds of golf at the stunning Pula Golf Resort is the perfect getaway for anyone looking to escape the cold, wet autumnal weather of the United Kingdom.

The Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final

Alcanada is one of the most interesting golf courses that I have had the privilege of playing.

It is situated on the north-eastern coast of the island next to the port of Alcudia, a fishing town that boasts some exceptional restaurants and a stunning sandy beach.

The golf course was originally designed by the renowned architect Robert Trent Jones Jr and opened in 2003.

What’s fascinating about this golf course is its layout. The golf course plays to 6,559 yards from the championship tees, and weaves its way up the mountain and around neighbouring farmland, before coming back downhill and skirting its way along the coastline.

The course, interestingly, gets its name from the lighthouse that is situated on an island just off the coast, which can be seen from one of the many viewpoints around the course.

I arrived at Alcanada in the week leading up to the competition and was fortunate enough to play in a pro-am, alongside English star Brandon Robinson-Thompson, who earned his DP World Tour card after finishing 18th in the Race to Mallorca standings.

The facilities here are all to tour standard with the incredibly helpful staff catering to our needs, particularly when I realised I’d accidentally been given a set of left-handed rental clubs by the pro shop. Thankfully, the staff were able to fix me up with a brand new set of TaylorMade Qi10 irons and metal woods, which were a treat to play with. 

I headed straight over to the range to test them out. After being shown to my range bay, I noticed that the pyramid of balls in front of me were all DP World Tour-branded Titleist Pro V1x’s ready for me to hit. 

Alcanada was founded in 1985 by its club president Mr Federico Knuchel and Mr Hans-Peter Porsche, a member of the iconic Porsche family who are renowned for their work in the automotive world. While I didn't see it, it is said that Mr Porsche has a golf buggy at the club that has a bonnet shaped akin to one of Porsche’s iconic cars.

I was also taken aback by the clubhouse. It is a stunning Mediterranean villa, nestled on a hill next to the first tee. After your round, park up on the clubhouse’s terrace with a cold beverage and a plate of tapas and take in the views as the sun sets over the Alcudia Bay.

Alcanada is a visual masterpiece in many ways. Think lush green fairways that are complemented by rich flora, including pink azaleas that blossom around the rustic Spanish villas dotted around the property.

The golf club also prides itself on its sustainability, with Alcanada having introduced six beehives on the outskirts of the course, while the property is also home to a herd of donkeys, who prune the grass and eat shrubbery for the greenskeepers over by the 13th hole.

While we’re on the subject of course maintenance, the grounds staff have this course looking in incredible condition, especially considering the warm and dry summer Mallorca has had.

The grass on the fairways is lush and the rough is long and sticky, so be wary of where you land your golf ball as Alcanada takes no prisoners if you go off-piste.

It is a challenging course, but golfers of lesser abilities will enjoy Alcanada too. Playing from the yellow tees cuts the yardage down significantly, but accuracy is key, particularly on my favourite hole the par-five first.

You’re presented with a long and narrow fairway from the tee box and players must play to the left to avoid their ball sloping downhill from left to right into the rough. A solid approach game is required at Alcanada. That became immediately apparent on the opening hole, with a small stream dissecting the fairway and the green.

The front nine presents the greater challenge at this par 72 track, with players gradually climbing their way uphill as they twist and turn their way around a network of tricky doglegs, all while avoiding strategically placed bunkers and slopes around the course.

You’ll eventually make your way back downhill before stopping at the halfway hut on the ninth hole, where the friendly course marshals greet you with a plate of sliced jamon, and freshly made sandwiches and sangria.

The back nine offers up some incredible scenic views over the island, with the elevated tee box on the par five 13th hole offering some sensational vistas of the lighthouse and the neighbouring harbour on a clear day.

Green fees vary depending on the season, but are well-priced given the stature and brilliance of this course. Guests can expect to pay between £150 and £175 for a round between September and December, while junior golfers play for £39 all year round.

Trolleys, club sets and buggies can all be rented through the pro shop, with the very helpful staff and club professionals all happy to cater to your needs, while giving you a few tips on how to play this track.

I suppose that attests to the warm and friendly attitude at Alcanada. Though this course boasts an incredible heritage, it is not stuffy. Visitors are welcomed with open arms and that makes Alcanada a must-visit when you’re planning your next golf trip to Mallorca.

A traditional Mediterranean getaway

Part of your next golf trip to Mallorca must also include a visit and stay at the Pula Hotel and Golf Resort, just an hour's drive north of Alcanada.

For anyone looking for a traditional Mediterranean golfing experience, look no further.

Pula’s golf course is built around a manor house on the outskirts of Son Severa that was originally built back in 1581. The hotel has since converted the manor house and surrounding villas into a fully functioning hotel, restaurant and spa.

One of the very cool things about Pula is that it also has its own farm, where the hotel grows its own produce that is used in its restaurant.

The food options in the restaurant are simply divine.

On my first night in Pula, we visited the hotel's s’Era de Pula restaurant, which is situated on a terrace looking out over the golf course.

I sat and took in the views, before we were served up local Mallorcan red wine, suckling pig and sea bass - which was the star of the show.

Food lovers and gastronomy gurus will love the selection of delicacies on offer here, with the hotel's restaurant offering up an excellent lunch menu, which can be sampled after a long morning out on the course.

One of the most unique things about Pula are the rooms. I stayed in an old converted barn and walking into the building’s lobby, I was stunned by the interior design, which had traditional Mallorcan paintings and farm tools hung from the walls.

It is a nod to this island’s history, with Pula being a brilliant place to visit, even if you aren’t an avid golfer.

That brings me nicely onto the course. This par 72 plays to around 6,297 yards in length and is a unique and interesting track that features raised elevations, plenty of water hazards and some uniquely designed holes.

The golf course was first founded in 1995 and later redesigned by Ryder Cup legend Josa Maria Olazabal in 2004.

It has hosted some huge events throughout the years, including eight editions of the Mallorca Classic on the DP World Tour between 2003 and 2007 and the Open Cala Millor Mallorca in 2010.

The two-tier driving range, which is fitted with Trackman technology, provides a great place to practice your swing, while the club shop is fully kitted out with all the latest gear and essentials you might want to stock up on before your round.

It presents a mixture of enjoyable par fours and fives that are well spaced out by a network of interesting and tricky par threes.

The greens were firm and up to a similar standard as those we found at Alcanada, with my ball landing and spinning nicely as I landed it on the par-three second hole.

My favourite hole on the course was the 379-yard, par-four third hole, which requires golfers to strike over a large ravine and angle their shot to compensate for a left-to-right dogleg around to the green.

For me, it epitomised that picking a strategy on every hole at Pula was very important.

You’ll meet your first sight of water on the fifth hole, with an errant tee shot right being very costly, as you weave your way left up towards a raised green.

On the back nine, the 16th and 17th holes, which are again separated by a small body of water, were equally difficult to navigate.

The 16th bends from right-to-left into the water hazard, while the 17th moves away from it, meaning hook shots on both holes are costly.

One of the best things about Pula, though, was that it is suitable for players of all kinds. Lower handicappers will enjoy the challenge of striking off the back tees and flighting their drives onto the narrow fairways below. 

Improving golfers, like myself, will enjoy strategising their way around the course. 

But you will not feel overwhelmed either by the Pula's difficulty.

Green fees are very well priced here too, considering this was once a course that occupied a slot on the DP World Tour schedule, with 18 holes costing approximately £58.

The hotel caters for group bookings too and you’ll have endless fun roaming the fairways at this Mallorcan countryside resort, before tucking into the outstanding food and wine on offer at Pula’s restaurant.