Les Bordes - France

Les Bordes is an exquisite golfing mosaic set in the heart of the Sologne, a region of boggy, untrammeled forest near the Loire Valley that is known for its wild boar, wild mushrooms, and white asparagus. The course was established in 1986 by the late Baron Marcel Bich, inventor of the ballpoint pen that bears the Bic name, on his hunting estate. After the Baron's death in 1994, the course was taken over by his friend and co-founder Yoshiaki Sakurai. Designed by American Robert von Hagge, Les Bordes is the premier course in France and one of the finest in Europe. While its remoteness prevents the course from gaining more acclaim, it adds mightily to the overall ambiance. Von Hagge wove the fairways through the Sologne countryside and there are long rifts of waste bunkers, native grasses, large ponds, and patches of marshland that encroach on the fairways. The rustic clubhouse is very pleasant, and the putting green serves as a sculpture garden. Jean Van de Velde holds the course record of one under par.