Cape Kaliakra, Bulgaria – “I’ve traveled more than any other human being, I’ve seen a lot and I can say that there is no course like Thracian Cliffs anywhere in the world.” These are words of golf legend Gary Player, who came to Bulgaria on June 4th for the opening of the second Gary Player designed golf course on the Black Sea coast – Thracian Cliffs.
Player and the developers Krassimir Guergov and Georg Tsvetanski welcomed Bulgarian Prime Minister Mr. Boyko Borisov and guests at the Signature 6th hole, where Gary Player and the Prime Minister cut the ribbon of the new golf complex. “With the opening of such wonderful places, our coastline is now in no way inferior to the Adriatic coast. With the 160 million leva in investments, the 300 new work places and the completely preserved environment, Thracian Cliffs is a pride for Bulgarian tourism”, the Prime Minister said.
“I came personally to make sure that the ecology of the region has not only been preserved, but also that a wonderful tourist site has been built”, said the Minister of Environment and Water, Nona Karadzhova. Also present at the official opening were the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Miroslav Naydenov, businessmen from all around the world, and local and international media.
“Thracian Cliffs is undoubtedly the pearl of the Northern Black Sea Coast. With such complexes Bulgaria has the chance of establishing a new look as a tourist destination,” said Gary Player.
After cutting the ribbon Gary Player impressed the crowd by hitting his first tee shot on the Signature 6th hole, onto the green. The 6th hole, which Player considers “the most dramatic hole I’ve ever played since I became a professional golfer,” is an imposing challenge with the tee box 40 meters above the green which is surrounded by the Black Sea. The Black Knight then gave a short golf clinic to help the guests hit the difficult green.
Q&A with Gary Player
– Mr. Player, after five years of hard work what would you say about the completion of the project, does it meet your expectations?
We’ve designed over 325 golf courses around the word and I can honestly say that Thracian Cliffs is probably the most beautiful golf course I’ve ever seen. The course looks even better than I expected. It’s a paradise.
– Is it a typical links course?
No, though it’s by the sea it’s not like the Scottish links golf courses for example, it’s an absolutely unique golf course. I’ve been playing golf for 55 years and this is the only golf course where you can see the sea on every hole! And the 6th hole is the most dramatic hole I’ve ever played since I became a professional golfer. Thracian Cliffs is definitely one of the top five of the courses that we’ve designed.
– What should be done next for the development of golf in Bulgaria?
Now you have to teach young boys and girls to play golf at school. You have to develop a junior program on a large scale; you should show the children movies of the top world players – that will give them the incentive to go and play themselves. If you have ambition, you’ll succeed! When I was a child my family was very poor but nevertheless I became a champion. You have the examples of your football stars Hristo Stoichkov and Dimitar Berbatov who have world fame. So why not have a golf champion in the years to come? You should advertise your country in every possible way. People will be surprised to come and see this magnificent golf course. When I travel around the world and people ask me which is the most beautiful golf course in the world, I answer – it’s Thracian Cliffs, in Bulgaria. They exclaim – Bulgaria?! But – I say, Yes, go and see for yourselves! And now you have three different golf courses here at the Black Sea – Thracian Cliffs, BlackSeaRama and Lighthouse, which is wonderful. Golf will bring a lot of businessmen and European players to your country. Golf is a great sport for helping the economy.
For more information about Gary Player, or Gary Player Design please contact Scott Ferrell, President, Gary Player Design, 864 477 2720, or scott@garyplayer.com.
For More information about Thracian Cliffs please contact Anna Ruscheva, Director Communications,
Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach Resort, anna.ruscheva@thraciancliffs.com, press@thraciancliffs.com,
+359 878 400 530, www.thraciancliffs.com.
About Gary Player Design
Widely recognized as the world’s most successful golf course architectural firm, Gary Player Design established by Marc Player in 1983 has over 325 championship courses spanning the globe. With an ever-increasing number of courses stretching across five continents and encompassing more than 35 countries, the firm is renowned for its select and ecological approach to design.
Magazines such as Golf Asia, Travel & Leisure, Golf Digest, Golf Week, Golf World Worldwide Golf, and The Complete Golfer have consistently listed Gary Player courses among the top places to play. Travel & Leisure Golf named Leopard Creek in South Africa one of the top ten Best International Courses; Geneva National was referred to by Golf Week as the best course you can play in America; and Golf, Inc. named Blacksearama in Bulgaria the 2010 International Development of the Year. Awards and accolades such as these are numerous, and for good reason. Gary Player Design doesn’t simply design the course and walk away; they also provide the consulting services that will guide a newly established project through the implementation steps necessary to ensure success. The results are premier golf courses & resorts that provide golfers with a unique style of luxury, the challenge of risk versus reward, and a truly memorable experience.
Although Gary Player’s golfing expertise influences every project, Gary Player Design offers three tiers of golf course design service; Black Knight Design™, Player Design™, and Gary Player Signature Design™. On Signature Design projects, Mr. Player is involved in every phase of design and development. With over 50 years of professional golf experience, Player, The World’s Most Traveled Athlete™ has visited and studied most of the great golf courses of the world so he understands that the design of a course takes both vision and respect for existing conditions. His design philosophy, and also that of The Player Group, is to create challenging yet playable courses that enhance the existing resources and retain the natural beauty of the land. Environmental sensitivity is a cornerstone of Gary Player’s passion for golf course design.
Gary Player, often referred to as the Black Knight, is one of the century’s greatest golfers and one of the original inductees into the World Golf Hall of Fame. He is one of only five golfers to ever win the Grand Slam on the PGA Tour and the only golfer to win the Grand Slam on both the regular and Champions Tour. Over the course of his career, Player participated in 438 Tour events, placed in the top 25 in 281 of them, and won 165 worldwide tournaments. Player, whose career earnings exceed $15 million, is a legend in his own time. Currently serving as The Global Ambassador to the World Golf Hall of Fame, he has been a three-time President’s Cup Captain and is ranked by Golf digest as one of the top ten all-time golf greats. Player’s iconic status in sport adds immeasurable marketing value to all golf course design assignments he accepts. His legacy will most certainly ensure Gary Player’s Design success for many years to come.
For further information on Gary Player Design, Player Real Estate or Black Knight International, visit www.garyplayerdesign.com or contact Scott Ferrell at + 1-864-477-2720.
About the Project
Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach Resort is one of the most important projects in Gary Player’s European portfolio. Thracian Cliffs is part of the Cape Kaliakra Golf Destination, which includes Gary Player designed BlackSeaRama, and the Lighthouse Golf course, designed by Ian Woosnam. The three projects are playing a significant part in the development of the tourism at the Northern Black Sea Coast and for attracting tourists to Bulgaria. During this summer, the charters to Varna have almost doubled in size, and an increase of 60% in the number of tourists in the region is expected.
The Thracian Cliffs complex occupies an area of 164 hectares (405 acres) of rocky land along the sea next to Cape Kaliakra. The course is designed in a way that merges it perfectly with the natural terrain of the White Rock area, near Balchik. The environment of the Kaliakra National Park has been completely preserved, and the project is compliant with the Natura 2000 requirements. All habitats of the natural animal and plant species in the White Rock area have been preserved and the project matches completely the approved evaluation of environmental effect.
The implementation of project for the largest golf course in Bulgaria – Thracian Cliffs – started in 2005. The investment to date amounts to over 160 million BGN, entirely Bulgarian capital, of which 40 million BGN have been paid to the state in the form of taxes and fees. A total of 23 foreign and 97 Bulgarian companies have participated in the building of the largest sport-tourist complex in Bulgaria. During the last 6 years, the implementation of Thracian Cliffs project gave work to over 4800 individuals in the field of construction, services, textile, furniture and food. A 3-kilometer road from the entrance of the complex to the two public beaches, costing 6 million BGN, was built and donated to the Municipality of Kavarna. A large scale reinforcement of the seashore to the total value of 14 million BGN private capital was carried out in order to halt the natural decomposition process of the White Rock area. The two beaches in the complex were completely cleaned and renovated, and the road to them was built and asphalt-paved.
About the resort
The 18-hole Gary Player designed Signature Golf Course dominates the resort, hugging the clifftops for 4.5 km of rugged terrain above the sea. The resort offers its guests the ultimate experience by carefully blending traditional local architecture with the beautiful natural seafront environment. Thracian Cliffs resort comprises amazing sea view properties, preserved wild nature, 2 km private white beaches, Thracian Spa residence, fine gourmet restaurants – all presented against a backdrop of breathtaking scenery and complimented by exceptional service.
Thracian Cliffs Gary Player’s Signature Golf course
The 18-hole Gary Player Signature Golf Course forms the core of Thracian Cliffs Resort. This is the course that Gary Player named “Pebble Beach of Europe” covers 164 hectares of truly beautiful Cliffside. The golf course has been sculptured to fit perfectly into this area and creates one of the most wonderful golfing experiences in the world. Sea views are in abundance and from every hole there is stunning view of the Cliffside and the Black Sea coast.
The course was designed with multiple tee locations providing an exceptional experience for all levels of golfer. The Black or back tees, allows the course to be set up for championship play lengthening each hole and increasing the level of difficulty.
The weather here allows golf players to experience their favorite game 8 months a year. The climate is mild and quiet – temperatures vary from 20 to 30 degrees and only in spring and autumn there’s light wind. The temperature of the seawater is 22-25 degrees during the summer season.
About the owners
Krassimir Guergov is one of the most prosperous Bulgarian businessmen. Born 1961, in Sofia, he has a successful career as a media consultant and has enjoyed remarkable professional experience in marketing and advertising. He is Chairman of the Bulgarian Association of the Advertising agencies, Member of the International Advertising Association and representative of Dun & Bradstreet Europe Limited. His International partners are News Corporation Ltd., Central Media Enterprises Ltd., JCDecaux Ltd. and etc.
As an ambassador for the sport of golf in Eastern Europe, Krassimir Guergov is President of the Bulgarian Golf Association (www.golfbg.com). Ìåe is also owner of other two golf courses – St. Sophia Golf & SPA, a golf course just outside Sophia with natural mineral springs, and BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas, another Gary Player Signature Golf course at the Black Sea Coast. Mr. Guergov is also President of the National Tourism Board, Member of the European Golf Association, and Associate member of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.
Thracian Cliffs is also owned by GRF ltd., a European family owned and operated business, which specializes in building and developing luxury brands and lifestyle propositions across the globe. Other ventures in the GRF stable besides Thracian Cliffs include GRF’s J-Craft, a luxury Swedish based boat manufacturer, investments in movie industry alongside with the movie legend Harvey Weinstein and various other real estate projects across Eastern Europe.
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