European Tour player Bernd Ritthammer is keen to extend his fruitful partnership with Son Gual in Mallorca to provide the platform for future golfing success.
The 32-year-old German has been associated with the Palma course since 2017 and hails from the same region as the Pamer family, which built a remarkable layout on what was previously agricultural land in 2008.
Designed by Thomas Himmel, the 7,240-yard, par-72 course features large lakes, 66 bunkers, 800 olive trees – some more than a thousand years old – and particularly challenging greens, which were once likened to Augusta by former Masters champion Ian Woosnam.
And Munich-based Ritthammer, who claimed a top-10 finish in the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama in June, believes his regular practice stints in Mallorca play an important role in his progress at a place he calls his ‘second home’.
Rittammer said: “I hope it’s a long-term arrangement with Son Gual. I can always get on the course early, get a buggy and I can play a round in two-and-a-half hours. It gives me time to work on my practice as well and it works really well for me to use the time effectively to prepare for tournament golf.
“I try to get there as often as I can – especially during the winter when the weather isn’t good in Germany. I was there with my family for about three weeks this winter but I want to get down there for maybe four to six weeks this year to practice and to enjoy a family holiday as well.
“It’s ideal – it’s such a short flight to Palma from Munich. From my doorstep in Munich, I can be on the tee at Son Gual in maybe five or six hours.
“I’ve practiced in Dubai in the winter but it’s very expensive and Mallorca is so much more enjoyable. It’s become a very easy way to practice and enjoy some time away with the family. It feels like a second home to me now.”
Ritthammer, who has won three events on the Challenge Tour, has shot a six-under-par 66 from the back tees during practice at Son Gual but admits it is by no means an easy place to score well.
He said: “I think it’s a great design. You can make it accessible for everybody, depending on which tee box you choose. It’s certainly very tough from the back tees.
“It’s challenging but it’s a lot of fun at the same time. I think a course should be fun and easy to play from the forward tees and really challenging for better golfers from the back tees. Son Gual achieves that balance – there is something there for everyone.
“The greens at Son Gual are definitely very good, which helps me prepare for Tour events as they are very big and very complex – there are some big slopes to contend with.
“But some of the shots in are really challenging and sometimes I’m thinking ‘maybe I should have played from the yellows here’. I love it there though.”
Ritthammer’s recent success in Valderamma came tinged with disappointment as he narrowly missed out on a possible place at The Open, which would have been his first appearance at a Major.
He said: “I had a horrible first half of the season but played well at Valderrama recently. I dropped two shots in the last five holes, which really stung. Had I finished two shots better, I would have got into the Irish and Scottish Open and it would have probably meant I would have got into The Open as well.
“Hopefully, playing at my first Major tournament is not far away.”
ENDS
About Son Gual Golf
Borne of a desire in its owner, Adam Pamer, for Mallorca to have a golf course worthy of the sunshine island, Son Gual was sculpted expertly out of a large piece of barren agricultural land. The transformation into a world-class golf course has created a venue which features large lakes, 66 bunkers, 800 olive trees – some more than a thousand years old – wild flowers in the rough and vineyards in several areas around the course.
Son Gual includes several outstanding, memorable holes including a closing hole described by one reviewer as a “serious contender for Europe’s best par-five and Spain’s most dramatic 18th”.
High-resolution pictures of Son Gual may be downloaded, for editorial purposes only, from here.