[Ron Farris]

I am curious if anyone has golfed in Bulgaria.  I understand that Gary Player has a couple of courses and that Ian Woosam has one under construction.  What is the climate like and what turf is used?

[Tony_Muldoon]

Ron if he doesn't see this IM, Adrian Stiff.  I'm sure he recently said he's just starting a project there.

[Adrian_Stiff]

Ron- Currently there are about 3 or 4 courses open in Bulgaria, none of which would register a point on the Doak scale. Under construction I know of about 6, a few of which are around the kavarna region and amost touch each other, Ian Woosnam has one and Gary Player has two one of which Thracian Cliffs is a fantastic site. Woosnam and Nicklaus both have course on the go near the ski areas. I have a 27 hole project about 20 minutes West of Varna and there is another fairly near.
Climate is quite a lot like the UK but with winters thatcan go -20 or be up to 14c and hotter summers that can go to 40c.
The landscapes look very British with plently of Oaks, Ash, Birch and Pine. I think creeping bentgrass would be the grass used on the greens and a rye mixture for the fairways. The site we have has plenty of fescue in the turf and at one stage I was contemplating not irrigating the fairways, but seeing summer temps this year its clearly not sensible. You can see some pics of the site if you got to www.theplayersgolfclub.com and go to the Bulgaria section.

[Ron Farris]

Adrian, why would you use Rye mixture when the Bluegrasses are absolutely wonderful to play off of nowdays?  Perhaps you mean Blue-Rye mixture.  

I spoke with a gentleman about the use of some special seed that my friend in Canada is producing.  It goes beyond the typical primed seed.  I watched him bring bluegrass out of the ground in 3 days!  

Adrian, the site you have looks quite interesting.  Is the soil there quite varied?  

[Adrian_Stiff]

Adrian, why would you use Rye mixture when the Bluegrasses are absolutely wonderful to play off of nowdays?  Perhaps you mean Blue-Rye mixture.  

I spoke with a gentleman about the use of some special seed that my friend in Canada is producing.  It goes beyond the typical primed seed.  I watched him bring bluegrass out of the ground in 3 days!  

Adrian, the site you have looks quite interesting.  Is the soil there quite varied?  

Yes the soil is poor in one area. I am not really that familiar with bluegrass. In the UK I think we call kentucky bluegrass poa pratensis, I have also heard poa annua called annual bluegrass. If it is the former (smooth stalked) certainly in the UK the only disadvantage is that it can be difficult to germinate because it requires warmer that our often autumn UK temperatures. I will almost certainly make the grass selection choices with an agronomist, it may be perfect for Bulgaria.

[Forrest Richardson]

Having just returned from Bulgaria I can chime in with some information. To my knowledge only one course is "open", that being the Player layout. I heard that two are under construction.

Soils are ideal in most areas. Agrilculture is big in Bulgaria.

Warn season grasses will be used along the Black Sea with overseeding as needed. Fescues may survive as roughs. In higher areas (cooler climates) you will see ryes, blues and fescues.

It is a neat country...on the verge of something big. I am not officially working there yet, but soon may be. It was a fun trip with good food, nice people and an exciting culture.

[Ron Farris]

Forrest,
I am curious as to how long a flight it is to get there and which direction one takes?

[Forrest Richardson]

I went from London to Varna — 3.5 hours via Air Bulgaria or British Airways. (BA is best because, for £50 one can upgrade.)  Amsterdam is 1.5 hours (to Varna) as I recall. I will do that next time.

Warning: Do not attempt to drive while there! Allow someone with Bulgarian balls to do that for you.

[Adrian_Stiff]

Forrest is certainly right about the driving, this nation are crazy drivers! The courses that are open are currntly around Sofia (two i think) and there is one at Sliven.
Varna looks like being the golf capital. I looked at 48 potential sites in 2004, from Romania to the Turkish border, most had potential.
Biggest downside in Bulgaria is that there are very few large landblocks left, a big parcel of land is 10 hectares here. The land was divided up and everyone gifted a little piece at the end of the communist rule. It needs a lot of patience to obtain big parcels, when I was there on four occasions we agreed verbal purchases at around 200,000 Euros for land blocks yet a few days later the goalposts moved and the demands on one occasion had moved to 5,000,000 Euros! I think its calming down a bit now and the Bulgarians are understanding the values golf can bring to the country.
Biggest upside, a bottle of Becks is around a 30p/ 50 cents. Labour (rising rapidly) is around 500 dollars per month for a worker.

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