Les Bordes Old Course
Europe's most beautiful beating. Baron Marcel Bich, the man behind the Bic pen, commissioned Robert von Hagge to carve a course from his Sologne forest hunting estate, and the 1986 result remains the continent's sternest private examination: a par 72 to 7,062 yards of water, sand and pine, 90 minutes south of Paris, where the course record sat at one under for years. Here is the verdict, the facts, the holes and how to get on.
Photograph: Les Bordes Golf Club, via Google.
The verdict
The Old Course is what happens when an architect with a painter's eye is told the only client who matters is the test itself. Von Hagge moved earth on a scale France had never seen and then hid every trace of the machinery: fairways flow like the forest floor always meant to fold this way, the bunkering and mounding are sculpted into long artistic lines, and the lakes sit so naturally that you forget they were dug. Then you play it, and the politeness ends. Nearly every approach asks for a carry over water or sand to a small, contoured green, and the trees give nothing back.
For years the course record stood at one under 71, held by Jean Van de Velde, a number that tells you more than any slope rating. Since the estate's revival the Old has been joined by the Gil Hanse designed New Course, and together they form continental Europe's most coveted private 36. Our best courses in France ranking puts the Old against the country's open door classics.
Les Bordes Old Course at a glance
- Opened
- 1986
- Designer
- R. von Hagge
- Par
- 72
- Length
- 7,062 yds
- Type
- Forest · lakes
- Access
- Private
Designer, opening and layout verified June 2026. The Old Course was designed by Robert von Hagge for Baron Marcel Bich and opened in 1986. It plays as a par 72 stretching to 7,062 yards from the tips, with everyday tees around 6,409 yards. Les Bordes is a private club and does not publish public green fees; access is by member invitation or estate arrangements, so always confirm directly before planning a visit.
The holes worth the trip
The water holes are the legend. Von Hagge wrapped the round's defining shots around the estate's lakes, and the long carries arrive in rhythm: a par 3 played entirely over water to a green that seems to float, par 4s that bend their second shots across bays, and par 5s where the brave line shortens the hole and the wet line ends it. The visual intimidation is deliberate and theatrical, all dark water and white sand against the pine line, and it works on every handicap.
Between the carries, the forest holes do the quiet damage. The Sologne pines crowd the driving corridors, the mounding kicks the marginal tee shot into trouble, and the greens, small and full of movement, make the mid iron from the rough a fool's errand. There is no weak hole and no resting hole; the course simply alternates between asking for your best swing and asking for your bravest one.
Play it as match play the first time. The card will not survive, but the round will be one of the most memorable in Europe, and the halfway drink at the estate's clubhouse, all timber and hunting lodge calm, tastes better with the pressure off.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Private club; the Old Course is for members and their invited guests, and no public green fees are sold |
| Realistic routes | A member introduction, corporate and society connections, or estate stay arrangements where offered; a well connected trip planner is the practical way in for visiting golfers |
| Fees | Not published; guest play is at the club's discretion and on its terms, so confirm everything directly through your host or planner |
| On the day | A serious golf estate: walking with caddies or carts by arrangement, world class practice grounds, and a dress code in line with a top private club |
| Getting there | In the Sologne forest near Saint-Laurent-Nouan, Loire Valley, around 90 minutes south of Paris by car; Orleans is the nearest city |
| Best months | April to October; the forest turns the autumn rounds gold, and summer evenings stretch long enough for 36 |
Access arrangements verified June 2026; they change without notice, so always confirm directly with your host or trip planner before travelling. Check tee time availability elsewhere in the Loire.
Where to stay nearby
The Loire does the rest of the trip for you. Chateau hotels line the valley from Blois to Orleans, the vineyards of the central Loire are under an hour away, and Chambord, the grandest chateau of them all, is a short drive from the estate gates. Most visiting golfers base near Blois or in a countryside manor and build the golf around long lunches.
If Les Bordes stays out of reach, France's open door elite are within range: Morfontaine guards its own gates north of Paris, but Fontainebleau and Chantilly Vineuil welcome arranged visitors, and our France golf guide maps the full picture.
Looking for a base? See our recommended chateau hotels across the Loire Valley.
Build a France golf trip
We build Loire Valley and Paris golf itineraries around the courses you can actually get on, chateau stays, every transfer and the right introductions where they exist, costed to the head. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge does the rest, with no obligation.
Les Bordes questions
Who designed the Old Course at Les Bordes?
The Old Course was designed by the American architect Robert von Hagge and opened in 1986, commissioned by Baron Marcel Bich, the founder of Bic, on his hunting estate in the Sologne forest.
What par and length is the Les Bordes Old Course?
The Old Course plays as a par 72 and stretches to 7,062 yards from the tips, with everyday tees around 6,409 yards. The number on the card understates it: the course is famed as one of the toughest in Europe.
Can visitors play Les Bordes?
Les Bordes is a private club. Play on the Old Course is for members and their invited guests, and the estate does not sell public green fees. Travelling golfers occasionally get on through member introductions or estate stays, so a well connected trip planner is the realistic route.
Why is the Old Course considered so difficult?
Von Hagge carved the holes out of dense forest and wrapped them around lakes, so nearly every hole demands carries over water or sand to small, contoured greens. The course record stood at one under 71, held for years by Jean Van de Velde, which says everything about the examination.
What else is on the Les Bordes estate?
The modern estate pairs the Old Course with the Gil Hanse designed New Course, a short course and extensive practice grounds, set across roughly 1,400 acres of the Sologne forest in the Loire Valley.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, opening date and layout verified June 2026; access arrangements verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.