Country Life: How Golf and Property are Stepping up Together

“There was a time when the words ‘golf property’ conjured up images of a timeshare villa on the Algarve, or an identikit bungalow in Florida. Those days are long gone, judging from the example of some of the rather astonishing efforts being made at some of the finest clubs across Europe.

Les Bordes, in France, is a perfect example. The 1,400-acre estate in the Loire Valley was once the home of Baron von Bich, the man who made millions from setting up the Bic pen company after buying the patent from Hungarian inventor Lazlo Biro. The Baron brought in course designer Robert von Hagge to lay out the track for what he turned in to a private member’s club — and the results were spectacular. Les Bordes is arguably the finest golf course in France, a 1980s design full of drama, water hazards and beautiful scenery.

Hand-in-hand with the development of the course is the development of everything else: there are homes, shops, restaurants and even a go-kart track among the plans, while a Six Senses hotel is opening in 2022.”

Full article here.