When it comes to style and sophistication, the French have a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ that puts them in a class of their own. Elegance, finesse, grace, call it what you like but whatever it is, there’s no doubt they have it in spades.

From its stunning array of lavish palaces and chateaus and some of the finest art collections on the planet to legendary French fashion houses and Paris, the most romantic city in the world, there’s so much to recommend for a visit to France.

It’s an often overlooked fact that, when it comes to golf, France also has a product to match the leading golfing nations in the world, and its golf offering is set to get even better this summer with the opening of the New Course at Les Bordes.

Nestled within a magical 1,400-acre estate in the heart of France’s famed Loire Valley, Les Bordes is regarded among the world’s most prestigious golf clubs. Just a 90-minute drive south of Paris in the enchanting Sologne Forest, the exclusive private members’ club is one of the game’s dream destinations, with its acclaimed Old Course the envy of clubs worldwide and one of the top-rated venues in Europe.

With acclaimed architect Robert von Hagge having made such an impression when he created the Old Course, Les Bordes needed a golf designer with the X Factor for their latest addition so they turned to American Gil Hanse, designer of the 2016 Rio Olympic Course and world top-100 courses Castle Stuart and Ohoopee Match Club, to fulfil their requirements.

The first golf course to be designed by Hanse in continental Europe, the New Course is set to be officially unveiled at the start of next month.

Heathland in style, the par-72 layout is in direct contrast to the Old Course and, when combined with the venue’s 10-hole short course – the Wild Piglet, also created by Hanse and opened last year – Les Bordes Golf Club’s members will receive one of the greatest golfing experiences in the world.

“With the two golf courses and the amenities that are already in place and the ones that are coming, I can’t see how Les Bordes won’t be considered one of the finest golfing destinations in Europe or in the world,” said Hanse.

“You have all the cultural attractions around you, you’ve got the food and the wine, the quality of the amenities. It will be an idyllic place to spend time even if you weren’t playing golf, and then to have these two golf courses so different and varied in their challenges and their presentation really runs the full gamut. I don’t know where else in the world you could find that sort of variety.

“We’ve never built anything in continental Europe and we wanted to make sure that our first project there was going to be something special, and Les Bordes gave us that opportunity.”

Hanse was first approached about designing the New Course after he was introduced to Les Bordes’ owner by mutual friends. After visiting the estate and reviewing the landscape, he knew it was a project that he simply couldn’t turn down.

Taking inspiration from legendary golf architect Tom Simpson, Hanse and his team set about creating Les Bordes’ latest masterpiece, with the American working from dawn to dusk when he was on site.

With maximum care and attention taken to clear the location and preserve the natural environment, the New Course fits harmoniously into its surroundings, with the fairways blending seamlessly into the natural vegetation and trees.

Featuring large bunkers, subtle elevation changes and incredible green complexes, the layout measures 7,211 yards from the back tees but, in contrast to the Old Course, is expected to play shorter than its overall length due to the firm and fast playing conditions.

Hanse said: “There are elements of a number of golf courses (in the New Course) including a lot of the great heathland courses around London and several heathland courses around Paris. I think that I am always influenced by Pine Valley, which is very near to my home, and I think that some of the scale of National Golf Links is apparent out there. If you roll all of those into one, I think that’s a pretty good recipe.

“(Players) can expect fun golf in a natural, perfect setting. We were given the opportunity from the ownership to build some interesting golf holes; stylistically, it was fun for all of us to focus on Tom Simpson and some of his beautiful creations and some of his inspired designs, not that we copied him stylistically or design-wise but we were certainly influenced by him and that was a treat for us.”

The New Course is not the only exciting golf development to have taken place at Les Bordes in recent years.

In addition to Hanse and his team working alongside the golf club’s greenkeepers to implement a series of improvements to the Old Course to further elevate the playing experience for members and their guests – including introducing a new maintenance and watering program to make the fairways and greens firmer and faster and reseeding the tees and fairways to improve their condition all-year round – the architect also completed work on an accompanying 10-hole short course, the Wild Piglet.

One of a number of par-three layouts to have recently been designed by high-profile architects, the course opened to rave reviews last summer, with US authority Golf.com immediately rating the layout in its top-25 par-three courses in the world.

Off the course, leading architects Michaelis Boyd have completed a redesign of the clubhouse and renovation of 24 member cottages, with a new member gym, sports bar, mini-spa and private lounge and games room, including golf simulator, also opening this spring.

It’s little wonder, then, that the global allure of Les Bordes Golf Club is greater than ever, with members of Pine Valley, Merion, Riviera, Sunningdale, Royal St. George’s, Friar’s Head, Royal Melbourne and Morfontaine among the approximately 150 members who have joined since the club – which is accessible only to members and their guests – was formed in August 2019.

Les Bordes Golf Club remains a private club, governed separately from the rest of the estate and, although membership is not tied to property ownership, many members have reserved homes.

The opening of the New Course headlines three years of investment at Les Bordes, developing a community where all family members have endless possibilities for fun and adventure. Completed on-site amenities include natural swimming lakes and pools, beaches, watersports, go-karting, fishing, equestrian, petting farm and biking and walking trails.

And further investment is on the way, with plans including an announced partnership with Six Senses for the transformation of the 19th century ‘Chateau Bel Air’ into a luxury hotel and spa, a village square with shops and restaurants and a variety of residential villas in various styles, as well as an equestrian centre, an organic farm, an art gallery and outdoor amphitheatre.