BlackSeaRama

In the recent past, Bulgaria lagged way behind other Central and Eastern European countries like the Czech Republic and Turkey when it came to investing in top end courses for visiting golfers. Well that all changed early in the new millennium, thanks in no small measure to Gary Player, one of the global golfing greats.

Approached by the Bulgarian Golf Association’s President, Krassimir Guergov to help popularise the game in his country, the Black Knight took to the task with gusto, putting his name to a couple of major projects to the north east of Varna, on the edge of the Black Sea, next to the small town of Balchik.

BlackSeaRama opened in 2008, with another Gary Player design, Thracian Cliffs, appearing three years later. Occupying a cliff top setting along the edge of the Black Sea, the course is laid out within a residential estate that proudly claims to be Bulgaria’s first gated golfing community.

BlackSeaRama co-hosted the 5th Bulgarian Open Amateur Championship in 2009, sharing the tournament with another neighbouring new venture, the Ian Woosnam-designed course at the Lighthouse Golf Resort, so it’s easy to see why the future of golf in this part of the world looks very bright indeed.