Disc Golf in Bulgaria
As disc golf keeps growing, it is easy to take for granted how many courses we have here in the States, or in places like Finland and Norway. But there are still large swaths of land around the globe where there isn’t a course or basket in sight. But that is changing. Organizations like the Paul McBeth Foundation, DiscGolfPark, and others are championing these efforts to bring the sport into virgin locations. Outside of these groups, there are individuals that are doing their part, and this week I was able to catch up with Bojidar, a man in Bulgaria is a pioneer, and recently was able to introduce disc golf to his community. We corresponded via email, and his answers to my questions were so well written, I thought I would simply share his words with you verbatim.
Hello, my name is Bojidar, I'm 27yo, from Burgas, Bulgaria. My friends and I have been into disc golf for a while, and we love getting together to throw some discs. However, we're upset that we can't share this with others on a real course, so we decided to do something about it.
A few years ago, I lived in Juneau, Alaska with two other Bulgarians. One sunny afternoon, some of our local friends took us out to the Aant'iyeik Disc Golf Course. The moment we threw our first discs at the basket, we thought to ourselves, "How cool is this?" After finishing our first 18-hole round that day, we discovered the perfect combination of a day in nature with friends on a day off. We immediately fell in love with the sport.
Bulgaria is a beautiful country with diverse terrain, including mountains, forests, beaches, and everything in between. The people are friendly and welcoming, and we have a rich culture and history. The weather is generally mild, with warm summers and cool winters, but it can vary depending on the region. We have a huge variety of terrain ideal for planting baskets, including mountains, valleys, seaside, and beautiful parks in the cities.
When we returned to Bulgaria, we knew that playing on a disc golf course was something we no longer had as an option. Of course, this didn't stop us from bringing back a dozen discs with us. After some time throwing discs at the park or aiming at a tree pretending it was a basket, a friend of mine and I decided to order our first basket. That was the breaking point that made us realize how great this sport would be as a recreational activity, so we decided to take on the challenge of bringing it here.
Installing the first basket was a bit of a challenge, but it was also very exciting. We had to talk to some local officials to get permission to set up the course. We also reached out to the Ultimate Frisbee community (Bulgarian Flying Disc Federation) for advice and support, and they helped us so much. We got a basket in our hands and installed it in West Park, Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. We had major support from the local Lacrosse Federation and the municipality of "Ilinden district" in Sofia. It was a bit of work, but it was worth it to see people enjoying the course.
My immediate goal is to introduce more people to the sport and to get more courses set up around the country. Long-term, I would love to see disc golf become a popular recreational activity in Bulgaria and to have the country host international tournaments. I haven't reached out to any foundations yet, but it's something I'm considering. I think having support from organizations like Paul McBeth, Sockibomb, EDGE, or UPlay could be a huge help in growing the sport in Bulgaria.
I just want to say that I'm really excited about the future of disc golf in Bulgaria, and I hope to see more people getting involved and enjoying the sport. We have had many people come to visit our beautiful country, saying that if we had a disc golf course, they would move here ASAP. If anyone is interested in playing or helping, please don't hesitate to reach out!
