The Son Gual Tour truck has rolled into Mallorca as part of a six-figure upgrade of its Performance Centre. The sponsors’ versions are usually parked beside the practice range at Tour venues, with experts on hand to make modifications and repairs to equipment or stock the latest new clubs for the pros to test ahead of top-level tournaments. But at Son Gual – near Palma in Mallorca – they have their own in-house expert in the shape of the award-winning Miki Rapado, who is considered to be one of the best club fitters and club makers in Europe. His skills are frequently put to good use by members and guests as part of the Son Gual experience.
Head professional Tim Holroyd and Rapado have invested heavily in the building and technical equipment as part of the upgraded Performance Centre. Redesigned and refurbished, it now includes the golf gym and improvements to the video room, and guest areas – with some members also making their own financial contribution to the project – while the Tour truck adds an extra dimension. Holroyd said: “We’ve upgraded the older studio and have added several new areas, including the truck.
“The Performance Centre originally opened seven years ago but the industry is constantly evolving, so the demands and expectations of the golfers are also changing. The truck has been re-modelled to become a full work station, which allows us to build and change equipment as well as being able to use it to go to events and venues to be able to different services. Even we can’t all play like the Tour pros, we can make the most of our own Tour truck!”
Designed by Thomas Himmel, the 7,240-yard, par-72 course opened at a cost in excess of €30m in 2008. Now established as a leading European venue, it features large lakes, 66 bunkers, 800 olive trees – some more than 1,000 years old – a superb collection of par-threes and one of the most memorable finishing holes to be found anywhere on the continent. But the Pamer family, which built the course from scratch, is always looking to improve Son Gual and to attract new members and guests to test themselves on a venue which is consistently listed in the top 100 rankings.
Holroyd said: “The Performance Centre is probably most suitable for more advanced players but less-experienced golfers can also see huge benefits too. It’s also about making the whole experience more enjoyable and making people want to come back to Son Gual. The practice and learning areas of a golf club are often overlooked, but they actually play a key role in attracting new clients as well as members. Good golfers will always return to a specific club that has unique and different practice facilities.
“We are planning to add further features as spring approaches – a small area where you can have a drink in the practice facility and we will add music to the whole area, where you can play some motivational tracks or just add a little extra atmosphere.”
