Pravets

Managed by Troon Golf, Pravets Golf Club is situated less than an hour’s drive northeast of the Bulgarian capital and this upmarket resort features an 18-hole championship course, golf academy, hotel, spa and conference centre.

Laid out in the shadow of the nearby Stara Planina mountain range, the course sits on the southern shores of Lake Pravets, where architect Peter Harradine routed the fairways in two returning 9-hole circuits.

There’s a new academy located next to the clubhouse – with all the indoor and outdoor practice facilities you’d expect to find at a top of the range golf facility – and it’s easy to see why Pravets claims to be one of the leading coaching centres in Bulgaria.

Since opening its doors to golfers in 2011, the course has hosted several PGA Professional Championship of Europe events, in addition to a number of prestigious European Golf Association tournaments.

The 154-metre 8th – dominated by a spectacular island green – is the signature hole on the card and, with a nod to the huge double greens found on the Old course at St Andrews, the 9th and 18th holes share the same large putting surface in front of the clubhouse.