Chambers Bay

Chambers Bay is a public golf course in the northwest United States, located in University Place, Washington, on the Puget Sound southwest of Tacoma. The British links-style course is owned by Pierce County and opened for play on June 23, 2007.[5] It hosted the U.S. Amateur in 2010 and the U.S. Open in 2015.[1][6]

Chambers Bay
Chambers Bay Golf Course
Club information
Coordinates47.20°N 122.57°W / 47.20; -122.57
LocationUniversity Place, Washington, U.S.
EstablishedJune 23, 2007
14 years ago
TypePublic
Owned byPierce County
Operated byKemperSports
Total holes18
Tournaments hostedU.S. Amateur (2010),
U.S. Open (2015)
GreensPoa annua
(transitioning since 2017),
formerly fine fescue [1][2][3]
Websitechambersbaygolf.com
Designed byRobert Trent Jones Jr.
Par72
Length7,585 yards (6,936 m)
Course rating78.1[4] (Teal)
Slope rating146[4] (Teal)

Design

Chambers Bay was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr.[5][7] The 250-acre (100 ha) course is the centerpiece of a 930-acre (380 ha) county park. Pierce County bought the land for $33 million in 1992; the property was formerly a sand-and-gravel quarry, popular with off-road four-wheelers and dirt-bikers.[5]

Construction

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.[8][9] At the time, it was still permitted as a working mine, which meant fewer restrictions for the course architects.[5][10]

Layout

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.

Card of the course

Chambers Bay
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 5593951675304654184825572273800 39845728148549613939617254133657165
Sand 72.4 / 135 5013651454804413694495232023475 36042526245340711635914251430386513
White M:70.2/127 L:76.2/137 4653371304244233154354881683185 33040224643738310332311948728306015
Handicap Men's 3131759117115 10814261812164
Par 54354445337 4444434353572
Handicap Women's 3111779135115 84146101612182
Blue 71.5 / 128 4363011113473232834154411322789 311378219348309912799246224895278

Championship Tees[11]

HoleNameYardsParHoleNameYardsPar
1Puget Sound598/4965/410High Dunes4364
2Foxy399411Shadows5374
3Blown Out198312The Narrows3114
4Hazard's Ascent495413Eagle Eye5344
5Free Fall488414Cape Fear5464
6Deception Point495415Lone Fir246/1673
7Humpback508416Beached4234
8High Road Low Road614517Derailed2183
9Olympus224/217318Tahoma604/5255/4
Out4,019/3,91036/35In3,855/3,69735/34
 Championship tees: Rating=78.1,  Slope=146Total7,874/7,60770

Navy Tees

HoleNameYardsParHoleNameYardsPar
1Puget Sound559510High Dunes3984
2Foxy395411Shadows4574
3Blown Out167312The Narrows2814
4Hazard's Ascent530513Eagle Eye4854
5Free Fall465414Cape Fear4964
6Deception Point418415Lone Fir1393
7Humpback482416Beached3964
8High Road Low Road557517Derailed1723
9Olympus227318Tahoma5415
Out3,80037In3,36535
 Navy tees: Rating=75.6,  Slope=139[4]Total7,16572

Source:[12][13]

Chambers Bay has just one tree, a Douglas fir behind the 15th green.[14]

Operation

The course is operated by Kemper Sports Management of Northbrook, Illinois, which also operates Bandon Dunes on the southern Oregon coast.[5]

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.[5]

In 2016, a resort was proposed by a private developer, including an 80-room hotel, event and meeting space, and a Tom Douglas restaurant.[15]

After the 2015 U.S Open was played at Chambers Bay, the local economy realized an estimated revenue increase of approximately $150 million, primarily sourced from gains within the tourist and service industries. Although Pierce County taxpayers were solely responsible for security costs and course preparation for the US Open, other adjoining counties also benefitted economically.[16]

Events

Chambers Bay was the site of the U.S. Amateur in 2010 and hosted the U.S. Open in 2015; these events were awarded by the United States Golf Association (USGA) in early 2008.[6][17] Chambers Bay was set as a par-71 at 7,742 yards (7,079 m) for the U.S. Amateur in 2010,[18] the longest course in USGA history.[19] The record only lasted until the following year when Erin Hills surpassed it by 18 yards.[19]

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.[20] The tournament was eventually won by Jordan Spieth.[21] Chambers Bay Golf Course will host the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship in 2021.[22] Established in 2015, the "Four-Ball" as it is known, is the newest USGA championship and replaces the now-retired U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship which was established in 1922.

Criticism

During the 2015 U.S. Open, Chambers Bay was subject to criticism for its bumpy greens, unfair course design, and poor accessibility for spectators.[23][24] Nine-time major champion Gary Player called it "the worst golf course I might've ever seen in the 63 years as a professional golfer," and Henrik Stenson said that the greens were like "putting on broccoli."[25]

In 2017, the fine fescue greens were allowed to transition to poa annua, the dominant species.[2][3][26][27] 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][27][28]

References

  1. Shipnuck, Alan (June 10, 2016). "Chambers Bay, one year later: Lessons learned from its 2015 debut on the big stage". GOLF. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  2. Herrington, Ryan (July 9, 2017). "Chambers Bay to change greens from fine fescue to Poa annua". Golf World. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  3. "Welcome/Status report". Chambers Bay. (blog). August 25, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  4. "Course rating and slope database, Chambers Bay". USGA. Archived from the original on April 16, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  5. Smith, Craig (June 23, 2007). "Chambers Bay golf course opens today". Seattle Times. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  6. "Chambers Bay will host U.S. Open". Seattle Times. February 8, 2008. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  7. "Ask the Architect, Robert Trent Jones II". March 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-03-29. Retrieved April 20, 2008.
  8. Newnham, Blaine (April 12, 2007). "Chambers Bay is a bit of Scotland near Tacoma". Seattle Times. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  9. Hanson, Scott (April 19, 2014). "How 3 visionaries brought the U.S. Open to Chambers Bay". Seattle Times. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  10. Kelley, Steve (February 17, 2008). "Bruce Charlton felt the sand and saw a U.S. Open". Seattle Times. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  11. Chambers Bay Yardage Guide with US Open Tees Sold at Club 4/4/2015
  12. "Course Routing". Chambers Bay. Archived from the original on 2013-06-10. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  13. "Scorecard". Chambers Bay. Archived from the original on 2013-06-10. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  14. Booth, Tim (May 1, 2008). "Chambers Bay's "Lone Fir" hacked". Seattle Times. Associated Press. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  15. Eldridge, Keith (October 17, 2016). "Puyallup company chosen to build resort at Chambers Bay Golf Course". KOMO. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  16. "Paying the bill for U.S. Open at Chambers Bay". The Seattle Times. 2015-07-01. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
  17. "USGA Awards 2015 U.S. Open, 2010 U.S. Amateur to Chambers Bay in Washington State and 2011 U.S. Amateur to Erin Hills Golf Club in Wisconsin" (PDF). USGA. February 7, 2008. Retrieved April 20, 2008.
  18. "It's Uhlein's time". USGA. August 29, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  19. "U.S. Am courses give USGA advance look". Golfweek. August 22, 2011.
  20. "USGA announces its Sunday round at 2015 U.S. Open is all sold out". Seattle Times. July 18, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  21. Auclair, T.J. (June 20, 2015). "Spieth wins 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay". PGA of America. Associated Press. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  22. http://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/articles/2017/12/bandon-dunes-to-host-2019-u-s--amateur-four-ball--chambers-bay-i.html
  23. DiMeglio, Steve (June 20, 2015). "Players: U.S. Open deserves better than setup at Chambers Bay". USA Today.
  24. Cannizzaro, Mark (June 23, 2015). "US Open will return to Chambers Bay, whether players like it or not". New York Post.
  25. Campbell, Paul (June 22, 2015). "Was the 'unplayable' Chambers Bay golf course fit to host the US Open?". The Guardian.
  26. "Chambers Bay greens get a facelift". Seattle Times. Associated Press. July 9, 2017. p. C8.
  27. "Chambers Bay greens get facelift in hopes of wooing US Open". USA Today. Associated Press. July 8, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  28. Gray, Will (July 9, 2017). "Chambers Bay overhauls greens, eyes Open return". Golf Channel. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
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