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Chambers Bay, USA |
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Chambers Bay was originally nominated as a gem by Mal and added to the Top 100 website in June 2008. Mal’s comments are as follows:
"Chambers Bay might be Washington's newest golf course – opened in June 2007 – but I’m sure it is set to be a high flyer in the magazine rankings very soon. It was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jnr and is actually a pretty true model of the old-fashioned links courses of Britain and Ireland. Set on the Puget Sound, it’s certainly much closer to the pure form of coastal golf than many other courses in the US which claim to be links-like.
I’m going to watch this course with interest over the next few years as it will host the 2010 Amateur Championships and the 2015 US Open. What’s even more impressive is that you can pay and play this municipal track and if you happen to be a Pierce County resident you can play for half price and if you’re up for a second round in the same day it will cost a mere $50. I love it and write this nomination with reluctance as it’s still fairly quiet despite the local ballyhoo but I figure soon enough the world will know all about Chambers Bay and it will eventually become as popular as Bethpage Black."
Built within a disused gravel mine by the shores of Puget Sound in Washington, Chambers Bay was commissioned by Pierce County in a $20 million development designed to rival the best municipal facilities in the country.
The 18 holes at Chambers Bay lie between water and a steep hillside and a fair amount of earth was moved from the latter to fashion dune shapes and fairway corridors during construction. The resulting links-like layout is very free flowing with pleasant changes in elevation throughout the round.
Rather than describe particular holes of note, it’s maybe best to use the following link to access the club’s own hole-by-hole guide. This offers a wonderful description of every hole, each one of which is accompanied by a detailed pencil drawing of the green from the architect’s drawing board – we’ve never seen the likes of this before and applaud such a level of detail in presenting the course on the web.
Chambers Bay played host to the 2010 US Amateur Championship, which Peter Uihlein won, and, in 2015, the course will play host to the 115th U.S. Open, thereby cementing its place alongside the world’s greatest courses. | |
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If the above course review article is not accurate, let us know by clicking here |
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 |  | | Average Reviewers Score: |  | | | An update to conditions at Chambers...
Chamber's new superintendent has done a nice job growing fescue. The greens are better than I have every seen them, and it's early in the season. This course is going to be great for the open. I can't wait for the tour pros to be challenged by playing a ground game. There's no ways to play aerial at Chambers. What a course! |
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| 06 May 2013
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| | my wife and visited chambers last month june 2012, the staff were very helpful as we had a puncture and more than willing to help us on our way to visit bandon the next day, the course was surreal, located in an old mine, of course some of the holes were being extended to conform with latest usga regs for the 2015 open,
we were lucky enough to play on a dry day as we were informed the previous week had torential rain.
the greens were great but i lost 500 cals walking up and down the steep hills that you have to traverse inorder to play the course, i pitty the caddies for the 2015 open
overall great course nice views and must play if you are in the area, as you have to congratulate the designer for seeing the course in this old abadoned mine, thanks again chambers for a great day of golf , we got the tyre repaired and went to bandon safely |
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| 18 July 2012
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| | Great course, very links like. Great views of the ocean, montrous dunes, and the ruins of the old quarry. No wonder why the US Open is being held here. Great course with a lot of bunkers. |
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| 14 September 2011
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| | This year I have had the pleasure to play Chambers quite a few times. The course is growing on me. There are so many nuances and options built into the course that you need to go around 10 times until you start seeing them. The conditioning is rounding into shape; meaning fast, brown fairways and true greens. I highly recommend a round at Chambers. Go take in the salty air for yourself. |
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| 05 July 2011
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| Response: | | | BC | 10 March 2013 | | Chambers is still a great course - however, the 5th and 18th holes have been drastically changes by the USGA, and not for the better. The 5th hole used to be an all world par 4. Now it's just another hole. The 18th was a fun finishing hole that is now a slog. Don't get me wrong, CB is still awesome, I would just like to see the course return to all its glory. If I had to re-rate I would give it five balls. |
| | | Played Chambers Bay early September 2010, a week after the US Amateur. Let me start out by saying that I am a member at Carnoustie, Scotland and have played the likes of the Old Course, Kingsbarns, Royal Aberdeen etc. In my opinion, and on the day we played it, this course was harder and faster than any Links course I have ever played in Scotland. It was sensational. So hard and fast. I suppose the ultimate compliment I can give it is that if I didnt know I was in Washington, I would of assumed I was playing back home. The course itself has some great holes 7,9,10 and 12. Though one criticism of the layout I would have is that some of the slopes are a little severe. I walked off the first hole with a 9, despite being pin high left in 2! The 9th as well, whilst a great hole, can also make you look a bit silly at times. The condition of the course was ok. Not fantastic, but not bad either. Greens whilst unbelievably quick, were very bumpy. In general though, I absolutely loved it. It was an absolutely fantastic experience. Get some proper bunkers in and I'd almost let you call it a Links course! |
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| 01 November 2010
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| | I have played Chambers Bay twice - once for a social round and once in a tournament. I also walked the course inside the ropes with Bubba Watson, Aaron Baddeley, Ben Crane, and Ryan Moore at a charity skins event. Chambers Bay is a unique links golf experience in America. That is what makes it so special. Though I am unsure if that if Chambers Bay was located in Ireland, the course itself would receive such acclaim. For starters, the property is in a spectacular setting. And if you take in the whole package - the walking only course, the waterfront setting and views, the 3.5 mile public walkway around the course, the railroad along the water, the Stonehenge bins along 18, et al - it is a great experience. Bottom line, I love the place. It has a great vibe and it is in its infancy. The golf course layout and flow is very good. Like all top courses, there are some fantastic holes that you will remember and others that will blend together. Using an American baseball term, it is a 'hitters ballpark'. Tee it high and let it fly since the fairways are very wide. The par 3s in my opinion are underwhelming, though the view from #9 and #15 give a pause. #7 might be one of the hardest par 4s I have ever played. But there are downsides. The price to value ration is steep. I played Chambers ($159) and Bethpage Black ($90) this year summer and The Black easily wins hands down. The walk is very challenging. The condition of the course overall could be classified as 'immature' as the course photographs better than close eye inspection. Should you play there? Hell yes as it has hosted the US Amateur in 2010 and will hold the US Open in 2015. It is a very good golf course. But it is not worth it to make a special trip to Seattle. |
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| 31 October 2010
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| Response: | | | David Spinelli | 20 June 2011 | | A quick update to my October 31 review as I played Chambers Bay twice in the last week. The USGA has the course in test mode for the US Open as it will occur there this exact week in 4 years - the rough is up and the greens were fast. Tee to green, the course is getting better and better and was in really good shape - a noticeable improvement since I played last April. Sadly the greens are getting worse - they were sparse, crunchy, bumpy, and did not putt true. Fescue greens are not normal in America and the Washington climate should be receptive to growing fescue. But clearly the implementation at Chambers is not working. Rumor has it the USGA and the County will make the decision in the next couple of weeks to replace the greens. If they go with bent or poa, then the severe slopes on many of the greens might also need to be flattend to correspond with the increased speed. Stay tuned. |
| | Chambers Bay is located in University Place, Washington, less than an hour south of Seattle. It is a Scottish links-style golf club, and can be a real beast measuring 7391 from the Championship tees. It's the host for the 2010 US Amateur Golf Championship in August, and will also play host to the US Open Championship. This course has the length that can test the premier players with two par-5s measuring over 600 yards and five par-4s longer than 490 yards. The course also seems to play more uphill than the card suggests; the friendly staff will tell you to add about 250 yards to the total distance due to elevation.
The hilly landscape of the layout makes a round on this course a strenuous hike. This will raise the difficulty of the course already abounding in rugged hazards. There are some impressive-looking holes lined with bunkers and tall fescue waiting to catch your mistakes. Chambers Bay can be extremely intimidating and a grind for most golfers, as it does not allow much relief from wayward shots. The fairways can be generous, but you won't be able to sleep on any tee shots. Approach shots have to be carefully considered, as there is plenty of roll, and the ball can easily end up in collection areas and bunkers protecting these large putting surfaces.
Chambers Bay is a no cart facility unless you have a note from your doctor. Even then, a Chambers Bay staff member is required to drive the cart ensuring that the course maintains its pristine and natural condition. This however can be limiting, as quite a few people may not be able to enjoy the beauty of this course.
The greens and fairways have a similar cut, and sometimes one is not sure when one starts and the other ends. This makes one's putter a very useful club around these undulating greens, a safe and recommended selection for most amateurs. The course also asks for a great variety of shots, and managing your game is key to being able to score well. The beauty of the rugged landscape can be visually simulating, but can be quite a test to one's mental toughness.
We played it under situations that were not ideal, as some of the greens and fairways were being worked on. However, the course was still fun to play, and provided some spectacular views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. Chambers Bay is a course that I could not play everyday, because it would be too taxing on the mind and body, but it is definitely something that golfers should experience. |
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| 06 May 2010
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| | played this course with my dad, take a caddy, easily one of the best golfing experiences ive ever had. Ive played other courses on the top 100 list like LACC and Olympic Club, yet this course is very different. Sloping tee boxes, long holes, and ridiculous greens. birdied 17 and 18 for a 78. Fun course, must play |
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| 14 December 2009
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| | I have to agree with the other gentlemans comments unfortunately. I've played Chamber's now twice and sure it's fun and can stretch to be very long from the back tees but I just can't imagine this being in the Top 100 courses in the US. This only has to do with the winning of the US Open bid and perhaps that it's one of the not so many links-like courses in the US. However, this certainly doesn't mean it's not worth playing or worth the trip out the PNW. Again it's great fun and challenging, yes it's young and needs time to mature but it's just not one of the best and in no way will it Ever make the world's top 100 in a normal ranking. |
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| 22 September 2009
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| | For the best experience, play Chambers Bay in midsummer as the condition of this course is wanting for most other times. Have played here now three times and on each occasion the greens were slow but were by far the best in the summer in terms of speed and truest roll, but some of the greens are virtually unplayable as they are over contoured and feel tricked up (a bit like the Castle course at St Andrews). Chambers is an expensive experience for average condition and very average service which is all I’ve experienced here. They also promote this track as an easy walking course with caddies available, but it’s not an easy walk as there are some hikes between greens and tees and some steep climbs and on two of the three occasions I played here there were no caddies available. A course of two halves and in my view the front nine is weak and the back nine much stronger. Blow out waste bunkers in my view do nothing to create a links-like experience and they’d do well to consider authentic riveted pot bunkers to better authenticate the experience. Overall, Chambers Bay was a disappointing experience for me. It could be so much better design wise and in terms of condition. Sure it’s a long tough track and the views are awesome but it is nothing like a real links experience for anyone who has experienced the real deal. No way should this be a world ranked course in my view… it’s too young and needs to bed in. |
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| 16 September 2009
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