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Gary Player Designed Thracian Clffs Awes Grand Opening Guests

Jun 9, 2011 | Filed Under: General NewsGolf Course Design   Share

“Thracian Cliffs is the most beautiful course I’ve even been to, and I certainly know how serious this evaluation is,” said a visibly excited Gary Player at the opening of Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach Resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast.  “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.”

The grand opening ceremonies were held on the dramatic 6th hole where Gary Player and Bulgarian Prime Minister Mr. Boyko Borisov cut the ribbon and officially opened the course. “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 journalists. All of them congratulated the owners of the complex Krassimir Guergov and Georg Tsvetanski for the building of the first-class tourist site.

“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.

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 world 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 in 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 golf 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.

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