Chambers Bay, located about an hour south of Seattle in University Place Washington is one of those courses that needs to be on your "must play" list. 

Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and opened in 2007, it has received numerous accolades for its design, including "Top new course you can play", "Course of the year" and "Best new course" by US golf magazines.  Perhaps best of all though, is the selection of Chambers Bay to host the 2010 US Amateur Championship and in 2015 to host the US Open.
Pierce County deserves a lot of praise for developing and maintaining a vision for the development.  The site of a former gravel pit was reclaimed and renovated to produce not only a fabulour golf course, but also a recreational amenity for the community.  Walking trails co-exist with cart paths and maintenance roads throughout the course and the course was designed and developed to meet the Audobon Society Silver level. Interestingly, it is a "walking only" course unlike most new developments, and there is nary a house to be seen on the course.  It is a very compact design, with only a few long walks between holes, but the holes remain separated and it often feels as though you are on the course by yourself. 
The view from the parking lot and clubhouse are spectacular, set high above the course.  It is awe-inspiring with the Olympic Mountains in the background and Puget Sound nesting up against the property.  You can see every hole.  A bus takes you down to the starter area and range.
Trent Jones was mandated to develop a links-style course on the ocean side property.  It looks and feels much like celebrated Bandon Dunes, but is on Puget Sound rather than open ocean.  The fairways are lined by sand and gravel dunes, covered in fescue and other natural ground cover, creating the separation.  The dunes are also ideal viewing locations, and were designed with flat tops so that stands can be placed for events. 
The fairways are just that - fair - with no artificial mounding and generally flat lies.  What leads to the difficulty are the bunkers and large waste areas that line many of the fairways and surround some greens.  The greens are generally sloping and the breaks are subtle, but they are hard and fast.  Apparently Trent Jones was told to ensure there was a slight slope to many of the tee boxes, to provide a more realistic "old country" feel to the course.
One of the more interesting features was the use of a single grass from tee to green.  On nearly all of the greens, the transition from fairway to green was nearly invisible, with the length of the grass as you approach the green just getting shorter.  This makes for exellent bump and run conditions, and with the hard, fast greens was usually the preferred approach.  On a few holes, there was no distinct tee box, particularly from the mid to forward tees, and the markers appeared to just be placed on the fairway.
I thought the most interesting hole was # 12.  This short par 4 called the Narrows, ranges from 219 to 304 yards, so conceivably is reachable if you are in the right tee area.  It is tempting.  The fairway is only 30 yards wide, and is lined both sides by dunes.  A large bunker guards the front.  What will prove interesting on the hole is the green which has some of the steepest slopes I've ever seen.  The website calls it "bold", but I would suggest it is extreme.  For professional events, they will play from a tee which will require a draw to the green, but the distance will be greater and there is no margin for error on the narrow fairway.
Other great holes are #14 - long dogleg over a waste area on the right, but with bunkers right where you might want to place a good tee shot.  Hole #9, Olympus, is a medium length par 3, that drops 120' to a green well guarded on the right.
One of my companions, a well-traveled golfer, compared the course very favourably to any he had played in Scotland - "As much fun as you could ever have playing golf". 
Well said.
More information is available at www.chambersbaygolf.com
Jim Lee
jim@bcga.org

The Home Course in Dupont, Washington is one of those golf course stories that is an inspiration and a credit to the golf industry.
 
The site was first developed by the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1833 and Fort Nisqually was built to conduct trading with the Salish people in the region. The Fort site has been preserved and is adjacent to the first green of the course. In 1906, the site was obtained by the Dupont Company and a factory constructed to produce explosives with production continuing through the 1970’s. The site was then acquired by local forest company Weyerhaeuser as a site for future development. However, the production of toxic explosives over the 70 year period left the site unusable for housing development and Weyerhaeuser made the decision to remediate the site by constructing a golf course and hired Arizona golf architect Mike Asmundson to design the site. The site was constructed and maintained for several years, until further environmental testing could be done, and at that time, Weyerhaeuser sold the site to the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (of which BCGA members are part of) and the Washington State Golf Association in 2007. Over the next few years, both Associations will construct their headquarters at the site.
 
While the course itself is complete (pending a few adjustments) the site is still in development. Construction is underway on a clubhouse and other buildings and areas off the fairways and adjacent waste areas remain to be cleaned up. It presently has the feel of a series of 18 hole oases, set amidst a desert of sand and gravel and former ammunition bunkers. 
 
Set on slightly rolling terrain, it’s a long course from the back tees at 7,385 yards with a rating of 75.7. From the men’s middle tees it’s a little easier at 6,587 yards and a rating of 71.6. The site was partially remediated by bringing in barges of sand and gravel (possibly from Chambers Bay, about 10 miles up Puget Sound) to the waterfront site which has provided great growing conditions for the property. Views of Mt Ranier to the east are present on almost all holes, with Puget Sound to the west.
 
The routing for the course is very good and the course is very walkable. It has the feel of Morgan Creek in Vancouver, but covers a larger area, with more area between fairways on a number of holes. However, housing is not a distraction and is not visible, except for two holes. I found the course very playable, with few blind tee shots. The difficulty on the course comes from the fast greens and the bunkering. Several greens have a lot of contour and swales that will pose the average golfer a challenge.
 
One issue I have is with the liberal use of out of bounds areas, even on holes that aren’t on the periphery of the property. With the sand and gravel areas lining many fairways, it’s not difficult to roll or bounce out of bounds with a slightly wayward tee shot. While out of bounds areas may have a place in competitions, for most casual play, lateral hazards make more sense in speeding up play.  On many holes, it should be left open for golfers to play from the waste areas.
 
The course has also had an issue with complaints from some residents, forcing it to change its layout on two holes. While the housing was built after the course was constructed and is a generous distance from fairways, the threat of a lawsuit has required the course to change the layout and the playing of holes 2 and 3 of the Weyerhaeuser nine. It’s a shame, as the course design was fine. A giant net might have made more sense.
I particularly enjoyed two holes. Number 7 on the Dupont nine is a 375 yard (blue tees) par 4 which would ordinarily be routine. However a pond guarding the immediate front of the green and bunkers at the back make for an interesting decision on the accuracy of your irons, particularly with the hard and fast greens. Number 5 on the Weyerhaeuser nine is a pretty par 3, also with a pond nearly surrounding the green.
 
The Home Course will be co-hosting some of the early rounds of the US Open with Chambers Bay in 2015. Both share a similar look and feel, although the Home Course is more parkland style and Chambers Bay a links style. As the PNGA continues to develop the course and particularly the waste areas, it will prove both a challenging design as well as a visually interesting course. 
 
When combined with Chambers Bay (about 15 minutes away), the Home Course makes for a great weekend combination for BC golfers. Combine two rounds with a ball game and some shopping and you’ve got an ideal weekend.
 

The Home Course
www.thehomecourse.com
Jim Lee
jim@bcga.org

 The Monterey Peninsula is best known for its iconic course, Pebble Beach.   This course has long been at the top of most serious golfers bucket list and deservedly so.  The sweeping vistas along the Pacific and the drama of many of the holes perched on the edge make it a dream to walk along, let alone play.  The clubhouse and resort are steeped in an aura of class, wealth and achievement and can be intimidating to even the most sophisticated traveler.  Nevertheless, make sure you have a visit, if only just to say you have.

 However, there are 4 other golf courses on the Pebble Beach property including the less renowned, but equally scenic Links at Spanish Bay.  This resort is just a few miles north of Pebble Beach, and is much newer.  The setting is quite different from Pebble Beach, with the course set mostly among the dunes, right at beach level.  The roar of the surf can be seen and heard from the clubhouse and when the winds blow, as they are likely to do, the course becomes a very challenging test.  In order to maintain the dune structure and environment, natural vegetation acts as a hazard on many holes and areas are set aside as environmental zones.  The design team of Robert Trent Jones Jr., Tom Watson and Sandy Tatum have created a very realistic Scottish links course, albeit with mostly warmer weather.  You are on the Pacific Ocean though, and marine fog and clouds are to be expected.

Green fees are in the range of $260 plus cart, unless you are staying in the resort.  Rooms start at $650 per night.

Just up the road, Poppy Hills is the home of the Northern California Golf Association.  Formerly one of the courses in the Pebble Beach Pro Am rotation, the course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr,  It winds through the Del Monte forest, making use of the terrain sloping down towards the ocean.  With a green fee of $200, its more accessible than the better known courses. 

Packages including two nights at the Links at Spanish Bay and a round at each of Pebble Beach and Spanish Bay start at $1995.  Click here for more info. 

There are numerous courses outside the Pebble Beach enclave (If you're not staying or playing there, there is a $15 entrance fee to browse, but well worth it) and one of the nicest is Quail Lodge.  A few minutes south of Monterey on the road into the Carmel Valley - the sunny side as the locals say - is set in wine country.  Designed as a members country club by Robert Muir Graves, the course winds through treed areas and forests and makes use of 10 lakes along the way.  Keep you eyes open for Max, Head Dog at the course who's there to greet golfers.  Rounds start at $150 and the golf experience is well worth it.

Most visitors will want to spend some time visiting local wineries.  Most of these can be found in the Carmel Valley.  One of the first you come to, and the best that we visited, was Chateau Julien.   The grounds are fabulous and well worth the visit to view the gardens, particularly the rose garden by the front entrance.  The best we sampled were Black Nova ( a blend of Cab and Merlot), the 2009 Private Reserve Chardonnay and the 2007 La Conviviance (a blend of Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon).  All are in the $50 range.  

Monterey is a tourist town, as you would expect, but the overall experience is still a pleasant one.   The Monterey Bay Aquarium is well worth a visit, as is Fisherman's Wharf.  Good shopping can be found at the Del Monte Shopping Center.  There is plentiful accommodation with a range of prices, and its not necessary to stay at Pebble Beach to enjoy the region.   It will take 2 - 3 hours to reach Monterey from San Francisco, and make sure that part of the trip includes taking Highway 1 along the coast.

Information on the region can be found here.