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11 CHAMBERS BAY GOLF GOLF COURSE COURSE PAR 4 ● 402 YARDS UNIVERSITY PLACE,WA His fellow Pierce County officials thought John Ladenburg, the County Executive, was crazy when, in 2001, he began talking about replacing the delinquent sand and gravel mine that occupied 610 acres on Puget Sound in the City of University Place with a high-end public golf course. How much would that cost, they wondered. Would it consistently lose money; how would it benefit the county's residents; would it be environmentally-feasible etc. etc? Ladenburg's commitment to the idea and determination to make it happen eventually persuaded his colleagues the proposal was worth pursuing and, in September 2003, the County sent out an RFP inviting golf course architecture firms to submit design concepts. An incredible 56 companies responded and, in May, 2004 Robert Trent Jones Jr. got the nod, having demonstrated how his plan would incorporate a public walking trail and after convincing Ladenburg the course would be worthy of the U.S. Open. At the end of Jones's presentation, his young design associate Jay Blasi had handed out bag tags with "Chambers Creek, 2030 U.S. Open" (Chambers Creek was its name before the course opened) inscribed on them. The "2030 U.S. Open" part may have been regarded as a little ambitious, cheeky even but, as it turned out, Jones was actually being a little modest as, on February 8th, 2008, just eight months after it had opened for play, Chambers Bay was chosen to host the 2015 U.S. Open. On a baked-out course running firm and fast, Jordan Spieth won the championship with a five-under- par total of 275. The somewhat bumpy fescue greens didn't prove terribly popular, however, so were re-laid with poa annua. The course reopened in April 2019 since when the greens and, indeed, the condition of the entire layout, have been universally praised. Play it once and you might forget a so-so hole by the time you putt out on the 18th green. A better- than-average hole might stick around in your memory for a week or more while you'll probably remember a really good hole for several months, maybe a year. If you're fortunate enough to play a lot of good courses you might play holes that linger in the mind for several years even. A handful are so memorable, however, it's possible you might never forget them. The 10th at Chambers Bay, rising steadily upward between two great sand hills and finishing on a wonderfully-positioned green cut into the end of the dune on the left with a long bunker between the green and the dune on the right is just such a hole. Architect: Robert Trent Jones II Photography courtesy of Chambers Scan this QR code to view our website and book a tee time H O L E 10 th See Page XXX

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