Les Bordes in France set to open The New Course this summer

The New Course at Les Bordes is set to debut this summer. The new design project is devised by the luxury estate in Saint-Laurent-Nouan, France, to deliver improved sustainability on and off the golf course. The exclusive French venue is working in association with the Golf Environment Organization (GEO) and following its ‘On Course’ environmental stewardship program to implement a three-year plan that provides improved efficiency performance across all areas of its estate.

Les Bordes is adopting a more enhanced approach to conservation across its other sectors, including its array of sports and lifestyle facilities, general estate services and management of hundreds of acres of natural woodland habitat in the Sologne Forest.

The New Course was created by golf architect Gil Hanse, who authored world top-100 courses Castle Stuart and Ohoopee Match Club as well as the 2016 Rio Olympic Course. (Photo courtesy of Les Bordes Golf Club)

Lee Strutt, golf superintendent and estate manager at Les Bordes, said, “The sustainable management of all three courses and the wider estate is at the forefront of our long-term approach to the environment. We started implementing ways in which our operation can be run more sustainably to improve efficiency in 2020 and this will continue as we work through the GEO program. The New Course has been a main focus area for us to deliver better sustainability but there are many other environmental management practices that can be used across the wider estate, and we are aiming to introduce these over the next two years.”

A 90-minute drive south of Paris, Les Bordes Golf Club is a private members’ club and features 46 holes of golf. The 18-hole Old and New championship courses and the 10-hole Wild Piglet par-3 course.

The first golf course to be designed by acclaimed architect Gil Hanse in continental Europe, the New Course fits into its surroundings. The fairways blend into the natural vegetation and trees thanks to the care and attention implemented by Hanse and his team.

The New Course will give golfers another option to play as it will join the existing Old Course and Wild Piglet short course. (Photo courtesy of Les Bordes Golf Club)

With a hard-wearing fescue grass species used for all fine-turf areas of the par-72 layout, the course design has created low maintenance areas, meaning maintenance costs have been significantly reduced with less irrigation, fertilizer and pesticides required.

The New Course has been planted with 250,000 new heathers to expand the catchment area for wildlife that benefits from the extended heather swathes. Most of the course furniture has been made using recycled material from the estate or material that has been locally sourced.

The New Course will debut July 1. (Photo courtesy of Les Bordes Golf Club)

A new maintenance and water-management program has been implemented across the three courses to make fairways and greens firmer and faster, reducing irrigation levels and the electricity costs of the irrigation pumping station. The promotion of healthier turf has helped Les Bordes reduce the nutrient supplements needed by 40 percent.

The New Course is due to open on July 1.