Player Attends Grand Opening of BlackSeaRama and Visits Thracian Cliffs Project
July 9, 2009 — Gary Player is making a significant impact to popularize golf in Bulgaria with the design of two Gary Player Signature Courses. The prolific designer of golf courses around the globe continues to break new ground in countries where the sport is emerging. For three years, Player has made numerous site visits to his two high-profile Bulgarian projects near Varna, Thracian Cliffs and BlackSeaRama.
On July 18, Player will be present for the official grand opening and charity golf tournament at the world-class BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas resort. The 7,200-yard, par-72 course occupies a dramatic coastal site on an elevated plateau that affords panoramic views of the Black Sea. In what is Bulgaria’s first gated golf community, BlackSeaRama’s links-style layout offers fescue covered land forms into a routing that takes full advantage of breathtaking views of the Black Sea. Player commends the developers for “having optimized the land use here to create something truly special for golfers around the world.”
The resort’s co-owner, Krassimir Guergov, also serves as president of the Bulgarian Golf Association. The commitment to a first-class golf experience is reflected in his selection of Gary Player Design to ignite the golf tourism boom and foster the growth of the game in the country.
Within 13 miles of BlackSeaRama, Gary Player Design is completing the construction phases at Thracian Cliffs Golf & Spa Resort, which is slated to open in late 2010. Player, who on July 17th makes his fifth visit to the project, has enthusiastically stated: “The site at Thracian Cliffs reminds me of Pebble Beach and I expect the golf course to be just as dramatic.” He firmly believes that Thracian Cliffs will prove to be one of the top resorts in all of Europe. The course routing utilizes the stunning white cliffs and presents vistas that Player says rival any golf course anywhere in the world.
Thracian Cliffs, also located on the northern Black Sea coast, is one of Bulgaria’s largest and encompassing projects. The $152 million development will include a marina village, a mineral spa, boutique hotel, villas, townhouses and apartments.
Bulgaria is a golf destination waiting to be discovered. The southeastern European country sits at the crossroads that links the East and West, and it has served as a busy intersection of ancient cultures for more than 1,300 years. The Gary Player-designed Signature Courses at BlackSeaRama and Thracian Cliffs will offer the upscale international golf traveler, as well as local golfers, an exceptional and memorable playing experience.
About Gary Player Design
Established in the early 1980s by Marc Player and widely recognized as the most successful international golf course architectural firm in the world, Gary Player Design has branded over 300 layouts with the mark of a champion. Over its existence, the firm has worked on five continents and in over 30 countries, and prides itself on taking Gary Player’s design experience to emerging markets to help develop the game of golf globally.
Player’s vast experience in the business coupled with over 50 years of experience as a professional golfer have afforded him a unique understanding of the needs of the average golfer; the objectives of the developer, and the concerns of the environment. The cornerstone of our design approach is to create playable and memorable golf courses within the constraints of a given site, while being ultra-sensitive to the surrounding environment – particularly in the area of water conservation.
The result is a portfolio of award-winning and environmentally-recognized courses around the world. The Design Company presently has over 60 active projects around the world in Africa, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. For additional information and/or a listing of awards, visit www.garyplayerdesign.com.
Contact:
Pat Norton
pat@oncoursegolf-pr.com
+1 203 454 0232
www.garyplayer.com
