Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
Courtesy of Jon Cavalier
Courtesy of the club
Chambers Bay
University Place, WA • Public
Chambers Bay
6320 Grandview Dr W
University Place, WA 98467
United States
Telephone
Overview
Prodded by his partner, Bruce Charlton, and their then-design associate Jay Blasi, veteran architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. agreed to a radically different, vertical-links style when building Chambers Bay in an abandoned sand quarry near Tacoma. By the time Golf Digest named it as America’s Best New Public Course of 2008, the course had already been awarded the 2010 U.S. Amateur and 2015 U.S. Open. In the Amateur, Chambers Bay proved to be hard, both in the firmness of its dry fescue turf (Jones called his fairways “hardwood floors”) and its difficulties around and on the windswept greens. For the U.S. Open, the firmness and surrounds were more manageable, but the greens were notoriously bumpy. That’s now been remedied, as the fescue turf on the putting surfaces has been replaced with pure Poa Annua. What's irreplaceable are the views of Puget Sound from nearly every hole, multi-level fairways that entice bold driving to gain second-shot advantages and two holes running parallel to a railway that invokes feelings of early Scottish and Irish links courses.
About
Awards
Ranking history:
Second 100 Greatest: Ranked since 2013.
Highest ranking: 121st, 2013-'14.
Previous ranking: 125th.
2025-'26 ranking: 132nd.
100 Greatest Public: Ranked since its debut.
Previous ranking: 20th.
2025-'26 ranking (highest): 19th.
Best in State: Ranked top two since 2009. First since 2021.
2025-'26 ranking (and previous): 1st.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“I've played Chambers Bay a twice now. The first was back in 2020-2021 and the second in 2025. While the course did not change dramatically between those two rounds, I grew a new appreciation for the layout design of the track. You can see essentially the entirety of the 18 hole course from the perch of the pro shop. There may be one tree on the links style course but not sure if I found it. From the view above the course looks unassuming. It was built on an old gravel pit that rises away from the bay, so the only elevation change that can be determined from afar is from that gradual incline. But then when you get to the first or tenth tee boxes, you start to appreciate the subtle design choices that created so much variety in addition to the natural topographical help. There is a drop off the first tee shot and the rolling fairway is bordered by meaningful hills that only slightly arrant tee shots will bring into play. The elevation changes within holes can be surprisingly dramatic. Tee shots and approach shots on both the inclining and declining holes are riddled with bunkers that are easily avoidable, if you want to bail out, but also attackable with the right shot shape and loft. It did not strike me as an overly difficult course assuming decent control of approach shots. The greens were moderately slow. Most balls are both findable and hittable; scramble pars and even birdies can be found with arrant tee shots. I found a new appreciation for the course on the second go around when noticing the artistic way RTJ2 feathered nuance into each hole."
Read More2025
Review
“"I find myself reflecting on Chambers more and more. It's a big beefy course, but one I feel is appropraite to play daily. I cannot find many faults with the course and wish I could go back and hit several shots/holes again. The walk is really strenuous, but not overly so if you're used to walking regularly. I'd love to play it when it was playing slightly firmer and faster but overall Chambers is one of the best experiences in golf - as with a ton of holes, 1 is a perfect intron into the course - the course really comes alive on #4, a par 5 that climbs away from the water. The second shot over some cavernous bunkers is a thrill - 8 might be the weaker point of the course, while it's fine hole it does feel like everything sort of ends up in the right rough due to the slope of fairway - 9 is just a spectacular hole and glad they built it as it is a tough walk up -12 is so goofy that it works. It really puts pressure on lag putting and short game as you feel like you're losing a shot making par - 14 and 15 might be the highlight of the course, I love the thought of bombing down the hill from the highest part of the property""
Read More2025
Review
“The view from the clubhouse overlooking the course is spectacular with Puget Sound in the background and almost the entire golf course in the foreground. The course is built on the site of a sand and gravel mining operation with remnants of the concrete pillars used for transportation of the materials. There is a railway that runs parallel to the Sound on several holes. The course is extremely hilly with elevated teeing areas and greens and severe drop-offs near fairways and greens for errant shots. Sand is everywhere, as are the man-made dunes either left over from the mining operation or created from the leftover material. A huge dune divides holes #1 and #10 making the opening holes of each nine very dramatic. Robert Trent Jones II did a masterful job designing the site of the 2015 U.S. Open."
Read More2025
Review
“The course plays fast and firm, even during the wetter months. The resurfacing of the greens has done wonders to the playability of the course while still maintaining the myriad of shot options around the greens."
Read More2025
Review
“Robert Trent Jones Jr created a very good links course from a very flat piece of land on the shores of Puget Sound. The dunes created were spectacular although they looked a little artificial with sharp edges in places. Course had good shot options, with areas to run into most greens and decisions to be made off some tees e.g. Hole 2 has a split fairway, although the left hand portion is hidden by dunes. Fun factor was good for all levels of golfer as fairways wide. Challenge for a scratch golfer was good around greens although with wide fairways less of the tee. Layout variety was very high, no two holes were alike at all. Aestethics was high with great water views on every hole and the dunes and long grass made each hole look stunning. Conditioning was very good, firm fairways despite rain recently , greens fairly fast but soft due to rain previous days. Certainly good character, it was unique being a good looking although manufactured links course, the dunes were not as natural looking as for example Bandon Dunes or Pacific Dunes. Hole 10 was a great hole that to me felt more natural as the dunes narrowed the opening to the green to a "found" in the dunes."
Read More2025
Review
“Robert Trent Jones Jr created a very good links course from a very flat piece of land on the shores of Puget Sound. The dunes created were spectacular although they looked a little artificial with sharp edges in places. Course had good shot options, with areas to run into most greens and decisions to be made off some tees e.g. Hole 2 has a split fairway, although the left hand portion is hidden by dunes. Fun factor was good for all levels of golfer as fairways wide. Challenge for a scratch golfer was good around greens although with wide fairways less of the tee. Layout variety was very high, no two holes were alike at all. Aestethics was high with great water views on every hole and the dunes and long grass made each hole look stunning. Conditioning was very good, firm fairways despite rain recently , greens fairly fast but soft due to rain previous days. Certainly good character, it was unique being a good looking although manufactured links course, the dunes were not as natural looking as for example Bandon Dunes or Pacific Dunes. Hole 10 was a great hole that to me felt more natural as the dunes narrowed the opening to the green to a "found" in the dunes."
Read More2025
Review
“Chambers Bay is perennially a candidate for best in state and for great reason. The conditions are sublime and the lay out provides opportunities for aggressive or conservative routes to play the course."
Read More2025
Review
“This links style course an hour south of Seattle is a rare treat this side of the Atlantic. Home of the 2015 US Open, they've replaced all the greens with poa which made for a much better putting experience. The course is walking only and stretches out to over 7100 yards. Absolutely fantastic experience, so much fun to play a links course right off the Puget Sound."
Read More2024
Review
“Chambers Bay is a must play. It ranks up there with the most fun you can have on a golf course with the likes of Mammoth Dunes, Tobacco Road and Wolf Creek."
Read More2024
Review
“One of the nation's truly great municipal golf courses, which adds locals on walking trails through the course and the rumbling train that separates the course from an inlet of Puget Sound as among its many charms. The facilities are spartan, but the course plays big with wide fairways and massive greens on a very modern design. And a somewhat recent, high-profile project to convert the course to more native grass has improved playability. Overall, Chambers is demanding of a golfer of all abilities with plenty of risk-reward decisions that can make or break a round."
Read More2024
