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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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00:03hello 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
00:42right 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
01:18right 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
01:45range here at pula like everything you need for a golf holiday literally roll out of bed onto the
01:50first tee or onto the driving range and away you go 18 hole golf course i'm going to set myself
01:54a
01:54target of 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
02:05breaking 80
02:06is an ambitious slash realistic target depending on how i'm playing i'm kind of quietly optimistic
02:13let's take to the golf course show you what it's all about here at pula what you can expect you
02:17head
02:17to mallorca on your next golf holiday you all have noticed i've gone baby blue head to toe
02:35hope that's okay with some of you guys i know got beard got man bun and now head to toe
02:41in the same
02:42color apologies if that offends anyone but here we go stroking x18 par four downwind
02:50bunkers up the right i'm not sure if i can fly them or not but let's find out i guess
03:04straight at them
03:08drifting right a touch but it should be fine findable for sure
03:17should be nice
03:21oh that's gone gone a little bit long right guys long and left of the first green here or the
03:28fourth
03:28green should i say after skipping the first three holes um texas wedging don't really feel like
03:35tipping off a bear lie i'm trying to practice my chipping at the moment after a few years duffing
03:41it all over the world but this 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
03:55cam it is quite windy today here in mallorca obviously 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 in
04:04the uk
04:05today we're wearing underarmoured base layers bobble hats thermal leggings if you're getting
04:10on a bit like i am and here in my walker i'm in a t-shirt it's lovely weather it's
04:14about 10 12
04:15degrees now definitely take a pile on the first two points
04:32so straight away here on the fifth hole at pooler you're faced with what this course is really all
04:38about in the middle of the round here at pooler you've got quite big sizable water hazards like i
04:42said it is a little bit windy today so all up the right of this hole you've got water into
04:48the wind
04:48today so playing a little bit longer than it usually would i'm gonna hit driver which i think
04:52is pretty aggressive considering the fairway just gets narrower and narrower and narrower the further
04:56up the hole you go you know if it was a still day i wasn't just straight out my hotel
05:01room onto the
05:01course i'd flirt with the idea of hitting a two iron down there into the fat part of the fairway
05:05but today i'm gonna hit driver i'm on holiday i'm wearing baby blue head to toe so
05:11shouldn't be taking myself too seriously should i
05:17ah some arrow just leaking right get down not gonna lie
05:27ah rinse 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 par on the first
05:43stupid club choice off the second to be fair so i'm gonna hit the green and
05:50top two play three in for a five with two putts
05:59oh 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
06:07pop up people come on right this would be very sneaky getting out of here with a four
06:14great wedge shot if i don't say so myself not like me at all
06:21come on come on left to righter for another par
06:30oh i've hit that quite hard as well don't miss this now roars
06:37thank god
06:41that's exactly where i wanted to hit it i think that's perfect
06:51and he's fat at it
06:57not gonna lie fat at that it's done quite well actually
07:02all right for a four pretty uninspiring after the t-shot which was in a great
07:07position to be fair
07:13goat goat goat
07:17ah i'll take it four or five hives to kick things off with
07:22not the end of the world
07:25i nearly missed that
07:31that's way
07:47now Pula opened for play in 1995 and it was just about a decade after that that the course went
07:53through an extensive remodeling phase and it was none other than Jose Maria Olathabel who was
07:58overseeing that project and anyone who's ever played a Olathabel course knows that the guy knows
08:03exactly what he's doing hardly surprising for a double masters champion and rider cup legend but
08:07yeah he oversaw the renovations here at Pula and you can definitely see how from these back tees if
08:13you look behind me there the white tee is a good I don't know 60 yards further back than the
08:19yellow
08:19tee here today on the 12th there really is championship golf on offer here at Pula if
08:24you're the kind of low handicap golfer who likes to test yourself this is definitely a course that
08:29will test your game but with multiple tee positions it is definitely a friendly or a more friendly
08:34proposition for handicapped golfers who just want a bit more holiday golf vibe today on the 12th we've
08:40got 127 yards plays uphill wind slightly off the right and a little bit against I would say
08:45so let's see what we can do here I've not had the best of front nines respectable in places and
08:52something to work on for tomorrow when I head to Alcanada which is one of the favorite courses
08:55that I've played over the last few years so yeah enjoying my time so far here in Mallorca let's see
09:01if we can finish strong on the back nine rack up a few more pars starting with the par 3
09:0612th
09:09that is a toe-y hook but I reckon I'm putting right as you can see just about held on
09:17to the
09:18parting green to be honest with you great result after a pretty bang average shot and I'll show
09:24you in a second but the step in this screen is quite severe so the pin literally three or four
09:29yards up onto the top level this is not an easy hole despite only being 130 yards from the LOTs
09:35today
09:39go go go okay as you can see if you get this just slightly wrong that is just going to
09:52go and go and
09:53go off the front edge of the screen that's a naughty little pin isn't it and that's yeah out to
10:02the right
10:04get out of that bunker
10:16right this is kind of my nightmare considering how bad my chipping is ball off the downslope
10:22green running away from me I've got the 60 degree wedge out
10:26weight 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 instead of left but
10:41oh well it's on the green that could have been duff city right one final putt can I scramble a
10:47par
10:49can't believe that that chip has 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
10:58it from
10:58all angles does make sense but ain't nobody got time for that if I can slot this one I'll be
11:04happy
11:04with the way I've played on day one looking very much forward to trying a little bit harder
11:08to put a score together tomorrow the golf course tomorrow is out of this world so make sure you
11:14you stay tuned for that not that hard enough that's poor to say the least
11:25all 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
11:33Golf
11:34Resort in Mallorca make sure you stay tuned because tomorrow we've got an absolutely amazing course
11:38playing at Alcanada Golf Club host of the Challenge Tour Grand Final three-time host
11:42as of November this year so if you are looking for a winter golf holiday later on the year
11:46definitely 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 Pula Golf Resort
12:05if you have any questions about this place make sure to pop in the comment section but for now
12:09I'm going to head into Pula Clubhouse get changed go for dinner in a banging restaurant
12:14get up early tomorrow hit the road for some more golf
12:43right guys day two of my Mallorca adventure and I'm off to a place called Alcanada Golf Club
12:49it's about an hour's drive just less than an hour from where I'm sitting here at Pula Golf Resort
12:54still up in the northeast corner of the island and this I have to say is one of my favorite
13:01golf
13:01courses that I've played over the last few years so yeah a special one in store for today
13:23so
13:25so
13:36right guys and girls arrived at Alcanada golf club but as you can see from the drive-in the
13:41location of this course is pretty spectacular we'll see more of the amazing views as we get
13:46to the high points around these mountains with some of the raised tees looking out over the bay
13:50of Alcudia looking pretty special I have played this golf course before and I was last here I
13:56didn't play but I was watching the challenge tour grand final which has been hosted here at Alcanada
14:01twice is coming back in 2023 for a third visit so as you can see when you come here play
14:07off those
14:07back tees championship golf is very much on the cards and the winning score last year was only
14:13minus nine and bearing in mind these guys are obviously playing for their rights on the DP
14:16world tour so they're at the top end of the professional game really really amazing players
14:21and only coming out with a winning score of minus nine shows you what the test of golf is like
14:26here
14:26at Alcanada from those back tees now I'm not man enough to take on those white tees because it's
14:30over 7,000 yards from back there I get my handicap at a 6,200 yard course so I've edged
14:36forward onto
14:36the yellows which are still 6,600 yards and I've set myself a target of breaking 80 now an educated
14:44guess so I'm probably not going to do it but anyway let's crack on play a bit of golf here
14:49at Alcanada
14:49like I said an hour from where I'm staying at Pula and a really really special course
14:53can I brake 80 jump in the comments down below yes or no
15:00it's up the right 12 hit it's fine it's just over that bunker kicking down now could be on the
15:08adjacent
15:08fairway once gravity gets involved but considering I'm fresh out the car with no time to warm up
15:15I'll take that to start
15:24not really expecting to hit this all the way up to the green anything in play and over that trouble
15:32I'll be happy with
15:37ripped it straight at the bunker
15:42yep that is about five six yards short the green exactly where I was aiming happy happy with that start
15:50like that run ah not enough to get over that slope not the best but given my history of the
16:00dust I'm not
16:02overly disappointed with that just needed to fly a little bit further or take a little less loft
16:08something to think about obviously I didn't have a chance to warm up on the practice screen before I teed
16:12off so a little bit of guesswork with how the greens gonna react over the first couple of holes
16:18but hopefully I'll get up to speed with them for lack of a better pun apologies
16:25right birdie putt on the first
16:30go in go in oh I will take a two inch tap-in par putt on the first hole without
16:37a warm-up any day of
16:39the week level par through one
16:45yeah actually a bit of a cut there but that's absolutely fine
16:57and hit the slope and go a bit and go a bit more and go in oh I think we
17:06can all agree
17:07that that is a gimme so worth noting that Alcanada boasts this tag marshall buggy system which is
17:13a 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 too too old maybe need to speed up a little bit
17:25but
17:25you can do all sorts of stuff with this give it a bit of a food and bevs action lovely
17:32as you can see
17:34map of the course you know don't get lost all that kind of stuff it's a great system one of
17:40the fancier
17:42gps 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
17:58one
17:58so quick shout out to Alcanada actually the course opened for play in october 2003 so we're creeping up
18:05on 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 be
18:15lovely
18:18i've taken the wrong club down here i've got a 60 degree width so i'm gonna have to throw this
18:22quite
18:22far but i definitely can't be bothered to go back to the buggy
18:28played it nice and sit definitely take that
18:36no that was low all day long now to be honest with you struggling for a bogey
18:45yeah in for a five one over through three to be honest with you without a warm-up take that
18:50for
18:50sure right seventh t raised t 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
19:01golf i would argue this is the signature hole on this golf course there are other candidates
19:05later on the round which i'm sure you'll see on this video
19:09but yeah if i can get a good drive away over this bunker chasing down the hill even though it's
19:13a 600
19:14yard par five from this yellow tee i reckon i can get pretty close in two so bombs away as
19:20they say
19:20and uh let's see if we can sneak one 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
19:43this slope and getting a few extra yards that would have been lovely but as it stands i've got
19:49about 320 yards left in so there are two bunkers down there one right one left which i do think
19:56make
19:56this lay up a little bit more complicated than it needs to be so i am kind of tempted to
20:01hit three
20:01wood and just try and get as close to the green as possible over these bunkers and in play with
20:07a wedge unfortunately though three wood off the deck is not really my strong suit so i'm gonna be a
20:15wimp i'm sorry i'm gonna play this hole as a three shotter which let's be honest unless i absolutely
20:21ripped one down the right and side here and chased down the hill it was always going to be anyway
20:27so i'm just gonna hit a six iron which i don't think is enough to reach the bunker on the
20:31right
20:33if i go in that direction should leave about a wedge in
20:40that 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 one three six
20:54try and catch it a little bit clean
21:00like that that's the yardage that's such a good shot
21:09straight over the top of the pin i think i have hit that a little bit too hard probably got
21:13like
21:14a 35 footer for a birdie i'll take it though
21:18so
21:24so
21:32so
21:39so
21:45so
22:04come on
22:07par required to break 80
22:14oh hit it a bit bottomy but that's so straight and safe
22:21oh 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 should be putting
22:39that now i know i said i quite fancy practicing my chipping at the moment but and this would be
22:45a
22:45good opportunity to practice that strike off the tight fairway lie but let's be honest i need
22:51to get this down in two for 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 but for me
23:17eight handicapper seven over broken handicap break 80
23:23and then i'm going to be done
23:25there we have it guys all done at alcanada all done in mallorca i'm sad to say that was my
23:3048 hours
23:31on this amazing island playing two really cool golf courses really enjoyed my stay at
23:36pooler 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 place
23:51to stay and play in mallorca and then you've got this place alcanada golf club an hour's drive or
23:56just less than an hour from pooler so if you're looking at maybe like three nights five nights kind
24:01of holiday stay and play package definitely recommend pooler as a good base there are accommodation
24:07options near alcanada but as a standalone golf club they don't have their 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 one of my favorite courses i've played over the last few years and i'm lucky to say
24:22that i've ticked off a fair few all the way around the world and this is definitely one of the
24:26most
24:26spectacular places to play as you can see behind me and as i said at the start of the video
24:31super
24:31friendly really 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 the yorker
24:48in the next one
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