Golf Club Atlas
GolfClubAtlas.com => Golf Course Architecture => Topic started by: Mike Hendren on June 21, 2015, 03:34:03 PM
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I've played it on two occasions and would rate is a 7+. I prefer it to Kiawah's Ocean Course and consider it a push with Whistling Straits.
Only yes confirmations requested. It's fairly obvious who hasn't played it.
Bogey
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I have played Chambers Bay once, The Ocean Course twice and Whistling Straits once...
I would place The Ocean Course out in front by a fairly wide margin, and Chambers Bay slightly ahead of Whistling Straits.
Utilizing the infamous GCA "10 Round" test, I would play five at The Ocean Course, three at Chambers Bay and two at Whistling Straits.
For all the controversy Chambers Bay has elicited this week and despite some of its quirky spots – for the average golfer, from the right tees, it is a fun golf course to play, and at the end of the day, that is for me what golf is all about...
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Played Chambers...
Better than Whistling Straits, not as good as Ocean Course at Kiawah.
If agronomics matched the design, a potential 8. With present issues, 7.
Bart
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I've played it. It definitely took some getting used to, but I loved it. Lots of really tough holes, but some really scoreable holes too. I thought it was a lot of fun to play.
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I have played Chambers Bay once, The Ocean Course twice and Whistling Straits once...
I would place The Ocean Course out in front by a fairly wide margin, and Chambers Bay slightly ahead of Whistling Straits.
Utilizing the infamous GCA "10 Round" test, I would play five at The Ocean Course, three at Chambers Bay and two at Whistling Straits.
For all the controversy Chambers Bay has elicited this week and despite some of its quirky spots – for the average golfer, from the right tees, it is a fun golf course to play, and at the end of the day, that is for me what golf is all about...
Chris - How similar is it to Arcadia Bluffs? That is what keeps coming to mind when I see the course -- especially given the elevation changes.
Buck
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Yes
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played it a few times walked and carried...it is a hike...fun, and a nice reclamation project...
always glad to finish 13 as that is the last severe hike up hill
you can get lost in some of those bunkers on the inside of doglegs...like a Sahara desert
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I have played Chambers Bay once, The Ocean Course twice and Whistling Straits once...
I would place The Ocean Course out in front by a fairly wide margin, and Chambers Bay slightly ahead of Whistling Straits.
Utilizing the infamous GCA "10 Round" test, I would play five at The Ocean Course, three at Chambers Bay and two at Whistling Straits.
For all the controversy Chambers Bay has elicited this week and despite some of its quirky spots – for the average golfer, from the right tees, it is a fun golf course to play, and at the end of the day, that is for me what golf is all about...
Chris - How similar is it to Arcadia Bluffs? That is what keeps coming to mind when I see the course -- especially given the elevation changes.
Buck
Having played both, I didn't think they were all that similar (other than bring dunesy, scenic courses). Arcadia is much more plush and way less linksy. Though it seems to be much windier at Arcadia than at CB.
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Played it a couple of times about five years ago and enjoyed it. Like the Ocean course and Whistling Straights better though. Thought some of the rolls to be a bit severe. Makes some of the holes at Ballyhack seem benign.
It is nothing like Arcadia Bluffs. The scale at CB is immense. Both have some hills but the playing corridors are wider than AC. The greens at CB are some of the most severe I have ever played.
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8) played in 2010 with Ms Sheila, twilight, quite a hike through 12, dreamlike coming home, loved it, mucho fun, put me down as biased +1; note in a real reclamation they should have put more soil above the gravel base,
easily beats Arcadia for fun, and time for play, staff was great vs Arcadia where some were jerks..
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I've played it at least three times (including a round with the Michael H.), and have also walked around the course on two or three occasions.
As usual, Bart Bradley and I are in general agreement. It's fun to play, beautiful when facing to the west, and with lots of interesting shots, but is a bit arduous and time consuming.
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Had 4 days of tee times lined up, we had enough after 3 days. Played Gold Mtn on day 4.
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Played there once a little more than a year ago.
There's some cool stuff there. I didn't love it, but it certainly wasn't bad.
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The one time I was there, I was hoping to play the course incognito ... but on the day I had to cancel my round to get a tour from Mr. Jones and Jay Blasi instead.
It'll probably be a 7 on the Doak scale, but I've still got a year to sort that out. Maybe I'll have a chance to get back and play this fall
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I liked it better than the Ocean Course and a lot better than Whistling Straits, which to me is one of the most overrated courses in the U.S.
I would like to play Chambers at half way between the conditions we faced and what they faced this week.
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Played it the same week a few years ago as The Home Course, Aldarra, Sahalee and Sagebrush.
I thought it handily above Aldarra and Sahalee, and neck and neck with Sagebrush, maybe even a tick above. Would be curious on another play to see if the Open-related changes have made it more or less unique.
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I played it in November of 2013 and loved it. Certainly not easy in any, but lots of fun. By comparison, I enjoyed it more than Erin Hills (that will be another interesting Open).
And I agree with the others, Buck, it does not play at all like Arcadia Bluffs.
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In the unofficial GCA rankings several years ago, CB placed 108th. Average score was 7.33. That placed it just below Muirfield Village, Troon and Jasper, and just above Cal Club, Peachtree and Spyglass.
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Played in 2013. 2-ball. Fun course. Visually attractive holes.
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I've played it. I really appreciate the room it gives me to execute my sorry game in like at Old MacDonald, but I like Old MacDonald better.
Solid 8 to me.
Old MacDonald at least a 9 to me.
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I played there a month after the Amateur, on a spectacular late September day. It was both exhausting and exhilarating. Sadly, the greens had been recently punched, which made putting difficult at times. You could still see remnants of the lines they had painted to differentiate the greens from through the green.
The caddy mentioned that in 2009 and prior the fairways weren't cut so low that they'd need to paint the lines. He felt the course was presented better that way.
I enjoyed my round very much, but opted out of playing there again the next day. They were still charging September rates, when it would have been appropriate to charge the October rate given the conditions--especially after I asked twice (about conditions or other issues) both when booking and a few days before playing.
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Yes, and it was a ton of fun.
I found it easier to play than Bethpage and Kiawah Ocean.
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Yes, and it's an excellent course, visually strong with a great variety of play options, green contours and strategies...reminds me vaguely of a treeless Kingsbarns...maybe it's the amphitheater effect. Hopefully the USGA will now quit its fondling and let it evolve more naturally.
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Chris - How similar is it to Arcadia Bluffs? That is what keeps coming to mind when I see the course -- especially given the elevation changes.
Buck
Buck, as others have offered, there really isn't all that much similar between Arcadia Bluffs and Chambers Bay in my opinion. Yes, they are both adjacent to water and were inspired by "links-type" courses, but beyond that, they are really quite different. In fact, the notion of them being similar never really occurred to me until you made note of it. I would maintain that Whistling Straits is a better comparison. The biggest difference to me is how they maintain the courses: Arcadia Bluffs (of the two times I have played it) was lush and green, with very little roll or opportunity to use the contours for the ground game. I also believe Chambers Bay provides more options or routes, where I felt Arcadia Bluffs was a little more one dimensional. As for the "ten-round challenge," I would probably play 9 at Chambers Bay with one round left for Arcadia Bluffs, and the highlight of that single round would probably be sitting in the adirondack chairs looking out over Lake Michigan with a cold beverage after I was done golfing for the day...
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I played it at ASGCA in May 2009, probably at the same time Paul Cowley did......
We had played all 4 courses (well, 3.5, Old Mac was in preview mode) at Bandon before heading down to CB.
My take was that it was pretty good, and the designs of the BD courses were a bit more random and not has hard. CB looked to me like very scientifically placed bunkers in a different style. I figured it was a better course for a Championship even if I didn't happen to like it better in all respects. But, I did like it, lots of interesting stuff out there that you wouldn't find on a normal RTJII course, pretty linksy, but still with a bit of traditional RTJII stuff showing through, at least to my eye.
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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(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.
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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.
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Haven't but really would like to after watching the tournament. Much MUCH better than I'd imagined
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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.
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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.
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Yes
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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I have played it. Thought it was very interesting with a plethora of options on most shots. It is far from unplayable for the public golfer. I thoroughly enjoyed it.