At the present time there are just three golf courses in Bulgaria: one at Elin Pelin, near the capital of Sofia, and two owned by Air Sofia. Located just 40 km from Sofia on the Trakia Highway E-80 you will find the Hotel and Country Club Air Sofia which opened in the year 2000 and is constantly being developed to provide you with an excellent choice of sports and leisure activities that will match any in the world.
It is situated in Ihtiman and has been designed by English and Spanish architects to provide a superb 18 hole golf course of 5,335 meters with a Par 71 rating. Professional coaching staff provide Golf Academy Programmes for beginners and advanced players. In addition the course has two putting greens, a driving range and fully equipped Pro Shop. The other course opened in 2004 and is at Sliven which is 40km from Sofia.
Because of the rapid rise in foreign investment in Bulgaria several more golf courses are proposed. One will be located at Razgrad, in the north-east, about 90km from the Black Sea. More are scheduled to open in the next few years with two at Kavarna and one at Primorsko, near Sozopol. Mountain and ski areas will have a golf course in the ski town of Bansko, and a large golf complex between Kostenets and Borovets, which is Bulgaria's premier ski resort. This is scheduled for 2007 (which is also when Bulgaria enters the European Union) and will be located at Dolna Banya, near to the country's first golf course at Ihtiman.
