Les Bordes: New

At Les Bordes, Hanse and design partner Jim Wagner were given a sand-based site—a golf architect’s dream—allowing for firmer, faster playing conditions. As you play the course it feels as though the 18 holes were always there, and that there must’ve been little movement of the existing terrain. “We worked really hard to make sure our course sat softly in the landscape,” Hanse says. Whether by sprawling heathland or fescue-lined bunkering that’s rugged yet refined, the New Course not only sits softly in the landscape, it feels as though it is the landscape.

Despite its moniker, the New Course is a return to an older, more classic style of golf course architecture. One that demands a more nuanced strategy than simply trying to avoid an imposing water hazard—and where angles, created by clever contouring and well-placed bunkering must be properly navigated in order to create the easiest shot into the green. And one that allows the golfer to run the ball up onto nearly every putting surface, incentivizing creativity while giving options to the higher handicapper.

Even with all of the strategic elements, the New Course is incredibly walkable—in fact, it’s a walking-only course. The terrain has plenty of subtle undulations to create some blind shots, but there is hardly an elevation change that will leave you catching your breath.