West
West
Chambers Bay, Washington
A county-owned muni that hosted a U.S. Open — genuine fescue links golf on Puget Sound, walked, for a fraction of what the name suggests.
Overview
Chambers Bay is one golf course, and that single fact should shape how you plan the trip. Built on a reclaimed gravel quarry on the shore of Puget Sound just south of Tacoma, it is owned by Pierce County and open to anyone who can get a tee time. It hosted the 2015 U.S. Open, which is remarkable for a public track that had opened only eight years earlier. It is for golfers who want a real links round in America without flying to Oregon or Scotland, and who are comfortable building a trip around one course rather than a rotation.
The golf is Robert Trent Jones Jr.'s 2007 design: par 72, 7,585 yards from the back, fescue throughout, and walking strongly preferred. The routing tumbles through the old quarry benches with the sound and the Olympic Mountains laid out to the west. Hole locations and even par configurations change day to day, and the wind off the water rearranges the course again on top of that, so no two rounds play alike. It is firm, fast, and ground-game golf in a way almost nothing else in the country is.
Be honest with yourself about the shape of the trip: one great course does not fill four days. Chambers Bay pairs naturally with a Seattle or Tacoma visit. Tacoma is ten minutes away and has the hotels, the waterfront, and the dinners; Seattle is about 45 minutes north with everything a city offers. Most groups play Chambers Bay once or twice, spend the rest of the time on Pacific Northwest food, water, and mountains, and go home happier than a five-round grind would have left them.
Courses · 1
Chambers Bay
Public (Municipal) · Championship
$175-$300
Best for: Anyone who wants an honest links round in the United States, and strong walkers who will appreciate rather than resent the terrain.
Insider tip: Walk it. Carts are limited and the course was designed to be walked, but understand the commitment - the quarry benches mean real elevation change over five-plus miles, and a caddie is worth every dollar for reading a course where hole locations move dramatically day to day. Check the scorecard at the first tee, because the par configuration itself can change.
Lodging
Premium
Thornewood Castle
$250-$500A Tudor Gothic estate on American Lake, run as a bed and breakfast with genuinely historic rooms. It is a memorable, slightly eccentric stay rather than a resort, so set expectations accordingly - there is no room service and the character is the point. Best for a small group that wants the trip to have a story attached, or for a couples-inclusive visit.
Seattle hotels
$200-$500Basing in Seattle puts you 45 minutes north of the course but in the middle of everything else the trip is really about - Pike Place, the waterfront, the restaurant scene. Worth it if the group is treating Chambers Bay as one day of a broader Pacific Northwest visit. Not worth it if you are playing 36 or want an early tee time, because the morning drive south is real.
Mid-Range
Hotel Murano (Tacoma)
$175-$350An art-focused boutique hotel in downtown Tacoma, about 10 minutes from the course. Each floor showcases a different glass artist, which is a nicer lobby conversation than most golf-trip hotels offer. The location puts you walking distance from Pacific Grill and the waterfront, so nobody has to drive after dinner.
Budget
Tacoma area hotels
$125-$275A full range of standard chain properties sits 10-15 minutes from Chambers Bay along the I-5 corridor. Nothing memorable, but the savings are real and the drive to the first tee is short. This is the sensible choice for a group that would rather put the money into a caddie and a second round.
Dining
The Clubhouse at Chambers Bay
$$American
The on-site restaurant, with Puget Sound views that make it worth staying put after the round. Straightforward American food at fair prices rather than a destination kitchen. The right place for the post-round beer and the settling of bets.
Pacific Grill (Tacoma)
$$$Seafood / Pacific Northwest
Tacoma's waterfront standard-bearer and the natural choice for the group dinner. Northwest seafood done properly, plus steaks for the non-fish contingent. Reserve ahead, especially on summer weekends.
Marzano (Tacoma)
$$$Italian
Widely regarded as Tacoma's best Italian, a neighborhood restaurant with real cooking behind it. The dining room is intimate, so a party of eight needs advance notice. A good change of pace from a week of seafood.
Pro Tips
- 1
Book the advanced rate. It opens January 1 for the full season and is the cheapest way to play, with the best selection of times. Waiting until spring costs you both money and the morning slots.
- 2
Walk the course, and hire a caddie if your group can split the cost. The terrain is hilly and the walk is a real five-plus miles, but riding removes most of what makes Chambers Bay itself. A caddie also solves the day-to-day hole locations you cannot possibly know.
- 3
Bring your association card. Pierce County residents and Washington State Golf Association / PNGA members get discounted rates, and the savings on a $300 peak fee are worth the two minutes of paperwork.
- 4
Dress for wind, not for temperature. The breeze off Puget Sound is the dominant factor in how the course plays and how you feel playing it. A windshirt, a warm layer, and a rain shell belong in the bag even in August.
- 5
Plan the trip around Tacoma or Seattle, not around golf. This is one course. Book two rounds if you love it, then fill the rest with Rainier, the Museum of Glass, or a day in Seattle - the trip is better for it.
- 6
Play the ground. Fescue in July and August is firm enough that a low runner into the front of the green is often the correct shot. Golfers who insist on flying everything to the flag will spend the afternoon in the fescue behind it.
Sample Itineraries
weekend getaway
3 daysDay 1: Fly into SEA, drive 30 minutes south, check into Hotel Murano in downtown Tacoma, and have dinner at Pacific Grill on the waterfront. Day 2: Morning tee time at Chambers Bay with caddies, walking; lunch and drinks at The Clubhouse afterward with the sound in front of you; dinner at Marzano. Day 3: Second loop at Chambers Bay if the group is up for it, or the Museum of Glass and Point Defiance Park instead, then drive back to SEA. Two nights is the honest length for a single-course trip.
full trip
5 daysDay 1: Land at SEA, settle into Hotel Murano, walk to dinner at Pacific Grill. Day 2: Chambers Bay in the morning with caddies; afternoon at the Museum of Glass and the Union Station district; dinner at Marzano. Day 3: Non-golf day - drive 90 minutes to Mount Rainier for Paradise and the Skyline Trail, back to Tacoma for a casual evening. Day 4: Second round at Chambers Bay, now that you know where the trouble is, and lunch at The Clubhouse; afternoon in Gig Harbor across the Narrows. Day 5: Drive north to Seattle for Pike Place and the waterfront before an afternoon flight, or move to a Seattle hotel and extend. Five days works only if you commit to the Pacific Northwest around the golf.
Ready to play Chambers Bay?
Tell Alfred about your group and he'll build the trip — courses, lodging, dining, logistics, everything.
Plan a Trip to Chambers Bay