Gamble Sands

About This Course: Firm, Fast and Fun with Columbia River Views

Gamble Sands in Brewster is the original 18 hole course at Gamble Sands Resort, a David McLay Kidd design on sandy soil between the Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River, and it is worth the drive to North Central Washington for wide, firm fairways that play like a links. The resort says the course was named Golf Digest’s Best New Public more than a decade ago, and its second course, Scarecrow, won the same honor in its opening season.

The course plays 7,151 yards to a par of 72 from the Medal tees, with a 73.4 rating and a 120 slope, and six tee sets bring it down to 4,804 yards. McLay Kidd’s brief was playability: room to miss, a chance to recover, and birdies that still take real effort.

Gamble Sands Fast Facts

Course Overview

The Gebbers family has ranched and farmed the land around Gamble Sands for more than a century, and the resort tells the story of how golf grew out of that family business. The original course opened in 2014, designed by David McLay Kidd with wide fairways that run firm and fast and invite you to use your imagination on every shot, much as you would on the great links courses. The resort has since added Scarecrow, a second 18; Quicksands, a 14 hole short course; and Cascades, a huge putting course with sunset views over the river.

The ground game matters here. The scorecard’s local rules say the sand dunes are natural, every sandy area is played as a waste area where you may ground your club, and the desert beyond the grass is a red penalty area.

Hole by Hole Highlights

Yardages are from the Medal tees and handicaps from the course scorecard.

• Hole 1, 430 yards, par 4: A solid opening par 4 and the number 7 handicap.
• Hole 3, 632 yards, par 5: The longest hole on the course and the number 1 handicap, a three shot par 5 for nearly everyone.
• Hole 4, 165 yards, par 3: The first par 3, coming right after the longest hole.
• Hole 6, 264 yards, par 4: A short par 4 that tempts long hitters to go for the green.
• Hole 10, 147 yards, par 3: The shortest hole on the course opens the back nine.
• Hole 14, 445 yards, par 4: The number 2 handicap, one of the strongest par 4s on the card.
• Hole 16, 220 yards, par 3: The longest par 3, so expect a long iron or more.
• Hole 18, 578 yards, par 5: A par 5 finish to the green that the resort’s restaurants overlook.

Amenities and Practice

The resort center holds the golf shop, the putting green, the Gamble Sands first tee and both restaurants, with a parking lot for day guests a few steps away. Eighteen hole rates include a golf cart, and a hop on trolley runs between the golf shop, the lodging areas and the first tee of Scarecrow. Quicksands, the 14 hole short course, has holes from 60 to 180 yards and is walking only. The Inn at Gamble Sands has 77 rooms with river or golf views.

Food and Drink

Danny Boy serves a dinner menu of classic grill fare, including the Tower of Tots, the Danny Boy Burger, ribeye, prime rib and fish and chips, with many ingredients from the family’s Gebbers Farms, plus signature cocktails and a wine list chosen by the resort’s sommelier. The Barn is open all day during the golf season with breakfast sandwiches, burritos, pizzas, sliders and sandwiches, and a canning machine lets you take custom cocktails out to the course. In the non golf season, Danny Boy is open Tuesday through Saturday from 4 PM to 8:30 PM and The Barn is closed for the winter.

Plan Your Visit

Rates, Tee Times and Local Tips

The 2026 rates run by month. A round on Gamble Sands or Scarecrow is $200 in April, $295 from May through September and $200 in October, with a cart included; a second 18 the same day is $150, or $195 in peak season, and Quicksands is $75. Rates for 2027 are already posted at $235, $315 and $235. Shoulder season rates reflect spring and fall course conditions, and the greens are aerified only after the course closes for the season.

Book daily fee tee times online up to 120 days ahead, or call 509-436-8323. Golf needs 7 days’ notice to cancel. Overnight guests can book any 2026 or 2027 date through stay and play packages, and groups of 12 or more should work with the resort’s group team.

Gamble Sands sits outside Brewster, about 35 miles northeast of Lake Chelan and 13 miles north of Bridgeport, and the resort puts Wenatchee’s airport about 90 minutes away. For a break from golf, Bridgeport State Park is near the town of Bridgeport, and Quicksands, the resort’s short course, is right next door.

How to Score Here

• Use the width. McLay Kidd built wide fairways on purpose, so aim for the side that opens up the green.
• Let the ball run. The fairways play firm and fast, so a low shot that bounces short of the green can be the smart play.
• Ground your club in the sand without worry. Every sandy area plays as a waste area under the local rules.
• Stay out of the desert. Where the grass ends, the desert is a penalty area.

Final Word

Gamble Sands is a destination round worth building a trip around: wide, firm and fun golf between the Cascades and the Columbia River, with two more courses waiting when you finish.