There is always a sense of anticipation when you visit a course of any type for the first time. The level of anticipation does vary markedly though, and when the course is one you’ve seen notable images of many times and when it is on a preposterously exciting site, those levels rise close to the maximum.
That was definitely the case for the trip to the Cape Kaliakra area of Bulgaria, where the stand-out course is Thracian Cliffs. Thracian is backed up by BlackSeaRama and Lighthouse, all three being tightly packed together on a stretch of coastline overlooking the Black Sea.
The currency exchange means Bulgaria is a very cheap option for golfers, just as it is for skiers. And the weather is beautiful in the summer. So it’s breathtakingly scenic and great value, but does this Bulgarian option offer a sufficient level of quality to satisfy British golfers? Travel editor Chris Bertram went to find out…
Thracian Cliffs
One of Continental Europe’s most spectacular courses with hole after hole of sensational views
This clifftop course is usually considered one of the Top 100 courses in Continental Europe and was named by IAGTO as the ‘European Golf Resort of the Year for 2014’.
It hugs the bluffs along a 4.5 kilometre stretch of terrain above the rocks way below, with Black Sea views from every hole. Even arriving here is fairly spectacular, along a twisting coastal road between cliffs on which Thracian sits and some much higher ones further inland. It is an awe-inspiring setting, 360-degrees.
It was designed by Gary Player, who could not help himself from describing Thracian Cliffs as the ‘Pebble Beach of Europe’. While that may be a little fanciful, there are striking similarities, just as there with Old Head of Kinsale. And, just as with the Irish course, while design connoisseurs will turn their noses up at some aspects of Thracian, for most golfers, the premier course in Cape Kaliakra is surely the kind of jaw-dropping, memorable golf we can’t get enough of.
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You must choose the correct tees for your ability to get the correct experience though, because off the 7,097-yard tips it was a test for even competitors in the Volvo World Match Play Championship in 2013. In fact locals reckon you should expect to lose as many balls as half of your handicap!
Another similarity with Old Head is that the first shot of the say is fairly modest, hit down an enclosed corridor. But as you walk towards the opening green, suddenly everything opens up in front of you. It begins a phenomenal opening run, with the cliff edge on the right never far from your thoughts and gaze.
Perhaps the highlight on the front nine is the 232-yard, par-3 6th – although with a 40m drop in elevation it thankfully doesn’t play its full, intimidating yardage given the green is cut out of the cliff edge with the sea on the right.
The next starts with a tee basically in the sea and requires a hefty but exhilarating carry. There aren’t many more thrilling back-to-back holes in Continental Europe.
It finishes with a par 4 to a green that is heavily guarded by water and then a late change in tempo – a short hole with no cliff-edge action. You get plenty of that before then though…
Cape Kaliakra travel guide continues on the next page…
Lighthouse Golf Resort & Spa
This is the place to stay on this three-course break – with a very fine course of its own on site
Lighthouse cannot compete with Thracian Cliffs for views but it is a solid, playable design by Ian Woosnam that offers a nice contrast. Rather than a spectacular, exposed clifftop course with dramatic elevation change, it is a pleasant parkland over rolling land punctuated with mature trees.
It is sufficiently testing to keep strong players interested but higher handicappers will always be able to see a way to negotiate their way down a hole. Water plays a part but not in an overtly intimidating way. It is is fabulous condition too – which is happily a distinctive aspect of all three Cape Kaliakra courses actually – so, in short, a real pleasure.
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It has been sculpted notably well by Woosnam and his shapers, with the fairways rolling naturally and the humps and hollows around the greens finished really well.
Bunkers being sunken into those mounds and thus partially hiding the green are a nice feature here; a visual and mental challenge without being too exacting. The tough par-3 5th is one such example of that feature.
The 13th also illustrates the excellent shaping, with mounds and a bunker front left. It is followed by a very long par 3 that plays parallel to the coastline even though you can’t see the sea. Again it is really nicely shaped.
Lighthouse is not always a totally typical resort course and perhaps the odd testing tee shot – such as the tight drives off the 9th – is hardly a surprise given Woosnam was such a good driver of the ball and might like a few challenges in this regard. There is water and sand up at the green on this long hole, that plays up to slightly elevated green and is one of the Lighthouse’s tougher challenges.
But the visual pick of the course come at the 7th, which plays down towards the cliffs with a super backdrop as well as the par 3 that follows, giving you two infinity greens and thus some lovely views in a row.
The Lighthouse is the best base for your trip to the area, but don’t make that at the expense of playing the course too, because it indubitably worthy of your time.
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Cape Kaliakra travel guide continues on the next page…
BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas Resort
Another Gary Player design with Thracian Cliffs-esque thrills as well as a better technical test
Gary Player has designed two of the three courses in Cape Kaliakra yet because Thracian Cliffs was such an inevitably dramatic project, his work at BlackSeaRama has not received anything like as widespread exposure.
Yet some believe BlackSeaRama might be the best course in the area. Certainly, it sits on a more flexible site and there are less super-quirky holes as a result, yet still enough drama and visual kicks to get the juices flowing.
“BlackSeaRama offers the very best of Gary Player’s style,“ said double major champion Angel Cabrera after playing it in 2010.
Named ‘Best new golf course in the world’ in 2009, it is located in the middle of the resorts, with Lighthouse on one side and Thracian on the other and as is a constant theme of the trip, you drink in idyllic views of the eponymous water from its idyllic clifftop setting.
Its 18 holes stretch over a mammoth 7,300 yards of the coastline and while the length may be intimidating, forward tees and wide fairways make it very playable for high handicappers. But if you want to open your shoulders and let rip from all the elevated back tees, you won’t be disappointed.
As is the case with all three of the courses here, the wind plays a significant factor given the lofty location, especially when you are on the edge of the bluffs.
Then, when the course filters inland, water hazards – notably on the quartet of holes from the 5th – maintain the aesthetic appeal as well as the challenge.
Another lake appears on the 16th to make it a real card-wrecker and it is followed by a strong 17th (complete with infinity green) and a fabulous short 18th over the cliffs.
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So, while BlackSeaRama perhaps lacks the consistently jaw-dropping appeal of Thracian Cliffs, it’s greater technical merit allied to still-impressive scenic allure mean it is a challenger for the title of a Top 100 course in Continental Europe.
Cape Kaliakra travel guide continues on the next page…
Travel essentials for your trip
When to go
You can reasonably expect warm weather from the middle of May to the middle of October – and could easily get lucky with a week of warmth earlier and later in the year. You will definitely experience hot sun in July and August. We went in early July and it was beautiful – hot sun and clear skies – for all three days.
Price point
A stand-out benefit. As the skiers among us know, Bulgaria does ‘low-cost, high-quality’ very well. So, three nights and two rounds can be yours for under £300… and a huge glass of proper beer is 90p! There is not as much of a requirement to stay clear of the summer peak season in search of a cheaper deal either.
Where to stay
Definitely stay in the five-star hotel at Lighthouse – and do the all-inclusive deal that works out at around £50 a day. You will probably spend £50 worth of drinks in British terms round the pool! Plus feast on the buffet at lunch and dinner. The hotel is stylish and well-equipped with a terrific pool area and an extensive spa.
How to get there
You can fly direct to Varna from Luton, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmignham in three hours, or via a stopover in Sofia, but that really does add time onto the journey – and driving from there isn’t ideal because it is seven hours. Once in Varna either pick up a hire car or jump in a taxi – which is likely to be around £50 each way – and within 45 minutes you are in Cape Kaliakra. There is a third route, via Bucharest in Romania, because is it actually under four hours away. Just make sure your hire car has the correct cross-border papers.
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