Roll Call: Have you played Chambers Bay?

[Don Tappan]

I played two rounds at Chambers Bay last August and did enjoy it, but don't see it as a repeat destination. It is more challenging than Whistling Straits but the wind/weather are much, much less of factors. However, Chambers Bay is an extremely difficult walk, especially if you are not hitting every fairway and green.


I enjoyed the course more than Erin Hills as the greens at EH are so turtlebacked as to be borderline unplayable if conditions are very firm.


Overall, a beautiful place with nice views and as others have mentioned, great at sunset. Certainly, worth a play if you are in Seattle but not worth the special trip, or even the detour from Bandon (as we did).

[David Davis]

Yes played it several times.


Nothing at all similar in any way to Arcadia Bluffs. Except that they both have a hill to walk up and some water on the bottom of the hill that is not in play.


I would say Arcadia is more similar to Whistling Straits than either are to Chamber's Bay. In some areas more than others.


I like Chamber's more in terms of turf, location, scenery and variety as compared to the others.


I think I would also give it a 7. Though I do know some that would argue it's a 0 by definition.


Can't compare to Kiawah but hope to rectify that in the fall.

[Jim Franklin]

Played it, liked it a lot. Better than Whistling Straits. The greens were slow since they were new. They did not have that broccoli appearance yet.

[Joe Stansell]

I have been a member of Chambers Bay golf club for several years. I pay discounted rates during the slower seasons. It has been worth every penny I have paid for the 40 so or rounds I've played there.

[PCCraig]

I've played Chambers Bay...once about 4 years ago. I've played The Ocean Course maybe 5x and Whistling Straits 3x.


I liked Chambers Bay more than WS, but less than The Ocean Course. 

[Patrick Schultheis]

I have played it, most recently in 2010. Enjoyed it, though the greens were slow and inconsistent.

I prefer CB to Whistling Straits, but prefer the Ocean Course at Kiawah to both

[Trent Dixon]

I played there on a very hot and windy day last August and can't say I was very impressed. Putting aside the incredibly poor condition of the greens (it was apparent even back then that the chances of the greens surfaces being up to an acceptable standard for the US Open were slim), I felt like many of the greens complexes were contrived and over the top in terms of their slope and penalty. It's all good and well to say that you learn the intricacies of a course through repeated visits, but surely that shouldn't be at the expense of keeping it enjoyable for a first time visitor.


That's just my opinion, but I'd arrived there after a few days at Bandon, and the contrast couldn't have been greater.

[Ian Andrew]

Played it twice, each time with a group of golf architects.


I certainly enjoyed playing the course, had a few questions about why the routing went so high up the cliff, but otherwise found it great fun to use the ground on most approaches. Would happily play there again.

[Adam Clayman]

Played it, liked it a lot. Better than Whistling Straits. The greens were slow since they were new. They did not have that broccoli appearance yet.

For all those that don't know the brocoli reference. It goes back to Gary McCord describing what it's like to putt on Poa. Not it's look.

BTW, We saw guys on long birdie stretches. The one factor they ALL had in common? They took charge of their putts by hitting them slightly more aggressive. Leaving the outcome up to them, rather than be put at the mercy of the grain.

[Cort Sylvester]

Played twice in one day back in 2008.  Possibly the slowest greens I have ever played, to the point that it almost wasn't much fun.  Would like to give it another shot now. 

[Mike Hendren]

My intent in starting this thread was not to discredit the opinions of those who have not played the course, but rather to garner some consensus among those who have.  Those opinions are surprisingly favorable since the course isn't everyone's cup of tea.  I checked my personal top 100 U. S. courses and found it at 19. 
 
Bogey

[Pete Lavallee]

I have played it 5 times now. Like most I enjoyed the course and the various options provided to get the ball close to the hole. Holes #6 and #10 are two of my all time favorite par 4's. The painfully slow putting surfaces sucked a lot of fun out of the experience however. Perhaps now that the USGA has left we will experience a reasonable pace on the greens.

[Mark Greer]

I played it last November and I enjoyed it.  It's spectacular in its setting.  The course was in very good condition at that time of year and green.  Greens were a bit slow which was expected.  I think it's comparable to Cabot Links, Bandon Dunes and Old Mac.  Better than Bandon Trails.  Not as good as Kiawah Ocean or Pacific Dunes.  I've never played Whistling Straits.  As to the walk, I really didn't notice it being a tough walk.  Pretty much the same to me as the others I mentioned.  I kept scratching my head about all the talk about the tough walk.  Of course, I grew up in WV.  Gary Player has lost his mind.

[David Kelly]

(it was apparent even back then that the chances of the greens surfaces being up to an acceptable standard for the US Open were slim)

Agree, it was clear to anyone who played there that rightly or wrongly many of the players in the U.S. Open were going to lose their s___ about the condition of the greens during Open week.  Based on what I saw a couple of years ago there was no scenario I could envision in which they would get those greens in pristine condition.
But in the end, who cares? It was a great Open won by a great player, played on very good and unique golf course.

[Kalen Braley]

Played it once...and had a blast.
I love the look of it visually, but it does play tough as hell.  I prefer the Bandon experience over CB.  I would give it a solid 8 on my DS as well.
P.S.  The greens were certainly its biggest liability back then, bumpy putting gets old quickly. 
 

[MCirba]

Haven't but really would like to after watching the tournament.  Much MUCH better than I'd imagined

[Chris Mavros]

I played it this time of year in 2012.  The weather was quite volatile, ranging from hot and sunny to windy and rainy a number of times throughout the round. 

I liked playing CB a lot.  I found it challenging with different options on a lot of holes, but never considered it overly difficult.  The scenery was terrific as well.  Being able to bump and run the ball from up to 100 yards off the green was different than most courses I've encountered and added to the fun.  Recovery shots off fairway were playable for the most part, at least in my experience. 

[Jon Cavalier]

I played it this past March oand enjoyed it a lot (the course -- including the greens -- was in perfect shape). It suffers by comparison somewhat simply due to the fact that I spent the following three days at Bandon Dunes (I'd rank it behind Pac Dunes, Old Mac and Trails, and probably behind Dunes - I'm glad I played Chambers first). But I found it to be a really fun, exceedingly pretty golf course, and I recommend it as a must play to golfer friends traveling to Seattle.

Regarding the other courses mentioned in this thread, I'd put it ahead of both Erin Hills and Arcadia Bluffs (beyond a lake view, there really aren't any similarities between Arcadia, which I also liked, and Chambers). While I'd probably put both Kiawah Ocean and Whistling Straits slightly ahead of Chambers, I think it belongs in the same grouping as those two.

To put it more simply, I would happily play Chambers Bay on my next trip to Seattle.

[Mark Bourgeois]

Yes

[Dan Herrmann]

Question for long-time players - when did the Poa Annua start to show up on the greens?  When I was there in 2009, I don't remember any at all.

[Sean Leary]

Question for long-time players - when did the Poa Annua start to show up on the greens?  When I was there in 2009, I don't remember any at all.

Mike Davis said that as of a year ago there was none in an local sports radio  interview I heard this week. Of course he also said that 18 was originally designed to play as both a Par 4 and 5 by the architect, so maybe we can take what he says with a pound of salt.


Rich can chime in, but its been years and years from what I have seen.

[Pete_Pittock]

I have played it twice, once of them  off mats.  After I decided score was irrelevant I had a lot more fun. Very stimulating to senses and kept my mind engaged most of the time.  Can be played by all level of golfers, in that most hazards and grunge can be avoided. .Could go as high as a Doak 8, but that is not my call.

Have been to Arcadia Bluffs, Kiawah-Ocean, but those were seen in an era that I was a decent single digit handicap. A little less brutal than Erin Hills. Probably the equal of Kiawah. Definitely far, far above the abomination of the Gary Player course at Kiawah, which has been mercifully been redone.

Any course that engages a golfer is better than one that doesn't

[JT Taylor]

I'm Playing CB as a single today at 3:58PM.  First time.  I will report my observations once I've had a chance to digest. Spoke to pro shop who told me course still brown and bouncy but greens have been heavily watered so they told me to expect them to be a bit on the slow side.

[Jerry Kluger]

I played it a few years ago with Richard Choi and the course and the company were great. It reminds me a bit of Kapalua with the great views without water ever coming into play. It is designed to be played firm and fast and it certainly does. Poa is now an issue which will be addressed and interestingly I played Sand Hills quite a few times and they had a substantial amount of Poa infestation in freakin Nebraska and as of two years ago they had done nothing about it.

[Forrest Richardson]

Played it not long after opening. Terrific time, despite rain that day. I also attended 2 days of the US Open and disagree with a majority of the negative comments about the course, the open, Mike Davis, etc.