Football. Football. Football. And more football. This had been the world of Bozhidar Dimitrov (18) and his pals in Donchevo, a town of 1000, an hour and 45 minutes by train from Varna. That is, until September 2007.

Since then, as well as kicking about a 23cm ball on the municipality pitch, they whack 42.7mm ones with irons and woods.

That golfing has taken hold here stems from the efforts of Roumen Todorov. The local journalist and avid golfer said that he wanted to introduce something new to their quaint little village. Though the participants had only heard of golf on television, they picked it up readily.

“The most challenging part for us is learning and mastering the swing,” said Bozhidar. Along with about 30 other young enthusiasts, Todorov established the Victor Junior Golf Club.

To heighten the sense of realism, every Saturday the group visits the Varna Golf Club Driving Range, in operation since October 2007, where they practice firing off hundreds of golf balls down 200 metres of lawn. The students also hone their putting on the green. As their confidence built up, they held mini-tournaments with prizes of caps, T-shirts, clubs and balls.

One of their memorable moments took place in Balchik on August 1 2007. There they met Gary Player, one of the world’s leading golfers in the 1960s and 1970s. The South African sportsman was on hand for the preliminary opening ceremony of the BlackSeaRama, a golf course he had helped design. Player also spent time with school children mostly from less affluent backgrounds, giving them basic golf lessons and tips.

But the grand finale came when the parents of five of the youngsters, aged 12 to 18, allowed them to partake in (and covered the expenses of) a golfing tour of the homeland of golf – Scotland! Along with Todorov, they were accompanied by Donchevo mayor Paoun Stanchev; Antoinetta, the mother of 14-year-old Petya Haralambieva; and a physician, Dr Miglena Ganeva. The trip had been arranged by Todorov, who through his line of work, knows many of the top names in the sport.

For most of the participants, it was both the first time they had flown on a plane, and travelled beyond Romania. After landing in London, they took a coach to St Andrews.

Bozhidar described his first impressions of Scotland. “The forests, valleys, the greenery and sheep grazing in the pastures here look just like those in Bulgaria.”

For most of their stay from May 28 to June 3, though, grey clouds blanketed the skies.

The following morning it was off to the Kingsbarns Golf Links, one of the premier golf courses in the world. There the Donchevtsi were greeted by its general manager, Stewart McEwen, and given a tour of the grounds.

Then came the fun part: driving. At hand to give them some pointers was professional golfer and trainer David Scott. For the students it felt both familiar and exhilarating. “We already knew the basics of golfing…but to do it here in Scotland…with an international competitor…was quite an experience!” Petya said.

And, of course, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R & A). Founded in 1754, it serves as the world’s most prestigious golf club and an authority on the rules of the game. The Donchevtsi came at the invitation of Duncan Weir, R & A golf development secretary. Overseeing the development of the sport in 130 countries, he had visited Bulgaria in 2004 to attend the opening ceremony of the St Sofia Golf Course in Ravno Pole, 15km from Sofia.

Inside the R & A clubhouse, normally accessible to only its 1800 members, the group marvelled at the furnishings and items on display, such as the grand fireplaces and members’ lockers, antique wooden clubs and feathered balls. A special case featured the Belt of Old Tom Morris and the Auld Claret Jug, which golfing legend Tiger Woods had kissed on two previous occasions.

“We drank coffee under the watchful gaze of a large portrait of the current Club patron, Queen Elizabeth II,” Todorov said.

That afternoon, the nine Bulgarians joined 13 600 other enthusiasts at the Old Course of St Andrews, the oldest golf course in the world, dating back to 1552, for the opening ceremony of the 2008 Curtis Cup Match, a tournament of top female amateurs representing the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland. About 30 minutes before the start, the sky cleared up and the sun shined. Along with speeches and a bagpipe parade, parachutists jumped out of a hovering helicopter, and landed in one-metre circles. Shortly after the conclusion of ceremony, the clouds re-emerged.

The following Friday morning, spectators were treated to a close-up view of all the action. The Donchevtsi thanked the Ladies’ Golf Union director of tournaments, Susan Simpson, for the realisation of this for them.

After three days of competition, the Americans prevailed over the British-Irish team, 13-7. Outstanding players included Stacy Lewis and Alison Walshe.

On Saturday afternoon, it was the students’ turn as they played (for fun) at the Himalayan Hills 18-Hole Putting Course. Besides all the golfing, the group explored St Andrews’ cathedral and castle, as well as the University of St Andrews. Founded in 1411, it is the third oldest university in Britain after Oxford and Cambridge.

An ancient and historical city, St Andrews received its name from the first of the 12 Apostles of Christ. Andrew and his brother Peter had been had fishermen when Jesus called upon them: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” According to tradition, Andrew later preached in Asia Minor (now Turkey), Greece, and the Black Sea region, including Pomorie and Varna. It was here that Christianity was first introduced to present day-Bulgaria. Andrew was eventually crucified in Greece on an X-shaped cross. In the 700s, Greek Byzantine monks took some of his relics to Scotland where, along with Greece, Romania and Russia, he is honoured as their patron saint (Bulgaria’s is St Ivan of Rila). The Scottish flag – and consequently the Union Jack – bears the X-cross of St Andrew.

The Donchevtsi also toured Edinburgh. “You never see any trash in Scotland, and the whole time we were there we only saw five policemen – on bicycles!” Trifun Getsov (16) said in recollection. He continued: “Scottish people are very polite; they are always saying ‘excuse me’ or ‘sorry’, even if you brush them on the street.”

Apart from that, the Bulgarians often had great difficulty understanding their hosts.

The group spent their final day in London before flying back. Their trip had even been featured in the local paper the St Andrews Citizen. “The past week had been an unforgettable experience for us all,” Trifun told journalist Janet Howie.

It also served to prepare him for his subsequent trip to Strasbourg on June 17 2008, as a junior representative in the European Parliament for young people.