Chambers Bay Golf Course

About This Course: The U.S. Open links on Puget Sound

Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place is the public links where Jordan Spieth won the 2015 U.S. Open, the first U.S. Open played in the Pacific Northwest. Pierce County owns it, KemperSports manages it, and anyone can book a tee time. It plays 7,158 yards from the Black tees on a reclaimed sand and gravel mine on the shore of Puget Sound, and it is walking only, with caddies for hire.

The course cites 2026 Golfweek and Golf Digest rankings that put it first among Washington public courses.

Chambers Bay Golf Course Fast Facts

Course Overview

Chambers Bay was built on a former sand and gravel mining site, and the USGA credits the design to Robert Trent Jones Jr. and the opening to 2007. The 2010 U.S. Amateur, won by Peter Uihlein, was the first U.S. Amateur on a public course. The 2015 U.S. Open was the first on fine fescue greens and the first to play one hole as both a par 4 and a par 5. The 2021 U.S. Amateur Four Ball and the 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur followed, and the USGA has booked the 2027 U.S. Junior Amateur, the 2028 U.S. Amateur Four Ball and the 2033 U.S. Amateur.

The routing covers 249 hilly acres, and a round means walking more than six miles. Six of the ten par 4s play 450 yards or more from the Black tees, and the par 3s run 167 to 200 yards. The greens are poa annua today, and the wind off the Sound changes the club hole to hole. The scorecard matches tees to driving distance: Blue for 280 yards and up, Sand for 250 to 280, White for 200 to 225, Teal under 200.

Hole by Hole Highlights

Yardages are from the Black tees. Hole names come from the course’s yardage guide.

• Hole 4, 522 yards, par 5 (Hazard’s Ascent): Uphill, with the fairway sloping toward a huge waste area on the right. Reachable in two for long hitters.
• Hole 7, 467 yards, par 4 (Humpback): The number one handicap hole. It turns hard right and climbs, so the approach plays longer than the number.
• Hole 9, 197 yards, par 3 (Olympus): The tee sits nearly 100 feet above the green.
• Hole 12, 295 yards, par 4 (The Narrows): Uphill, drivable and the narrowest hole on the course, with a bunker guarding the front of the green.
• Hole 15, 171 yards, par 3 (Lone Fir): An elevated tee open to the prevailing wind. The fir in the distance is the only tree on the course.
• Hole 17, 200 yards, par 3 (Derailed): Plays into the prevailing breeze. The lower of its two tees needs a long carry over a waste bunker.
• Hole 18, 539 yards, par 5 (Tahoma): A slightly uphill finish that tees off below old concrete sorting bins, on a fairway built to play as a par 4 or par 5 for the U.S. Open.

Amenities and Practice

The warm up range near the 1st and 10th tees has a full range and a putting green. The Academy Practice Center adds an all turf hitting area, chipping areas and a large putting green, and the Golf Range Association of America rates it among the top 50 public ranges. A $30 day pass includes unlimited balls, 9 a.m. to 45 minutes before sunset. The Chambers Bay Academy offers a 50 minute private lesson for $150, and TaylorMade rental sets are $60 with two sleeves of balls.

Push and pull carts are included with the green fee, and ADA carts for players with permanent disabilities need approval 48 hours ahead and carry a caddie fee. A single bag caddie is a recommended $100 plus gratuity, and a forecaddie is $50 per player with a two player minimum. Book caddies at least 48 hours ahead at 253-552-4869.

Food and Drink

Chambers Bay Grill is open to everyone, golfer or not, for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, with a full bar and Northwest wines. Reservations are recommended on weekends at 253-552-4868. The Landing, a walk up counter that opened in October 2025 near the 1st and 10th tees, serves sandwiches, hot dogs, beer, wine and liquor.

Plan Your Visit

Rates, Tee Times and Local Tips

Rates vary by month and residency, and posted rates are starting prices that move with demand. On the 2026 sheet, Pierce County residents pay a set rate from $109 in January and December to $209 in July and August. Washington residents and PNGA members start at $119 to $259, and non residents at $149 to $325. Advanced Booking Rates for April through October start at $275 to $425, tax included. October starts at $159 for Pierce County residents, $189 for Washington and PNGA golfers and $229 for non residents. Other rates add 15.2% tax. Juniors 13 and under play free with a paying adult, juniors 14 to 17 pay half, and Youth on Course players can walk on for 9 holes on weekdays when space allows. Full chart: the Chambers Bay golf page.

Book through the Chambers Bay online tee sheet or call 253-460-4653. Residency rates open three months out on the 1st of each month. Cancel more than seven days out for a full refund; later cancellations cost half or all of the green fee. Plan on 4 hours 45 minutes to 5 hours. Metal spikes and smoking are not allowed.

The course points visitors to the trails at Chambers Creek Regional Park. Make a day of it in neighboring Tacoma with a stop from our guide to the best coffee in Tacoma, or explore historic Steilacoom. For a second round, Allenmore Golf Course and Highlands Golf Course are both in Tacoma.

How to Score Here

• Take a caddie the first time. Blind shots and sloped greens reward local knowledge.
• Play the tee your drive fits; the combination sets fill the gaps.
• Pick your spots on the reachable 4th and the drivable 12th; a miss finds a waste area or a bunker.
• Know the waste area rule: you may place within six inches, no closer to the hole, but you cannot smooth the ground.

Final Word

Chambers Bay is a U.S. Open venue anyone can book. Walk it with a caddie and bring a layer for the wind.