Chambers Bay Golf Course Review, Background, Info and Experience

There is no hidden secret knowledge at Chambers Bay. When you step on the golf course the distinctness of Chambers grand features is squarely viewable.

Located outside Tacoma Washington, Chambers Bay was originally a rock quarry dating back to 1832. Since its quarry origins Chambers constantly shifted to for a variety of manufacturing and recreation purposes, ultimately, shaping into the golf course there today. The property in total is 950 acres bordering the Puget Sound shores with 250 of the acres making up the course.

In 1992 Pierce County bought the land and later selected Robert Trent Jones, Jr as the architect. It was a major endeavor to build the course with 1.4 million cubic yards of land sculpted to form its current layout. The result of this hard work is a boldly distinct course. It is a true links course near water with sand base and open natural layout. In 2007 it opened as a public municipal course.

Chambers quickly gained notoriety with winning bids to host the 2010 US Amateur and 2015 US Open. Unfortunately, the notoriety wasn't only focused on the great competition that dramatically ended on the US Open 72nd hole but for its rough greens that tormented pros. There complaints won out as the course was shut down in 2018 to update the green from fescue to smoother poa annua.

You will arrive at the clubhouse which sits above the course immediately allowing you to quickly take in stunning panoramic views. From there you will hop on a shuttle to the practice area. Make sure to hit a few puts to get a handle on the speed. It is walking only but isn't a walk in the park so be prepared to break a sweat and wear comfortable shoes. Caddies are available and extremely helpful for helping approach ideal landing areas and green reading.

Don't hold back off the tees. The course is long and wide with generous fairway and green landing areas. The fairways are also hard providing plenty of rollout making it feel shorter. The difficulties occur through the elevation changes, carry-overs, undulated greens and waste areas present throughout the course.

Low scoring requires you to make a big swing where risk-reward opportunities present themselves and to make smart and creative decisions on approaches making the most out of the land. Just as important take note of where you don't want to end up on the large green complexes or three puts will be plentiful.

Overall Chambers Bay is a fantastic experience. The course is fun, challenging and rewarding. Walking a true links style course with brilliant views always releases an indescribable spiritual feeling that is elevated when experiencing with good friends. Lastly, there is always a little extra excitement added to a round that has hosted a major championship where you can recall crazy lines pros took and key shots made.

We are an advocate of Chambers Bay!

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