.jpg) Chambers Bay Golf Course | |
| Club information | |
|---|---|
   | |
| Coordinates | 47°12′N122°34′W / 47.20°N 122.57°W /47.20; -122.57 |
| Location | University Place, Washington, U.S. |
| Established | June 23, 2007 18 years ago |
| Type | Public |
| Owned by | Pierce County |
| Operated by | KemperSports |
| Total holes | 18 |
| Events hosted | U.S. Amateur (2010), U.S. Open (2015), U.S. Amateur Four-Ball (2021), U.S. Women's Amateur (2022) |
| Greens | Poa annua (full green replacement 2017-2019), formerly finefescue[1] |
| Website | chambersbaygolf.com |
| Designed by | Robert Trent Jones Jr. |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,585 yards (6,936 m) |
| Course rating | 78.1[2] (Teal) |
| Slope rating | 146[2] (Teal) |
Chambers Bay is a publicgolf course onPuget Sound southwest ofTacoma, Washington, United States, in the city ofUniversity Place. TheBritish links-style course is owned byPierce County and opened for play on June 23, 2007.[3] It hosted theU.S. Amateur in 2010 and theU.S. Open in2015.[1][4]
Chambers Bay was designed byRobert Trent Jones Jr.[3][5] The 250-acre (100 ha) course is the centerpiece of a 930-acre (380 ha) county park that also includes walking trails and other spaces. Pierce County bought the land, a former sand-and-gravelquarry, for $33 million in 1992; the property was popular withoff-road four-wheelers and dirt-bikers for years while the park was under development.[3][6]
Pierce County ExecutiveJohn Ladenburg, himself a golfer, proposed the conversion of the quarry into a golf course with the intention of hosting the United States Open and other major golf championships.[7] The proposal was controversial but was pushed through by Ladenburg, who also selected the design team and managers for the future course.[8][9] The course's location was intended to resemble theOregon Dunes and its design as a prominent public course was inspired byTorrey Pines Golf Course nearSan Diego;[10] the course itself wasBritish links-style due to the Pacific Northwest's similar climate.[11] The course cost $20.7 million to build and was labeled "Ladenburg's Folly" by critics, but was well received by golfers.[7][12]
During construction, 1.4 million cubic yards (1.1 million m³) of dirt and sand (over 100,000 truckloads) were removed, cleaned off site, and returned to sculpt the course.[13][14] At the time, it was still permitted as a working mine, which meant fewer restrictions for the course architects.[3][15]
On February 8, 2008, USGA announced that Chambers Bay would host the2015 U.S. Open.[12] According to a USGA-commissioned financial analysis, the U.S. Open generated $134 million in economy development regionally, including $16.8 million in tax revenue. The event had approximately 110,000 unique visitors, of which one-third were from outside Washington state.[16] To transport visitors for the tournament fromSeattle, aSounder commuter train platform was planned to be constructed at Chambers Bay. USGA andSound Transit later cancelled plans for the train service, citing logistical and financial challenges.[17][18]
Five sets of tees are available, ranging from 5,250 to 7,585 yards (4,800 to 6,935 m), and as a municipal course, Pierce County residents receive discounted rates. The course is for walkers only,caddies are available but are optional. Motorized carts are permitted only for those with medical conditions or disabilities, and a caddie must be hired as the driver.
The greens do not have fringes - it is a transparent transition from fairway to green.
| Tee | Rating/Slope | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navy | 75.6 / 139 | 559 | 395 | 167 | 530 | 465 | 418 | 482 | 557 | 227 | 3800 | 398 | 457 | 281 | 485 | 496 | 139 | 396 | 172 | 541 | 3365 | 7165 |
| Sand | 72.4 / 135 | 501 | 365 | 145 | 480 | 441 | 369 | 449 | 523 | 202 | 3475 | 360 | 425 | 262 | 453 | 407 | 116 | 359 | 142 | 514 | 3038 | 6513 |
| White | M:70.2/127 L:76.2/137 | 465 | 337 | 130 | 424 | 423 | 315 | 435 | 488 | 168 | 3185 | 330 | 402 | 246 | 437 | 383 | 103 | 323 | 119 | 487 | 2830 | 6015 |
| SI | Men's | 3 | 13 | 17 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 4 | |||
| Par | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 37 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 35 | 72 | |
| SI | Women's | 3 | 11 | 17 | 7 | 9 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 8 | 4 | 14 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 2 | |||
| Blue | 71.5 / 128 | 436 | 301 | 111 | 347 | 323 | 283 | 415 | 441 | 132 | 2789 | 311 | 378 | 219 | 348 | 309 | 91 | 279 | 92 | 462 | 2489 | 5278 |
Championship Tees[19]
| Hole | Name | Yards | Par | Hole | Name | Yards | Par | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Puget Sound | 598/496 | 5/4 | 10 | High Dunes | 436 | 4 | |
| 2 | Foxy | 399 | 4 | 11 | Shadows | 537 | 4 | |
| 3 | Blown Out | 198 | 3 | 12 | The Narrows | 311 | 4 | |
| 4 | Hazard's Ascent | 495 | 4 | 13 | Eagle Eye | 534 | 4 | |
| 5 | Free Fall | 488 | 4 | 14 | Cape Fear | 546 | 4 | |
| 6 | Deception Point | 495 | 4 | 15 | Lone Fir | 246/167 | 3 | |
| 7 | Humpback | 508 | 4 | 16 | Beached | 423 | 4 | |
| 8 | High Road Low Road | 614 | 5 | 17 | Derailed | 218 | 3 | |
| 9 | Olympus | 224/217 | 3 | 18 | Tahoma | 604/525 | 5/4 | |
| Out | 4,019/3,910 | 36/35 | In | 3,855/3,697 | 35/34 | |||
| Championship tees: Rating=78.1, Slope=146 | Total | 7,874/7,607 | 70 | |||||
Navy Tees
| Hole | Name | Yards | Par | Hole | Name | Yards | Par | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Puget Sound | 559 | 5 | 10 | High Dunes | 398 | 4 | |
| 2 | Foxy | 395 | 4 | 11 | Shadows | 457 | 4 | |
| 3 | Blown Out | 167 | 3 | 12 | The Narrows | 281 | 4 | |
| 4 | Hazard's Ascent | 530 | 5 | 13 | Eagle Eye | 485 | 4 | |
| 5 | Free Fall | 465 | 4 | 14 | Cape Fear | 496 | 4 | |
| 6 | Deception Point | 418 | 4 | 15 | Lone Fir | 139 | 3 | |
| 7 | Humpback | 482 | 4 | 16 | Beached | 396 | 4 | |
| 8 | High Road Low Road | 557 | 5 | 17 | Derailed | 172 | 3 | |
| 9 | Olympus | 227 | 3 | 18 | Tahoma | 541 | 5 | |
| Out | 3,800 | 37 | In | 3,365 | 35 | |||
| Navy tees: Rating=75.6, Slope=139[2] | Total | 7,165 | 72 | |||||
Chambers Bay has just one tree, aDouglas fir behind the 15th green.[22]
The course is operated by Kemper Sports Management, which also operates the near by Lake Spanaway Golf Course inSpanaway. As well asBandon Dunes on theOregon coast.[3]
The course is part of the Chambers Creek Properties which includes numerous non-golf recreational opportunities including a three-mile loop (5 km) walking trail, part of which travels through the west side of the golf course.[3]
In 2016, a resort was proposed by a private developer, including an 80-room hotel, event and meeting space, and aTom Douglas restaurant.[23]
Chambers Bay was the site of theU.S. Amateur in 2010 and hosted theU.S. Open in2015; these events were awarded by theUnited States Golf Association (USGA) in early 2008.[4][24] Chambers Bay was set as a par-71 at 7,742 yards (7,079 m) for the U.S. Amateur in 2010,[25] the longest course in USGA history.[26] The record only lasted until the following year whenErin Hills surpassed it by 18 yards.[26]
Eleven months prior to the event, the USGA announced in July 2014 that all final round tickets and weekly ticket passes for the 2015 U.S. Open were sold out.[27] The tournament was eventually won byJordan Spieth.[28] Chambers Bay Golf Course hosted the 2021 edition of theU.S. Amateur Four-Ball, which replaced the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship in 2015.[29]
In May 2021, the USGA selected Chambers Bay to host the 2022U.S. Women's Amateur, scheduled for August 8–14, 2022. The tournament was won bySaki Baba.[30] In March 2023, the USGA selected Chambers Bay to host the 2027U.S. Junior Amateur and 2033U.S. Amateur.[31]
During the2015 U.S. Open, Chambers Bay was subject to criticism for its bumpy greens, unfair course design, and poor accessibility for spectators.[32] Nine-timemajor championGary Player called it "the worst golf course I might've ever seen in the 63 years as a professional golfer," andHenrik Stenson said that the greens were like "putting onbroccoli."[33]
In 2017, the finefescue greens were allowed to transition topoa annua, the dominant species.[34][35][36][37] In the weeks leading up to the 2015 U.S. Open, warm and dry weather forced extra watering of the greens, which allowed the invasive poa to thrive.[1][37][38]
