Golf Course Architecture - Issue 60, April 2020

52 GI L HANSE came about, we had the great fortune to go to Morfontaine, Chantilly and Fontainebleau. It just resonated with us that there was the possibility on this particular site. On other properties, we have been fortunate to work on the restoration of some of the courses designed by the great masters, like at Los Angeles Country Club designed by George Thomas. I feel that we have probably learned more about golf course architecture and restoration as compared with any which we have done. He was a genius. Stylistically, I think that Alister MacKenzie’s work and, the harmony of his features – working in the nature, character and interest – as well as the sense of humour and the playability, have always been attractive to us. Of the modern people, obviously I worked for Tom Doak and I have a great appreciation for what he does. Also, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw are tremendous. With the passing of Pete Dye, we all realise how much we have been influenced by the methodology we employ, which we received from Pete. Also, from a character and strategy standpoint, I think Pete had a great influence on us. The Loire Valley is known for its beauty and peacefulness and the site at Les Bordes has no visual or noise intrusions. How did you maintain this harmony? Firstly, we were very cautious as to how we cleared the site. We felt that we were going to make very subtle transitions from the golf course into the natural vegetation, woods and, in some instances, the broom and the heather. We always feel that the golf course should gracefully transition from the shaped and built environment into the natural environment. The great, old classic golf courses have a sense of harmony and a sense of balance with their surrounding landscape. Through our efforts to be really conscientious about how we tie back into the surrounds, gives the golf course a sense of place and sense of belonging. There is hardly a more idyllic landscape that we have come across than the one we have found in the Loire Valley. What else is special about this project? One of the main criteria for Jim Wagner and me when we look at a project is what is the motivation behind it? Is it to sell real estate? Is it to enhance some other amenity? Or is the project first and foremost about golf – which was the case at Les Bordes. The owner at Les Bordes is a golfer who loves the game. When we first talked about the project, it was crystal clear to me that he wanted to create something truly special. When we asked for the width and the ability for the course to be dimensioned after observing Tom Simpson’s strategic thoughts, it got down to a point where we felt like we would need the space. He was willing to accommodate this. It is a testament to the owner and the ownership team at Les Bordes that they recognised that in order to create an exceptional golf experience we needed to have the space to do it in. For a private members’ club like Les Bordes, will the result be different from a course which would host professional golfers? We listen to every client and try to achieve their goal. With the owner being a very good golfer, we knew that there was an appropriate challenge that he would like for the golf course. Obviously, he plays with golfers with similar playing ability, but we don’t believe that there will ever be a “The great, old classic golf courses have a sense of harmony and a sense of balance with their surrounding landscape”