A range session before a Mallorca round has one of three jobs. Measuring tells you your carry distances, the number that matters on courses with water and big drops such as T Golf Calvià and Andratx. Warming up gets the body ready for the 1st tee. Short-game practice is where most strokes come back on a trip. Each facility below is good at some of those jobs and weak at others.
Quick answer
| You want | Go to | What is there |
|---|---|---|
| Numbers on every ball, open to the public | Golf de Andratx or Pula | TrackMan range |
| Ball tracking before a big round | Son Muntaner or Alcanada | Toptracer range |
| Short-game work | T Golf Calvià or Golf de Andratx | Target greens, chipping areas and bunkers |
| Hitting off grass | T Golf Calvià, Maioris, Son Antem or Son Termes | Grass tees |
| The biggest practice ground | Son Antem | Circular range for 200+ players |
| Practice near Palma | T Golf Palma | 42 bays, 14 covered, 250m long |
T Golf Calvià: the best grass practice ground
T Golf Calvià has 40 stations on an all-grass range, and seven target greens at different distances protected by ten bunkers. Around them are two putting greens, two chipping greens and two pitching areas with bunkers. Grass is not a given at Mallorca clubs, and the target greens give every ball a real number to aim at.
The course is the reason to use it. Fifteen lakes force carries from the tee and several approaches hide the bottom of the flag, so hit enough balls to know your carries before the 1st. More in the T Golf Calvià review.
Golf de Andratx: TrackMan above Camp de Mar
Andratx has a public TrackMan Range with 21 tees, seven of them covered, plus a short-game area and three practice bunkers. It is across the road from the clubhouse, which makes the warm-up a little unusual. When I played, the short-game area was in great condition for any shot you could want to practise. The range sits on a steep slope, and it does the job of loosening you up.
The numbers matter here more than most places. The par 3s play very differently to the card because of the drops. Creeks cross the fairways, so knowing your carry is the difference between a par and a lost ball. Allow time to walk across the road and back. More in the Golf de Andratx review.
Pula: the TrackMan range in the east
I visited Pula's practice facilities. There is a two-level public TrackMan Range, two putting greens, a pitching green, and a short-game area with bunkers. It is about 70 minutes from Palma, so it makes most sense if you are staying on the east coast.
Son Gual: range balls with your green fee
Son Gual has no public ball-tracking range. Paying green-fee guests can use the range with tokens at €4 for 24 balls, and a visitor range fee is €20 with 72 balls.
Use it before you play. Son Gual's greens are fast and raised, so ten minutes on approach distances goes straight onto the scorecard. More in the Son Gual review.
Son Muntaner and Alcanada: Toptracer before a big round
Son Muntaner has a Toptracer range, a chipping area and a putting green, and the practice facilities were at the level of the course when I played. It is also the range for Son Vida, which has only a net and a putting green and sits two minutes away.
Alcanada has Toptracer, ten covered mats and ten outdoor ones, a natural-grass area in season, and a short-game area. It is about 50 minutes from Palma, so arrive early and use it before a round on greens that leave very few easy putts.
T Golf Palma: the biggest range near Palma
T Golf Palma has 42 bays, 14 of them covered, on a 250-metre range, with putting greens and a large short-game area. If you are staying in the city and want a range session without a long drive, this is the first place I would look. More in the T Golf Palma review.
Son Antem: the academy
I visited Son Antem's academy. The circular driving range is built for more than 200 players, with grass and artificial tees, and there is an approach green with bunkers and a putting green of about 1,000m². It is one of the largest golf academies in Europe. If your group wants to practise together before a round, it has the space.
Maioris and Son Termes: grass close to Palma
Maioris has a range with grass and mat tees, a large putting green, an all-grass chipping and pitching area with slopes, and a bunker. Son Termes has grass and mat hitting areas, a chipping green and a putting green. Neither has ball tracking, so they suit a warm-up or short-game work more than a measured session.
How I would use them on a trip
- The day you land: an hour at T Golf Palma or Son Muntaner, finishing on the putting green.
- Before a water course: an hour on the grass at T Golf Calvià, so you know your carries before the lakes do.
- Staying east: Pula, for TrackMan on both levels.
- For numbers: TrackMan at Andratx before the round there, or Toptracer at Son Muntaner.
The range tells you your numbers. Using them on the course is the part I coach, during a full round where the shots count.