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By Design
largest source of sand and gravel
into a championship links was a
monumental task of political will,
inventive engineering, and meticulous
planning. The process started in
1992, when the county’s wastewater
treatment district purchased the site
for $43 million from mining firm
Lone Star Northwest with plans for
establishing a water treatment facility
there and reclaiming some of the
unused portion for public use.
The setting for what was initially
termed Chambers Creek was ideal
for recreation—along a two-mile
stretch of lower Puget Sound, with
clear views of the Olympic Range and
with pedestrian access from a near
highway that brought folks from the
country’s 15th largest metropolitan
area (Seattle-Tacoma) to the very
rim of the cored-out parcel. In
what would turn out to be a crucial
decision, Pierce County officials
retained the permit to mine the site.
They didn’t know it at the time, but
without that residual right they could
never have built the course.
Ladenburg, an elected official, was
inspired by the fact that municipally
owned and operated Bethpage State
Park-Black Course in Farmingdale,
New York had landed the 2002
U.S. Open. He knew the U.S. Golf
Association had been searching for a
suitable Pacific Northwest site for its
premier national championship and
began to formulate a plan.
Critics, including many county
residents, derided what came to be
known as ‘Ladenburg’s Folly.’ But
he was convinced and stuck his
neck out by pushing for the project,
often having to work hard to achieve
favorable 4-3 votes from the County
Council on permitting, planning and
issuance of special revenue bonds
to the tune of $22.8 million, payable
over 30 years. He knew the crucial
difference in quality, he says, between
getting something 99-percent right
CHAMBERS BAY
The RTJII team presented Pierce County with two options for the course: a 27-hole design as requested, plus a more expansive 18-hole option