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4.7
78 Reviews (78)
5 Stars
50
4 Stars
17
3 Stars
3
2 Stars
5
1 Stars
3
Conditions
4.5
Value
4.4
Layout
4.9
Friendliness
5.0
Pace
4.2
Amenities
4.4
93.6%
Recommend this course
68 out of 78 reviews
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Average Rating
Avg Rating
0
5 Stars
0
4 Stars
0
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
0
Value
0
Layout
0
Friendliness
0
Pace
0
Amenities
0
0%
Recommend this course
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
5.0
3 Reviews (3)
5 Stars
3
4 Stars
0
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.7
Value
4.7
Layout
5.0
Pace
4.7
Amenities
4.7
StaffFriendliness
5.0
100.0%
Recommend this course
3 out of 3 reviews
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About

Holes 18
Type Resort
Style Links
Par 72
Length 7165 yards
Slope 140
Rating 74.7

Located just outside of Tacoma and less than an hour from Seattle, Chambers Bay sits along the shores of the Puget Sound. The golf course has a rugged and beautiful landscape that features a quarry with roots that date back to the Steilacoom Indian Tribe and the first European settlers in 1832. The layout was inspired by the classic links golf courses of Scotland and Ireland. Robert Trent Jones II designed the course. His challenging links design makes you feel as though you've been transported to the British Isles, even down to the seaside locale. The golf course tumbles across windswept sand dunes with native fescue grass lining the fairways. Wind is also an ever-present challenge on this wide-open layout. Chambers Bay has been a local favorite since opening and it is considered one of the finest golf courses in Washington.

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Chambers Bay
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Course Details

Year Built 2007
Fairways Fescue Grass
Greens Fescue Grass
Golf Season Year round

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - medical certificate required
Clubs Yes
Pull-carts Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Caddies Yes
Golf School Academy Yes - "Chambers Bay Academy"
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted Major credit cards are accepted.
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes
Dress code Collared shirt required

Food & Beverage

Snacks, Restaurant

Available Facilities

Banquet Facilities

Accolades

Reviews

4.7
78 Reviews (78)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
19th Hole Scenic Views 13
Drinks 9
Patio Dining 8
Course Challenges Include:
Elevation Changes 22
Undulating Greens 22
Bunkers 19
This course/club is great for:
A Bucket list/Top 100 Pick 18
Advanced Golfers 17
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 17
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 11
In the 'Burbs 7
Convenient to the City 6

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Reviewer Photos

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 22
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Absolutely Amazing Views

There aren't many courses with views like Chambers Bay. The entire course over looks water. Course was in great shape and it was a great value at the afternoon greens fees.

Only thing it's missing is locker rooms.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
Incentivized Review
5.0

Much improved grasses/greens

They have redone the greens in the last year’s. This is a huge improvement for an overall great golf course.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Walked
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
Incentivized Review
5.0
First Time Playing

Chambers Bay

Beauty course. Challenging track. Excellent conditions. Great staff. Worth every penny

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 27
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played

Great time

It’s my third time playing this course. I came with my brother because he has not played it yet. It’s a tough tough course but the hardest part about it is the walking can be very difficult. I’m 61 my brother 62 it was a little difficult to walk but very beautiful and scenic throughout the entire course. Would recommend getting a caddy for your foursome to help read the greens because they are pretty tough.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Walked

Great course and caddie - very poor security at course

Golf course was fantastic and our caddie Jason was excellent. After playing our round in less than 4 hours, we go to our rental SUV and find that it was broken into. We had thousands of dollars of items stolen and Chambers Bay's response was "this has happened quite a bit recently". We filled out an incident report at the course (we had to catch a flight) which they said would lead to a police report; that never happened. There are no security cameras or police oversight and they offered us absolutely nothing for our tremendous loss - that was amazing to my playing partner and I. We spent hundreds of dollars in the pro shop. I had to call the local police myself because I had a CPAP machine stolen. Course is great but management and staff are useless.

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Poor
Pace Excellent
Amenities Poor
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Walked

Best course I've ever played

I've been lucky enough to play on a lot of great courses in the US but Chambers Bay is, hands down, the best I've ever played. I can't speak to what the greens were like before they redid them but they are perfect. The scenery on just about every hole is spectacular. And, each hole is so well designed the whole course is a literal masterpiece. I now want to play everything RTJ Jr. has designed.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 69
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Walked

New Greens are amazing

Third time playing the course. Gets better everytime. Marshall pushed my bag up the hill between 12 and 13. Beautiful day. Greens are better then ever. Great day all together.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 13
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Amazing! Great New Greens.

The greens have been redone with new grass and they are great. Course is absolutely amazing! Great views. Demanding shots and fast greens. It’s walking only and it’s a lot of hilly terrain that adds another dynamic to the round. Highly recommend. My caddie Jimmy was awesome! Good course knowledge and great to talk to on the course. A caddy is a must for first time players.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 28
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
2.0
Texas Advisor
Previously Played

You should just burn your $275 instead

Talk about a colossal disappointment. Wow. I’ve previously rated this course as a 5-star but this place has turned into a bottom dweller. These greens are the worst I have ever played. They are closing the course in October to replace all the greens but that does not mean you stop caring for the current ones when you’re charging $275 to play this dump. Awesome routing. Dumpster fire conditions. Horrible value.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Poor
Default User Avatar
Commented on 05/26/2019

You should check out the new greens...They are amazing.

Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Walked

Chamber's Bay

Just played there last week. Course itself and layout were awesome. Paid twilight rate which was even better. Would have given it 5 stars but the green complexes suck right now with the bumpy and not pure fescue greens. Even worse, during the round you end up playing 3 holes of the 18 on Poa Annua grass which were great and pure so gauging speed and line on those vs the horrible fescue in the middle of the round was really just crazy. Never have played anything like that with two different putting surfaces on a highly ranked course. Great course but wait until they rebuild the greens this winter. They will finally represent the great layout of the course next year and it will be worth 5 stars then. If you are going soon, I suggest playing twilight to pay less than rack rate.

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 6
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
2.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Walked

I don't get it--so much potential

First the positive--The views are world class. The layout is hard, fair and beautiful. Everyone I met was awesome--friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. The weather was perfect--light to a strong breeze that hit you in different ways on different holes that made it challenging.
Now the walkaway feeling--Why am I paying $150 for the worst greens I have ever played? I would explain it as--a club that just punched the greens and sanded them about 2 weeks prior. 3 years removed from the same complaints at the US Open, I can only figure they want it that way. If that is true, they need to "fix" the practice green, because that green was great. I play courses all around the Pacific Northwest and I wouldn't recommend this one.
Oh, and the clubhouse---similar to the par 3 muni course by my house--really? You had a US Open here and you have golfers paying big bucks to pay every day. I am assuming they would want a first class club house shopping experience. I generally buy a shirt or hat everyplace. I didn't and wasn't compelled to.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Fair
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 128
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Texas Advisor
Top 100 Contributor
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Walked

Chambers Bay - Haters gonna hate

Everyone seems to have an opinion on this course after the 2015 US Open, and it seems most of them are negative... it's too brown, the greens are terrible, it's not a real US Open course...

That's all pretty ridiculous. This course is one of the most unique and challenging courses I've ever had the pleasure to play!

Two warnings:

1. It's walking only, and it's not an easy walk. Be prepared for that. Personally, I think it's an even better way to take in the unique contours of the course and the amazing scenery around you.

2. It's pretty tough. If you don't like bunkers or bad bounces... this may not be your cup of tea.

With those out of the way... WOW! Every hole at this course demands a different kind of golf. Don't expect to just crush a driver and throw a high lofted wedge into every green. You'll have lots of opportunities to use backstops, run balls along the ground, aim seemingly way off line and see your ball still find its way to the flag.

Holes 5-7 are my favorites on the front 9. 5 tee boasts an amazing view down on much of the course below. You hit your drive downhill to a narrowing fairway the farther you go, then you have a tough uphill approach to a green with a sneaky bunker right in the middle. 6 requires an accurate tee shot (probably not a driver) to set up an approach to a green tucked in the nook of a hillside. You really can't miss by much or you'll find yourself in a bunker or tall fescue with little chance to save par. 7 is a long par 4 that dares you to bite off too much off the tee. You can be safe staying further left, but you'll have a long (and probably blind) approach to contend with.

The back 9 is even better. I love every hole, but especially 11, 12, 14, and 15. The back 9 will force a lot of decisions off the tee and driver is rarely an easy call. 15 is one of the best views on the course, and is home to the only tree on the course.

I could go on forever... but the point is... this course is a treasure and you should go.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 27
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Walked

Plays as advertised

Well I had to check a major championship venue off my list, so on a recent trip to Seatac I played at Chambers. Indeed this is a true links course, except for perhaps the slope. It is built into an old quarry and there is quite a bit of elevation change, but still quite walkable. I carried my bag for the front and got a (free) walking cart for the back. Hospitality was great but the pace was extremely slow: my round took 5:30.
Loved the course setup. There are tee blocks but no markers, some tees are shared, and snacks/bar in a spot where you go by 3-4 times during the round.
As for the difficulty, well it wasn't set up like Sunday of the '15 open, but still demanding. Shot placement and club selection is critical. Not a flat spot on the property, so you better put that tee shot in the right spot or it'll take a 90 degree turn and run 30 yards down into a nasty and deep waste bunker. Greens are rocking and rolling, but actually not terribly fast. The slope from the whites is 121, believe it or not, but you wouldn't think it.
My takeaway: #16 is a short par four that I drove through the green. As you remember Branden Grace ended up by the train tracks here, so the logical conclusion is that I am a better golfer than Branden Grace :0

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Average
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 6
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Walked

Greens can be a mess, but dang this course is cool.

This was my first round of the year and I didn't play particularly well, but dang, I had fun. Each hole seems to be it's own chapter in a classic novel. Some of the greens were still in pretty rough shape and rolled super inconsistently, but it's a problem they are aware of and they're working to correct it. It may be the only reason this course isn't perfect.

What I love about links golf is the ability to use the ground on windy days. While it was relatively calm when I played here, the ground was firm enough to use as an option. Too many American Links style courses over-saturate, looking to appeal to the people that need green grass to play off of no matter the environment the grass exists in. Unfortunately, that can take away from the charm of chasing a 6-iron onto the green because the ball doesn't roll as it should.

It should also be noted that I payed $99 for my round! We came up 18 as the sun set behind us. So, it was a pretty perfect scene and one I won't soon forget.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Walked

A Course that plays different every time.

This is an incredible course that continues to amaze me. I have played it since opening, probably 100 times. Yet, this last round found me in places I had never been, (not all bad) with shots I had to imagine. The course was a little soft after rain, but you still never see mud on your ball. The roll out is there in March like it is in July. Only course in Washington that does not allow "winter rules". The variety of holes and shots will use all your clubs and challenge you to read some difficult greens. They are changing the greens to Poa, which is too bad I think. But so many locals can't read or put on fescue, I guess they got tired of the complaints. Fun to play the holes that the US Open was played on and imagine those shots and putts.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
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