Son Antem Golf West

The verdict

Son Antem West is the resort's serious test, the course that earns Son Antem its place on the Mallorca golf map. Designed by the Spanish architect Francisco Lopez Segales and opened in 2001, it was the second 18 to be built on the property near Llucmajor, and from the start it was the more demanding of the pair, a championship layout good enough to have hosted the Mallorca Open.

It plays as a par 72 of 6,293 meters, and where the East coaxes you around, the West makes you think. The fairways are tighter, water comes into play more often, and the routing uses subtle movement in the land and views toward the Randa mountain to frame a more strategic round. Just 20 minutes from Palma and its airport, it is the natural centerpiece of a Mallorca break and the course low handicappers come to Son Antem to play.

The holes worth the trip

The West asks more of the driver and the mind than its sibling. Fairways are framed more tightly by trees and bunkering, the corridors demand a chosen line rather than a free swing, and the player who plots a route around the hazards is rewarded over the one who simply hits and hopes. It is still a fair course, but par must be earned rather than given.

Water is the recurring theme. Lakes and channels press on tee shots and approaches across the round, putting a premium on commitment and accurate distance control, and several greens are guarded so that the safe miss is well worth knowing in advance. The views toward the Randa massif lift the round, and the conditioning, kept to championship standard, gives the greens the pace and trueness a good player wants.

It is long enough and exacting enough to have tested the professionals at the Mallorca Open, yet from the forward tees it stays enjoyable for the club golfer who picks the right markers. Played alongside the gentler East over a few days, it gives a group the full range, a relaxed round and a real examination on the same comfortable, easily reached resort. For most visitors, the West is the highlight.

Where to stay nearby

The obvious base is the resort hotel at Son Antem, an Autograph Collection property with a spa, both courses on the doorstep and stay and play packages built for golfers. The wider south of the island, from Palma to the bay's beach resorts, offers a full range of hotels within a short drive, with the city's dining, marina and old town close at hand.

Son Antem West is the centerpiece of a Mallorca golf trip. Pair it with the more relaxed Son Antem East next door, the parkland of Son Muntaner near Palma, and the seaside Alcanada in the north. See our Golf in Spain hub and our best courses in Mallorca ranking to shape the route, or browse Mallorca golf holidays.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Palma.