To my esteemed lawkeeper friend from my original home state!
There was a high GCA participant:total # of players on the tee sheet ratio yesterday at Chambers, as Bill Cosgrove and I were two of the 16 or so players there, or a perfectly fine day for golf in the Tacoma area.
Cold, but not bone-chillingly so, because there was not much of a breeze...
Turf certainly firm enough to attempt all of the necessary shots, even after our predictably "moist" late autumn weather...
I have a number of thoughts re:Chambers now after multiple plays at various times, and multiple conversations with different types of people involved with the project. Based on my impressions and these conversations only, I think a couple of things are clear:
1) It is NOT a Bandon clone, but they are trying to learn from that experience in all their marketing, F/B, player-worker interactions and even the pricing decisions. I will maintain that the courses are very different at their cores, but I would be hard-pressed to deny that the feel yesterday was eerily similar to those early years visiting Bandon in the winters; handfuls of golfers at the most, perfectly fine playing conditions, lots of time to interact with personnel, and a feeling of isolation and discovery admixed...
2) Nearly everyone involved in CB seems to be projecting the same level of interest in how to improve the experience for all the golfers, not just the Pierce Co players, not just the belt-notchers, not just the high-rollers...
3) There are areas where the turf is definitely being rested, but it would appear there are a number of different "red flag" areas, where turf wear, traffic pattern, dunes run-off will be ongoing concerns. Some of the fairway and short greenside bunkering left of #10 looks to be unmaintainable long-term to me...
4) I will maintain that the course is a very challenging walk, and that long-term I can't see how that won't impact the pace of play and "pool" of available golfers going forward. We, as a nation, are getting fatter and less mobile and less healthy, and I can see plenty of issues with the steep uphills to #4, #7, #12 and #13 to name of few...
5) I wish that I could somehow wave a wand and switch one of the steeply downhill par-3s to a par-3 benched on the steep eastern slope. Just me, not that it would even make the course better, just would have preferred one less "drop shot"--my OPINION only..
6) The pricing structure in place this winter is an attempt to educate a Puget Sound golfing public that simply doesn't believe many of the ads about "dry winter golf; best in the Puget Sound!". We have so many of these courses trying to convince people that it's dry as could be, and then you have to mosh around anyway that many golfers up here just shut it down when Husky football season starts and don't pick up the clubs again until May...They are trying to change the perception--may or may not be successful
I feel fortunate enough to be able to experience CB at these early stages, and knowing some of the folks involved on the "front lines". It will be fascinating to watch the fits and starts of CB during its infancy, and its increased exposure nationally.
I will say that, at least here in the Seattle-Bellevue area, there has not really been a lot of penetration by CB into the consciousness of the non-golf-geek population. Still viewed by many of my friends as too far to go to play, too cold, too pricey, etc...