Bulgaria has previously lagged behind other central and eastern european countries such as the czech republic and turkey in terms of spending in high-end golf courses for visitors. That all changed in the new millennium, thanks in large part to gary player, one of the world's greatest golfers.

When the president of the bulgarian golf association, krassimir guergov, approached him to help popularize the game in his region, the black knight jumped at the chance, putting his name on a couple of big projects north of varna, on the black sea's edge, next to the small town of balchik.

Blacksearama opened in 2008, followed three years later by thracian cliffs, another gary player style. The course is located on a cliff top along the black sea's shore, inside a suburban estate that proudly claims to be bulgaria's first gated golfing community.

The 5th bulgarian open amateur championship was co-hosted by blacksearama and another nearby new development, the ian woosnam-designed course at the lighthouse golf resort, in 2009, so it's easy to see why golf's future in this part of the world looks really promising indeed.