27.7.2007

Golf in Bulgaria: getting a grip

Seven years have passed since the first golf course in Bulgaria, Ihtiman, opened for those willing to have a go at a sport that then had scant popularity among Bulgarians.  Since then, St. Sofia Golf Club & Spa and Sliven golf courses, both completed in 2004, have appeared. However, Bulgaria’s current three golf courses are not the reason why the country has recently set itself the ambition of becoming an established world golf destination. 

Right now, there are five golf courses being built around the country, of which three are along the north Black Sea coast near Balchik and Kavarna, one near Bansko (Pirin Golf Holidays Club), and one in Dolna Banya (Ibar Golf Club). Moreover, there are at least five golf projects at an advanced stage of planning, meaning that each has an announced and approaching date of completion. A few more are being talked about, but still have a long way to go until serious planning is underway. That the construction of golf courses seems to be the newest fashion among tourism and property investors in Bulgaria is a fact. But boasting a few golf courses is by far not enough for a country to become a golf destination.

Radostina Paskova, manager of the two Air Sofia golf clubs (Ihtiman and Sliven), says that the prime factor is the presence of a number of golf courses close to each other. She says that unlike other businesses, where the presence of other companies offering the same product means competition, with golf the opposite applies. “Golfers like to play on more than just one golf course," she says.

“What gives them a rush is knowing that there are a number of different golf courses to try in the area. This means that golf investors in effect have an interest in having more golf courses in the area, because this means that golfers will be there to visit their courses.”

Even though Air Sofia’s initial idea was to build golf courses in different regions in the country, they decided to build their third close to one of the two they already have in hand. This is why they plan to complete a golf course in Gorna Banya, just outside Sofia, not far from Ihtiman. “We are hoping that other golf investors will also finish their projects, as this is a long but necessary mission,” Paskova says.

But with so many already established golf destinations in Europe, especially warm climate courses such as those in Spain, Cyprus and Antalia (in Turkey), why would golfers choose to visit Bulgaria, a country that many Western Europeans still perceive as “a small and underdeveloped Eastern European country”?

“Because it will be new,” says Neil Turley, golf trainer and manager of St Sofia golf course in Ravno Pole.

Source: www.propertywisebulgaria.com