Golf Course Review by: Billy Satterfield

Rankings: 

   

The Takeaway:  One of the best courses opened in Continental Europe during the 21st century, the New course at Les Bordes employs design elements normally found on coastal links courses with firm, fast conditions paired with generous fairways and undulated greens. Gil Hanse gets the most out of the property, though the terrain isn't terribly exciting.  Grade A-

Quick Facts

Designer:  Gil Hanse 2021

Cost:  Private

Phone Number:  +33 2 54 87 7213

Course Website:  Official Website - Visit Les Bordes Golf Club (New)'s official website by clicking on the link provided.

Directions:  Get here! - Les Petits, Les Grands Rondis, Saint-Laurent-Nouan, Loiret  41220 – FRANCE

Photos:  See additional photos of Les Bordes Golf Club (New)

What to Expect:  The New course at Les Bordes is exactly what you think it would be; a course that Gil Hanse manages to get every ounce of worth out of. The wide fairways and large greens are staged to run firm and fast like a traditional UK links where you watch your shots feed and finish after a good amount of time on the ground. The terrain itself is fairly flat and uninspiring, but Gil does just enough gentle shaping to give character and interest to the land to create engaging design features. The remote setting and architecture style feels like a course that would fit in perfectly at Streamsong in Florida, but ultimately it serves as a great ying to the Old course's yang with two totally contrasting styles of golf at Les Bordes. First off, the Old course is heavy handed in its architecture while the New course is minimalistic in nature. Secondly, the Old course can be played while riding in a cart while the New course requires players to walk. Lastly, the Old course is punishing in nature with the goal of the course winning the round while the New course is more player friendly; but no pushover. The pars that standout with particular quality at the New course are the two-shotters while the changes in distances on the par threes is as good as you're likely to find. Ultimately, the New course at Les Bordes is an incredible addition to Continental Europe and delivers a style that links lovers are going to fall in love with.

By the Numbers

Tees	Par	Yardage	Rating	Slope
Black	72	7285	76.3	144
Grey	72	6615	72.4	138
Navy (Ladies)	72	5205	70.8	135

Individual Hole Analysis

Signature Hole:  18th Hole – 552 Yard Par 5 – The closing hole at Les Bordes' New course is a classic risk/reward par five that will give players a choice on how aggressive to play it. The tee shot plays through the trees with a pair of bunkers on each side of the fairway; the ones on the right being more in play than the ones on the left. The fairway then terminates at a pond with a second fairway picking up on the right side of the water and bending to the left along the pond's edge all the way to the green. The entry to the putting surface is open but a bunker sits at the right corner while two bunkers are across the back and will catch plays coming into the green hot. For the best opportunity at reaching the green in two, the tee shot needs to be up the left side of the fairway which will leave players with the largest portion of the pond to carry on the second shot.

Best Par 3:  17th Hole – 201 Yards – The penultimate hole is a one-shotter with a half dozen bunkers protecting the target, including a tall faced bunker well short of the green that impedes the view of a portion of the putting surface. A steep edge on the left side of the green creates some peril with tee sails that sail to that side while the right side offers better opportunities to get up and down from. The firm conditions are such that a tee ball that just carries the bunker in front should catch the back slope and feed onto the green and yield a birdie putt.

Best Par 4:  9th Hole – 315 Yards – Perhaps the most fun hole on the New course, the drivable 9th features three sets of diagonal cross bunkers that work from lower left to upper right. The first set of bunkers is found before the fairway starts and should be carried by virtually all players. The next set of bunkers comes into play for players looking to lay up while the final set is greenside. The green is elevated and sets itself up for needing a high spin shot to be receptive, so the ideal plays are hitting a drive into one of the greenside bunkers or lay back far enough to hit a fuller wedge shot in. This hole yields plenty of birdies but with trouble lurking throughout, things can go south in a hurry as well. It is a great match play hole and a fun way to close the outward nine.

Best Par 5:  2nd Hole – 542 Yards – The 2nd hole is a steady dogleg left, but the bunkering in the driving zone will encourage players to hit their tee shot towards the right side of the fairway to take the bunkers out of play that pinch the short grass from the left. Reaching the green in two is most easily accomplished if you can hit a draw with your second shot that can work its way between the bunkers and feed up onto the raised green. The fairway slithers its way through bunkers throughout the hole and gets pinched by sand before deflecting a slightly different direction. With the shaping of the ground here, the 2nd hole features some of the more interesting ground on the property with nuances that really come into play when the ground game is utilized.

Birdie Time:  15th Hole – 312 Yard Par 4 – The drivable par four 15th lays claim to the Birdie Tim spot and with good reason. Not only is it slightly shorter than the reachable 9th hole, but there is much less trouble to encounter enroute to the green. A pair of center cut bunkers are found short of the green but affords room on either side of them, and just beyond them, that can be landed on and utilized to feed balls onto the putting surface. The flatter left side is the preferred line to take off the tee although going up the right side will provide a slightly shorter distance to cover. Bust out the big dog and give it a rip; anything near the green will yield a great birdie opportunity.

Bogey Beware:  5th Hole – 516 Yard Par 4 – At 516 yards and only four strokes allotted to get home in par, the 5th is a flat out bear to tackle. While one might hope there is some downhill terrain to help cover the yardage in, by now players should know that Les Bordes' New course is flat and you'll have to earn each yard on your own. The hole bends slowly but steadily to the left and features a pair of bunkers cutting into the fairway from that side just shy of the green while more sand flanks the putting surface on the right. It leaves a small opening to navigate and is approached from a lengthy distance; a combination that makes it the most difficult green to reach in regulation.