1h30 south of Paris and 25 minutes from the Château de Chambord, two world-renowned courses provide a unique golfing experience, in the footsteps of Baron Bich. Between luxury, calm and pleasure, the Golf Club des Bordes.

  • Les Bordes - Old Course ©TPlassais / Swing-Feminin

A golf sanctuary in the heart of Sologne. It is a sweet feeling close to bliss, not to say a revelation, which overwhelms the pilgrim, clubs in hand and eyes wide open, when he finds himself in the heart of the Domaine des Bordes. Almost alone in the world, were it not for that deer in the corner of the wood watching you out of the corner of her eye. We wish every skilled golfer to experience this moment at least once in their life. The beautiful story begins in the 80s, when Baron Marcel Bich basked in his hunting estate, a haven of 600 hectares not far from the Loire, somewhere between Blois and Orléans. The weight of the years preventing him from continuing to ride, the dashing septuagenarian then had a brilliant idea, one more since we already owe him the invention of the Bic pen after the war: he was going to make his land a temple dedicated to the little white ball, another of his passions. The “Old Course” was created in 1987, sculpted by one of the most renowned jewelers of his time, a certain Robert Von Hagge.

Robert Von Hagge and Gil Hanse at the baton

In 2018, the London investment fund RoundShield Partners took over the estate with the ambition of making this iconic golf course a select so British club, exclusively accessible to its members from all over the world.1 and their guests. In the aftermath, the creation of a second 18-hole course was entrusted to Gil Hanse, who was responsible, among other things, for the courses at Castle Stuart in Scotland and that of the Olympic Games in Rio. The success is total. The Golf Club des Bordes is now home to two world-renowned 18-hole courses with two strong, distinct identities. “The Old Course is a difficult course for average players2, underlines its English director, Jack Laws. The greens are fast and hilly and there are many water hazards. » Proof of the initial difficulty of this real championship course, 6759 meters long, the 71 achieved by Jean Van de Velde was for a long time the best score returned to the club house, superb by the way3. Developments have since been made (less penalizing roughs, less narrow and more rolling fairways) to make the bill less expensive for amateurs without impacting the pleasure of the game.

The “Old Course” and the “New Course”, the ying and the yang of the Bordes

  • The Bordes, nobility obliges
    Les Bordes New Course - ©TPlassais / Swing-Feminin

A few drives away from its big brother, the “New Course” offers a completely different type of golfing experience. “It is played with wide, fast, sandy fairways, says Jack Laws. The main difficulty is on and around the greens. This is an inland links design. » Gil Hanse was indeed inspired by the British links to design this little gem, whose fairways planted with fescue (low water consumption) meander through heather moors and the vast forest of the estate. The icing on the cake, the architect also imagined, near the start of level 1, a course of ten par 3 (the Wild Piglet4) which pays homage to some of the most iconic holes on the planet. The owners do not refrain from dreaming even bigger. In addition to the possible organization of a DP World Tour event in the future (the Ryder Cup is even mentioned!), around fifty private family residences are being built in the "Cour du Baron"5 is a Six Senses hotel nestled in the heart of a small 2025th century castle, which should be inaugurated in the course of XNUMX.

Frank Crudo

 

MANY ACTIVITIES IN ADDITION TO GOLF

The estate already houses a natural swimming pool bordered by a fine sandy beach, a fishing pond, an equestrian centre, a go-kart track and even tennis courts. An organic farm and a family-friendly Village, with restaurants, are also set to open not far from the golf clubhouse.

1/ The Golf Club des Bordes now has 270 members (including 20% ​​French) of 19 different nationalities.

2/ The slope peaks at 150.

3/ With its typical Loire Valley architecture, wooden beam ceilings and rustic fireplaces, the recently renovated club house in Les Bordes was voted "club house of the year 2021" by the magazine Golf Inc... The restaurant offers high quality service and cuisine.

4/ The “wild piglet” for bilinguals.

5/ The sale price should vary between 1,5 and 6,5 million euros.

https://www.lesbordesgolfclub.com/fr/home-francais/