Golf - Brits Abroad
The Balearic island of Mallorca offers some of the finest golf in Spain; a bold claim perhaps when one considers the courses on the mainland that include Valderamma, Catalunya and Sotogrande. Yet, this almost hidden gem of a golf tourist destination boasts number eight in the top one hundred courses in Spain and, importantly, numero uno on the island itself; Golf Son Gual
S
ituated a few miles east of the island’s capital, Palma, in rural lowlands, boasting splendid views north to the mountains and south to the Mediterranean, Golf Son
Gual is regarded as the best golfing destination on Mallorca by the people that matter most; the golfers. That’s not to say that many of the other twenty-three courses dotted around the island aren’t half bad either as a further three Mallorcan courses appear in the Spanish top one hundred.
Avoid the ‘fish and chips’ tourist hotspots and you’ll discover a beautiful island, especially its rural internal regions and mountainous north. Magaluf, whilst certainly many tourists only experience of the island, is definitely not the real Mallorca.
Son Gual is a private, family-run members‘ golf club, set in 156 hectares of beautiful Mediterranean landscape. Described as ‘American parkland’, it is 6,621 metres (7,240 yards) long, with a par of 72.
Gareth Anwell is the Head Greenkeeper, a role he has performed for the past ten years.
In this Q&A session, he discusses his career path to date and the vagaries of working in such an unforgiving climate.
PC: How did you get into the industry and where did you work prior to your current position?
GA: I worked a week on work experience at the Warren Golf Club in Devon, whilst in my last year at school, and immediately decided it was the career for me, so I applied to Cannington College in Bridgwater to undertake the National Diploma in Golf Course Management and Construction. From there, I was privileged enough to have the opportunity to work for two years in the US at La Quinta Country Club and Tacoma Golf & Country Club. On returning to Europe, I joined Southern Golf, constructing and growing in courses throughout the continent for seven years, before taking up my current position at Golf Son Gual.
What training and education did you undertake?
Apart from my initial National Diploma, I now concentrate on trade shows in America and Europe to keep up to date with the latest developments, attending seminars which tackle current and future issues, in particular those related to my golf course. I spend too much of my free time on various sources on the internet and also strive to improve my spoken and written Spanish.
PC APRIL/MAY 2015 I 19
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