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rebuilding two greens (the 10th and 13th) that had been
particularly problematic all along. The result, as became
evident coming out of the winter of 2015, has been much
improved turf conditions and playability for everyday
patrons of Chambers Bay as well as the likelihood of ideal
conditions during the U.S. Open.
What viewers will see during the week of June 15-21
won’t be as austere as what players confronted during the
2010 U.S. Amateur. But it will be a golf course that in scale,
slope, run out and flexibility will be beyond any other U.S.
championship venue and more like an Open Championship.
Back in 2005, when the Jones group made its bid
presentation for the golf course, team members came
into the council room with badges ready made for the
occasion that were handed out to the group. It showed
the county logo, the name of the project (Chambers
Creek, as it was called at first), and the words 2030 U.S.
Open. A decade later, looking back, Ladenburg likes to
say with a smile that they only got three things wrong
with the gesture. “It was the wrong name, the wrong logo,
and the wrong year for the U.S. Open.”
True enough. But they did get one thing right. A big one.
The golf course.
•
Chambers Bay by the numbers
Opened:
2007
Yardage:
7,469—7,827
Par:
70
Golf course envelope:
250
acres
Elevation change on site:
207
feet (back tee
on 14th hole is 227 ft. elev./waste area right
of 16th/17th is 20 ft. elev.)
Distance walked from first tee to 18th green:
7.5
miles
Greens:
8,000
square feet avg.
Fairways:
40
acres
Tees:
8.5
acres
Fine mowed turf area:
60
acres (inc. tees,
fairways, surrounds)
Roughs and sandy waste areas:
70
acres
Irrigation heads:
1,700
Rounds:
32 -38,000
annually
Maintenance budget:
$1.7
million annually
Green fee:
$135-$299
Photo: Copyright USGA/John Mummert
Join ASGCA and Robert Trent Jones II Golf
Course Architects for a Twitter chat Thursday,
June 11 at 1 p.m. EDT. Robert Trent Jones, Jr.,
and Bruce Charlton will answer questions about Chambers
Bay just one week before the 2015 U.S. Open tees off.
Post questions ahead of time and follow along at
#ASGCAUSOpen, and follow @ASGCA and
@RTJ2GolfDesign.