On Thursday, 6/21, Chambers Bay hosted a Media Day event where local and national media members were invited to play the course before it opened to the public on the Saturday, which I was very fortunate to attend (as a guest of a local radio station).
It was an exciting event (at least for this average joe golfer) as all of the designers (including RTJ Jr), management, and the father of it all, John Ladenberg were there for a press conference in the morning and played some golf with all of the media members. I won’t bore you with the press conference details as much of what was said have been covered in previous articles and discussions here.
The highlight of my day (other than playing the amazing course itself – more on that later) was the lunch. I was just sitting there eating my sandwich when Robert Trent Jones Jr. sat right next to me to have his lunch. He was extremely generous and kind, and answered all of the questions I (and other table-mates) had for about 30 minutes.
Being a regular visitor on this Web site, I figured I would ask him some of the questions that has been floating around the boards here, mainly what does he think about people calling Chambers Bay “fake” and that it really is not a true links course. I could tell that that certainly touched a nerve and he indicated that he was quite aware of what bloggers and people on GolfClubAtlas have been saying about his latest creation. He also wanted me to make sure his answer was posted on GolfClubAtlas.
Robert Trent Jones Jr’s response was simple; play the course. He wants people to reserve talks about “fake course” or other comments until they have actually experienced the course for themselves. He is certainly proud of the course and believes strongly that the course speaks for itself.
He considers the “fake course” argument as a straw-man. As he put it, “As soon as you plant fescue on the sea-side dunes, you have modified the land. Back then, all they had were mules and ploughs. We have more tools available at hand, why shouldn’t we take full advantage of all the technology and resources that we have (to make the best possible golf course)?”.
He added, “There are three features that define links golf; maritime climate, land that leads to the open body of water, and firm playing surfaces. Chambers Bay has all of those features, so to say that it is not a (true) links course is absurd.”
I must say I agree with RTJ on all of those points. It is truly pointless to talk about what course is fake or not. You should enjoy golf courses for what they are. Who cares if you had to move a million cubic feet of dirt to do it? This is especially true when in the end, the result blends in naturally with its surroundings.
And Chambers Bay does that beautifully. When you walk/look at the course you feel like this place has always been just like this. It has that timeless qualities that most traditional links courses have. As others have said, the par 4’s are as good as can be found anywhere. In my opinion, the course is certainly superior to the two municipal courses with a US Open pedigree; Torrey Pines and Bethpage Black (I have played both). It is just as beautiful as Torrey Pines but Chambers Bay has much better variation of holes. It is just as epic as Bethpage Black, but it is far more scenic.
I believe one of the main reasons why some people have rated Chambers Bay a bit lower is this - the course plays easy. It’s slope is not very high and from the normal sand or blue tees, the course is certainly playable by average handicap golfers due to its wide open fairways. Ryan Moore, the PGA pro, remarked that a typical PGA pro will probably shoot 66 or 65 once the greens are running true. As Robert Trent Jones Sr once said, people don’t remember easy courses, I believe the fact that it does play a bit easier probably knocks it down a peg or two in some people’s minds.
But I think that is unfair as at least for Bethpage and Torrey, their main defenses are their length. And if people were forced to play Chambers Bay from where the white tees are on those courses (about 6800 yards), it probably would be more “memorable”. Thankfully, its tee distances are much more digestable for “normal golfers” and should allow the rounds go faster. However, that fact should not be used to knock down quality aspects of the course. I certainly believe that once the greens are running at their normal speed (9 to 10) and roughs are brought in, this course will be tough enough to host any major event.
Above all, I invite all golf aficionados to Chambers Bay. It is a must-see/play place for anyone who loves golf. I encourage you all to experience it for yourselves.