The 25th edition of annual Pinmar Golf Tournament at Son Gual, representing a number-one golf destination in the lovely Spanish yacht charter location – Mallorca, raised more than €80,000 for charity.
Pinmar Golf Tournament 2013 - Photo by Stuart Pearce
Company secretary Nick Entwisle confirmed the figure and said: “It was a record turnout by some margin, as we had 424 players and 957 guests for the dinner. This put great pressure on the whole event so a very big thank you from all of us to every one of the 100 or so organisers and volunteers who coped so well.
“The extra numbers meant we raised more money on the golf course and terrace – a record €24,000 – and also at the dinner, thanks to the generosity of all those who bid in the silent and live auctions which raised another €20,000.
“Added to the direct donations of Awlgrip and others, and the Marina Port Vell raffle ticket sales – another record at €16,400 – we reached a fantastic figure of slightly over €80,000, including €3,500 raised at the International Yacht Brokers Golfers Association tournament which Alan Dale, of Burgess, kindly offered to add to our total.”
Pinmar, the superyacht finishing specialist with more than 300 staff worldwide and its head office in Palma, moved its prestigious annual fundraising golf extravaganza to the stunning Son Gual in 2010.
A mere six years old, Son Gual continues to rack up the plaudits and recently leapt an impressive nine places to be rated the 44th best golf course in Golf World’s benchmark Top 100 Courses in Continental Europe 2014 rankings.
The €30m course opened only in 2007 and the judges at Golf World clearly expect the Thomas Himmel-designed track to continue its upward momentum. The magazine described the venue as “one of the finest inland courses on the continent”, and stated: “… there is every chance Son Gual will rise even higher in future lists as it continues to mature into the Mallorcan landscape.”
It continued: “Son Gual is what a modern championship course should be, and, taken together with its fabulous clubhouse and practice facilities, is every inch a serious Tour venue … it stands comparison with our own high-octane parklands The Grove and The Belfry – not least in the conditioning stakes, which is no mean achievement.”
Son Gual features large lakes, 66 bunkers, 800 olive trees – some more than a thousand years old – wild flowers in the rough areas and vineyards in several areas around the course. Just four years after Golf Son Gual opened, it was recognised by Golf World magazine as the number one on the island and ninth best in Spain – and the latest accolade pushes it up to eight in the golf-rich country.
In May 2009 it hosted the Mallorca Senior Open and received gushing praise from a number of participants – former Ryder Cup captain Ian Woosnam even compared the greens to those at Augusta National.
The 1991 Masters winner said: “It’s a bit like Augusta. There are a lot of slopes on the greens. You’ve got to get the ball on the right side of the hole – if you don’t you’ll be struggling. Miss it on the wrong side and you’re dead.”
