Straight Down The Middle

Yet more on the Son Bosc golf development in Muro. A spokesperson for the GOB environmental pressure group is quoted in the “Diario” as saying that 99.9% of local people do not know what they have: it falls to “many foreigners” to come and enjoy the natural world of the Son Bosc finca. He goes on to say that the finca is home to 121 species of bird, while a naturalist from Albufera speaks of the plants, insects and animals to be found there. From the battleground of one particular orchid, the artillery of the environmentalists is now lined up behind a whole battalion of flora and fauna.

That local people may be unaware of what Son Bosc has to offer (they surely cannot be now) would not be a justification for creating a golf course instead, but when GOB refer to “many” foreigners, just how many is many? Knowledge, lack of knowledge, and some overseas naturalists, none of these is especially relevant. What is, is whether Son Bosc is a protected area of natural importance, which it would seem to be. End of story, one would think. It would be were it not for the interests of the developers, some politicians and some hotels.

The Albufera representative talks also about the number of golf courses that already exist on the island, some of them quite close by. This is not an invalid argument. What has been lost in the debate, or at least is not being widely discussed, is the economic argument in favour of the Son Bosc development: that, and the exact nature of the planned course. Both Alcúdia and Pollensa have golf courses. Alcanada is thought to be the more challenging because of its links nature. Pollensa’s course is – I am told as I don’t play – a bit easy, a park course but set in superb countryside and with undulations. A course in Son Bosc would be a park course, on the flat, without the sea and cliffs of Alcanada or the scenic splendour of Pollensa.

But more fundamentally, what is the reality of golf tourism to Mallorca and specifically to the north? Golf tourism is a concept bandied about as part of the solution to winter tourism and as an element of the vaguely defined “quality” tourism. There may be figures which show the numbers of golf tourists, but I am not aware of them. Are there great numbers coming to play at Alcanada? Maybe there are, but were there then perhaps more hotels might be open to accommodate a mass of Titleist-tagged and Wilson-wielding chippers and pitchers. The hotel and the apartments in Alcanada are not exactly thronged with winter golfers: they are not exactly open either.

To what extent are these courses sustained by their local populations? The total population of Muro (Playa de Muro) and Santa Margalida (Can Picafort) combined equates to that of either Alcúdia or Pollensa alone. The expat “market” is widely perceived as being a strong golfing one. The percentages of British-German expatriates for Alcúdia and Pollensa are 7 and 9 per cent respectively: for Muro and Santa Margalida together, the figure is less than 6%. Of course, not only expats play golf and by no means all expats play golf, but however you look at the figures, they are not that great. The total number of British-German expats in the four towns together is a bit over 3,500, and how many actually play golf? Consequently, would another golf course be justifiable, one that might not enjoy, ironically, the natural benefits of Alcanada and Pollensa? Would current Muro or Can Picafort golfers with memberships for the nearby courses stop those in favour of a course merely because it happens to be closer? I have not heard of the Son Bosc development being positioned as satisfying a local need or demand. If it were, then the support of the hotels would be irrelevant.

The Playa de Muro hoteliers may be backing Son Bosc, but where is the evidence that they would get significant business? Neither Alcúdia nor Pollensa have many hotel beds in winter, and what is open is either very small (such as the interior hotels) or smallish (like the Estrella de Mar). Playa de Muro’s hotels are mostly all medium to big. Is it not the case that winter golf tourism to Mallorca is rather overplayed? There are not the complexes of Portugal or mainland Spain, to say nothing of other golfing destinations, including Florida.

The environmental (and legal) case against the Son Bosc development is strong. Although I think that the likes of GOB are making something of a meal out of it, it might help the cause of the pro-course lobby if an equally strong economic and business case could be presented. So … ?


QUIZ
Yesterday – “Dreams”, Fleetwood Mac (The Corrs did the cover). Today’s title – old, old song by a golfing crooner. His good mate had a classic named after him: indeed I think he did too.

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