Historic Bulgaria may be small but it’s perfectly formed and has a fascinating history that predates Moses by some 3,000 years. According to mythology, warriors from the ancient kingdom of Thyrisa sailed with Jason in the Argo in search of the Golden Fleece.

The country was later subjugated to five hundred years of Ottoman rule and in recent times paralysed behind the Iron Curtain. Bulgaria is now perhaps the most exciting of all Balkan countries, eager to promote the history and heritage of the ancient tribal people of Thrace.

The Bulgarian Golf Association was founded in 2001, affiliating to the International Golf Federation five years later. There are currently six clubs in membership of the national authority, three in Sofia and three in Varna, and the BGA oversees a very healthy program of events held throughout the year at these modern golf facilities.

Air Sofia, located sixty kilometres southeast of the capital, was the only golf club in existence in Bulgaria during the early years of the new millennium, but a change of ownership saw it withdraw from the BGA in 2012. It still functions but some of the officials we spoke to at other clubs during a visit in 2019 didn’t even know it still existed.

Construction of the new golf course at OKOL Lake Park near Sofia began in the summer of 2020. Designed by Robin Hiseman of European Golf Design, this layout is intended to host international events in the future.

Our Bulgarian golf course rankings were last updated in February 2020. Click the link to read the story: Top 5 Golf Courses of Bulgaria 2020