By David R. Holland
UNIVERSITY PLACE, WA — Not only does Chambers Bay’s lone tree, a towering fir, stick out like a Georgia pine in a radish patch, but it symbolizes a sort of journey this municipal golf course has taken since the U.S. Open was staged here for the very first time in the Pacific Northwest. The year was 2015 — the 115th playing of the event.
The “journey” began with a lot of acceptance from the USGA’s top brass, then took on a lot of fire from PGA Tour pros. The fir tree survived an attack from an axe-wielder but no amount of bad-mouthing from the pros kept Chambers Bay from becoming a must-play today for locals and global travel golfers.
The U.S. Open, after all the nitpicking, should be the ultimate test of a national championship, and the trophy-hoister should be the golfer who figured out the challenge. Jordan Spieth was that guy.
Like many viewers sitting in their LazyBoys, some thought it was genuine fun watching the challenge of a fine fescue routing then hearing from and watching some frustrated pros.
Will there be another U.S. Open staged at Chambers Bay? Folks around here sure hope so.
The reasons why it should return: The weather was perfect. Beautiful Puget Sound is a backdrop along with Mount Rainier to the southeast. Trains roll within sightlines of the 15th, 16th and 17th. East Coast TV watchers saw daily coverage in prime time. The best golfer of the year, Spieth, won his second major title of 2015 after taking The Masters in April.
Chambers Bay’s Journey
Mike Davis, then USGA Senior Director of Rules and Competitions, and David Fay, retired USGA Executive Director, listened to John Ladenburg, founder and championship advisor, about the possibilities of turning an abandoned sand and gravel business into a Robert Trent Jones, Jr. golf course with the objective to host a U.S. Open.
“My gosh,” said Davis, “to think that we could have an Open in the Pacific Northwest on a course next to the water and built on sand and with fescue grasses. It was a staggering proposition.”
From the beginning, Pierce County wanted the USGA. And upon seeing the undeveloped site, the USGA wanted Chambers Bay. Ladenburg described his vision, down to where you could put the U.S. Open infrastructure.
Some thought, in a sense, they designed the course together, along with Jones, ensuring they addressed every possible reason as to why the Open should be contested there.
“I thought we had a good chance to get a U.S. Amateur,” said Ladenburg, “and depending on how that went, a U.S. Open. I never, ever dreamed we would get both of them.”
U.S. Open Success to a Tourism Destination
KemperSports has managed Chambers Bay since the golf course opened in 2007. The finished product is an awesome place, an opportunity to walk with caddies, and to watch your golf ball skid across fescue fairways and to sink putts on poa greens.
Forty hours of U.S. Open television coverage reached 35 million viewers and that equaled a significant shift in the geographic origin of customers.
Compared to 2014, when the golf course welcomed visitors from 12 states and Canada, Chambers Bay expanded its geographic reach in 2015 by hosting golfers from 45 states and 13 countries, cementing it as a tourism destination.
“You can’t put a price tag on the value of the exposure of a television audience of that size. The beauty of Chambers Bay was on display for the world to see,” said KemperSports general manager Matt Allen.
Walking Only at Chambers Bay
Because fine fescue doesn’t do well with heavy traffic (as in a multitude of golf carts) it was decided to be a walking-only experience. So, super seniors, want to play Chambers Bay but fear the burn of walking 18 holes at your advanced age? Fear not.
Older golfers can take advantage of a Monday start on No. 1, walk nine holes, and then on Tuesday finish with nine holes starting on No. 10. Easy. At this time they alternate starting nines on Tuesday and Thursday. But be sure and check with the pro shop as this policy could change at some point.
I had an added treat with a chance meeting with Ladenburg moments before I teed off. He still tells a passionate story of how Chambers Bay came to be and how the USGA was sold on the site from its inception.
Chambers Bay Resort Plans
Because of a weakening economy, Pierce County and Chambers Bay Resort, LLC, terminated an agreement to develop a resort at Chambers Bay. There were hopes a hotel could be built where today’s pro shop is located.
“We are disappointed that we were not able to bring Chambers Bay Resort to our community,” said Dan Absher, chief executive officer, Absher Construction Company. “Due to the current economic climate where lenders are pulling back and raising interest rates, we are unable to secure commercially viable financing for the project.”
Chambers Bay Walking Trails
Chambers Bay sits within the Chambers Creek Regional Park, which already had an extensive public trail system before the golf course existed. So Pierce County officials saw an opportunity to integrate a public trail into the golf course.
Bruce Charlton, president and chief design officer at RTJ II, said the design company had done the same thing at Spanish Bay (Pebble Beach Resorts) and could do it safely and successfully at Chambers Bay, too.
The existing trail was routed down from the bluff above the course, follows alongside the Lone Fir behind the 15th green, by the train tracks on Puget Sound, and to the sorting bin remains of the old sand and gravel operation.
Chambers Bay is a special place to walk and play golf and even if you are not a golfer you can experience this special place on the trail system. Countless people do both every day.
