“This had never been done before in Washington state,” Ladenburg said. “So when I announced this, people said, ‘What?’ because it’s different than what we were used to. There was a lot of controversy. But down the road this will be an identifier for this region. People will forget (the controversy) and have a sense of pride over it. It turned out better than I thought it could, and I had high hopes.”
His hopes are high enough that his ultimate dream of hosting a U.S. Open — which has never been contested in the Northwest — one day will be realized at Chambers Bay.
“I think it could be a permanent PGA Tour stop,” Ladenburg said. “The USGA has been on site several times and they’ll be back next month. So I’m very encouraged.”
A links course is defined as the area, or ‘link,’ between a large body of water and farm lands, just like the original links courses in Scotland and Ireland. It is generally near an estuary and has sandy soil with thin grass. There are few, if any, water hazards but a multitude of bunkers. There also are not many trees — Chambers has just one behind the 15th green. It’s a wide-open, undulating terrain in which the golfer can take many routes to the hole.
“We borrowed principles from the great links courses of the past,” Jones said.
Chambers Bay comes closer to a links style than Pebble Beach. It’s more like the popular Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes courses on the southern Oregon coast. The Puget Sound laps right next to Chambers, separated only by a train track that runs along the western edge. The elevation starts at about 15 feet above sea level to nearly 250 feet as the entire layout tilts toward the water.
The course can play long, up to 7,500 yards from the tips, but there will be five tee locations so anyone can feel comfortable. The sandy, gyrated terrain drains well for a “firm and fast” feel. The thin and wispy fescue grass on the dunes — still growing in — allows you to find your errant shot and hit through it without much restraint. But it’s a challenge to play, with a back tees course rating of 76.9 and slope rating of 135. That’s higher than the past six U.S. Opens.
Among its unique aspects is that riding carts are not allowed. This is a walking-only course, other than a rare handicap exception. That was a major debate — carts vs. walking — between the designers and Pierce County overseers. The designers argued that they couldn’t do things they needed to do if cart paths were involved in the process. It wasn’t logistically possible or aesthetically acceptable. They were persuasive and the result is a more natural, eye-pleasing and richly engineered design.
“By walking, you get a real feel for the true aspects of links golf,” says General Manager Joe Wisocki.
Pull carts are available or, for the best experience of all, you can hire a caddy. Wisocki said the course has developed a caddy program that he hopes can blossom into a scholarship program for the youngsters.
The 250-acre site is unusually large for a golf course. In fact, both Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes would just about fit inside the Chambers Bay footprint. Some of that space is necessary for the style of course and some will be needed should it be selected for a major event. TV trucks, corporate tents, grandstands, merchandise stands and parking take up an enormous amount of space. Chambers Bay has the space and the Tacoma/Seattle area has the rooms, restaurants and transportation to facilitate an event.
“We saw a couple aerial photos beforehand that got our hearts racing a little bit,” said Jay Blasi, one of the RTJ course designers. “But when we first set foot on the property we were like kids in a candy store, running up the dunes and high five-ing.”