Chambers Bay will host US open

[tourdeep]

There is only one tree on the course and it does not even come into play. The views are tremendous, it was designed with a true links course in mind, and no carts are allowed,tho I think they've relaxed on this rule for those with physical handicaps. Someone mentioned it's like walking 7 miles and that's with no army, if you know what I mean. And it feels like it! They have a great deal. If you play it three times in a day, the third round is free! woohoo!!!!!

If ever in the area, it's worth a try!





Chambers Bay to host 2015 U.S. Open
The new public facility becomes the first course in the Pacific Northwest to hold a U.S. Open.

By David Dusek
Deputy Editor, GOLF.com
Published: February 08, 2008

The United States Golf Association has announced that the 2015 U.S. Open and 2010 U.S. Amateur Championship will be played at Chambers Bay, a seven-month-old municipal golf course near Tacoma, Wash.

Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Bruce Charleton on a former gravel and sand quarry, Chambers Bay (chambersbaygolf.com) is a links-style course that opened in 2007. The facility is owned by Pierce County, Wash., and is part of a 930-acre park in University Place, Wash., about an hour south of Seattle.

"We never dreamed we'd be chosen by the USGA to host both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open championships," said John Ladenburg, the Pierce County executive. "Especially not so close to the opening of the course. It is a true honor."

Chambers Bay joins three other public-access courses slated to host U.S. Opens in the near future. The tournament will be played on the South Course at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif., in June; on the Black Course at New York's Bethpage State Park in 2009; and at Pinehurst No. 2 at North Carolina's Pinehurst Resort in 2014. Torrey Pines and Bethpage are also municipal courses. Chambers Bay will be the first golf course in the Pacific Northwest to hold the U.S. Open.

In a statement released by the USGA, Jim Hyler, chairman of the USGA Championship Committee, said, "We are excited to take the U.S. Open Championship and the U.S. Amateur to such an awesome site. We are confident that the golf course will provide a challenging test for the best players in the world, as well as a great spectator experience for those who attend the event and watch it online and on television.

Chambers Bay was given the top position on the GOLF Magazine 10 Best New Courses You Can Play list in 2007. According to the USGA, the decision to award the championships to Chambers Bay was approved by the USGA Executive Committee at its annual meeting in Houston, but the formal approval is pending contractual agreement.

 

[cyner]

Perfect! I will be first in line when tickets are available.

 

[dale47]

WOW !!! Beautiful

 

[tourdeep]

Playing at 7806 yards? Currently, it's 7585 and with an additional 221 proposed yards, it brings it to 7800+ yards. I doubt the big boys will be playing it that long, given the fact that two of the par 5's will play as 4's, unless this is already factored into the net 221 added yardage. That could mean the 18th would play 604 yards as a par four. Obviously, they are going to shorten it. There was talk of narrowing the landing area on the 18th as well. It's already semi tight with traps on both sides of the fairway for the tee shot landing area. And the 13th would be 534, which is possible, but highly unlikely. The greens are very firm and the slowest I've played on any course when in pristine condition. Maybe fast is a relative term cuz they ain't fast to me. And the traps are full of little rocks.

And the driveable 12th hole. No birds for the pros? I must be good cuz, I've birdied it twice, so far!!!! Tho it's only 304 from the tips, it is deceiving cuz it's uphill and any shot left or right can be hazardous to the score.

It is my favorite course in this area, for now. We'll see after the changes are made...!

U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open Championship Preparations

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October 2008

Yes it's true, the world's best golfers are coming to Chambers Bay! This is the second installment in the series on the USGA Championship preparations for the 2010 U.S. Amateur and the 2015 U.S. Open to be held at Chambers Bay. On September 30, USGA Senior Director of Rules and Competitions, Mike Davis, completed a two-day visit to finalize planning for course improvements expected to be finished prior to the U.S. Amateur Championship. Representatives from the Robert Trent Jones Jr. architectural firm joined KemperSports and Pierce Country delegates to implement the following improvments and establish objectives discussed during the visit.

~ Since links courses are traditionally built on sand dunes, one of the primary characteristic of these courses is the maintenance of firm and fast conditions on greens, approaches, fairways and tees. In Scotland, natural wind-blown sand coats the turf after every storm. Over centuries, Greenkeepers (i.e. golf course superintendents) have supplemented Mother Nature's sand topdressing with routine cultural topdressing. Since a true links course can never have enough sand, present day superintendents follow the words laid out by Old Tom Morris and other famous old-time Greenkeepers, "more sand lad die." As the healthiest fescue turf, and best playing conditions, are created by frequent sand topdressing, the fescue at Chambers Bay is literally swimming in sand. Topdressing done in conjunction with cultivation is a routine cultural program you can find taking place somewhere on the Chambers Bay golf course almost every week year round. It is no surprise that when Larry Gilhuly of the USGA measured the firmness of our greens they were the firmest ever measured at any golf course in the United States. After topdressing fairways, the turf color typically becomes greener in color. The fescue thrives in sand and so do golfers when they see their ball bounce and roll along the firm and fast turf. Chambers Bay has summer-like playing conditions 12 months a year, and maintaining these conditions is the USGA's number one priority for Chambers Bay.

~ The average fairway width at most U.S. Open Championships is between 40 and 50 yards. Chambers Bay will narrow fairways on holes 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 14 and 16. The other fairways will remain at their current widths of up to 103 yards for the U.S. Amateur Championship. Starting next week, we will begin developing the new mowing lines for fairway, intermediate rough and full length rough.

~ A new practice range and fine fescue sod nursery will be built. Ground-breaking for these projects has already begun and planting will be finished by spring 2009.

~ New tees will be built on holes 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 15 and 17. These new or expanded tees will add considerable area to the already huge 11 to 12 acre teeing ground at Chambers Bay. Course length based on current discussions will increase at least 221 yards from the tips to approximately 7,806 yards.

~ Chambers Bay has over 92 acres of sand dunes and 85 acres of bunkers. This is equal to the area of one or two golf courses. Winter 2008-09 will be spent removing weeds from the dunes and bunkers, and planting the dunes to fill in the sheep, hard and red fescue dune grass. Supplemental irrigation will be added to maintain dune grass year round.

~ Bunker rebuilding is needed for most of the bunkers to remove rocks, add drainage and complete edging of the bunkers. This process will take place from now until June 2010 to complete.

One thing is for certain based on all that is happening at Chambers Bay. Every time you play, you can expect to see changes that improve the already spectacular course. How is the course playing right now? Course conditions during the 2008 BMW NW Skins Game held on September 13 were incredible. Among PGA Tour Professionals Ryan Moore, Bubba Watson, Aaron Baddeley and Ben Crane, there were no birdies on the short par 4 12th hole, and Aaron Baddeley won the biggest skin of the day with a par 3 on the 17th. The golf course again showed that it is a great test of Championship caliber golf.

September 2008

The championship tradition that began during initial planning continues. This is the first installment in the series on Championship preparations for the 2010 U.S. Amateur and the 2015 U.S. Open scheduled to be held at Chambers Bay. Stay tuned for more Championship news updates in future months.

~ The planning process in now in full swing as the USGA has partnered with Pierce County and KemperSports to enhance the Robert Trent Jones II designed course. Larry Gilhuly, Director of the USGA Northwest Region Green Section has now made two Turf Advisory Service Visits to Chambers Bay, focusing on Championship preparations.

~ The USGA made it clear that their primary focus is to support developing and maintaining firm and fast playing conditions on greens, tees and fairways. Firm and fast greens are being developed and maintained by weekly cultivation and sand topdressing. The topdressing is supplemented with grooming, rolling and mowing 4 to 7 times per week. Chambers Bay will be the first modern golf championship to be played on 100% fine fescue greens.

~ Sand topdressing is planned in conjunction with cultivation on all tees and fairways at least twice more this year. A minimum of 4 to 6 more sand topdressings and cultivations are planned for each year in 2009 and 2010 to develop and maintain firm, fast conditions on all turf at Chambers Bay.

~ Course improvements planned to begin by December 2008, and scheduled to be finished by Spring of 2010 include: a) construction of a new practice facility, b) construction of new tees on holes 1, 3, 4, 6, 10, 11, 15, and 17, c) rebuilding many of the sand bunkers to develop and maintain the bunker edges envisioned by RTJII, and d) removing noxious and invasive broadleaf weeds in dunes as well as planting new fine fescue turf to cover dunes where planting has been sparse.

~ Mike Davis, USGA Senior Director of Rules and Competitions, is scheduled to visit Chambers Bay near the end of September to monitor Championship progress and to finalize locations for fairway width and rough turf changes envisioned for both Championships.

~ During the Championships, holes 13 and 18 will both be played as par 4s.

The Chambers Bay golfer can witness some of these course improvements during daily play. Based on these plans, daily players will experience the firm and fast conditions 12 months a year, which is unique in the Pacific Northwest. Many of last winter's Chambers Bay golfers were pleasantly surprised by the summer-like course conditions they encountered. Plan now to visit Chambers Bay, where you can play a rare links golf course and have the best golfers in the world follow in your footsteps. Each month will be something new!





Washington Golf Courses - Chambers Bay - Tacoma, WA

 

[cmartingolf]

Great track (played it three times)
Amazing setting (Pugit Sound is awesome)
Design allows all levels of players to have fun
It's a good walk!!! Take a caddie

Only negative - the greens were in poor shape with a lot of stressed areas.

I could see the bunker work going on. I'm not sure that flashing sand up the faces will help the daily player. It's hard to get in and out of the bunkers and I'm reasonably fit. The "oldsters" might need steps built.