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University Place, WA
Chambers Bay & Puget Sound
A U.S. Open links on a public paycheck — fescue dunes above Puget Sound.
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The place
Chambers Bay rose out of an old gravel mine on Puget Sound and went from county project to U.S. Open host in under a decade — a walking-only, true-links experience with towering dunes, one lone fir tree, and trains rolling along the shoreline below. It is owned by Pierce County and open to everyone. The surrounding Sound country stacks value: The Home Course across the prairie, Gold Mountain's celebrated Olympic Course on the Kitsap Peninsula, and Salish Cliffs in the timber. Tacoma's revived waterfront and dining scene holds down the evenings.
The courses on property
| Course | Designer | Notes | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chambers Bay | Robert Trent Jones Jr. | The 2015 U.S. Open host — fescue dunes, Sound views, walking only. The centerpiece. | public |
| The Home Course | — | The links-style neighbor on the DuPont prairie — a favorite warm-up for Chambers pilgrims. | public |
| Gold Mountain — Olympic | — | The Kitsap Peninsula's celebrated public course through the firs — worth the ferry-country drive. | public |
| Salish Cliffs | — | A polished timber-country course at Little Creek — the strong fourth round. | public |
Where you crash
The resort
Hotel Murano, Tacoma
The glass-art boutique tower downtown — fifteen minutes to Chambers Bay, with Tacoma's waterfront restaurants and museums walkable.
◆ The private house
The Private House
A Sound-view home in University Place or across the Narrows in Gig Harbor — deck over the water, crab pot off the dock if you're lucky, and the links ten minutes away.
4-6 BR · sleeps 8-12 · ~$800–$2,500/nt
The 5-day plan
- 1
Fly in & walk the dunes
AM Fly into Seattle-Tacoma and head south to the Sound.
PM Check in, sunset walk on the public loop trail around Chambers Bay to scout it, seafood dinner on Tacoma's waterfront.
- 2
The Home Course
AM Links-style warm-up on the prairie.
PM Point Defiance park loop or the glass museum; happy hour on the water.
- 3
Gold Mountain or Salish Cliffs
AM The away round in the timber — Olympic Course by consensus.
PM Gig Harbor marina evening; fish and chips done right.
- 4
Chambers Bay — the Cup
AM The U.S. Open links for the team match — caddies on, cameras ready at the lone fir.
PM Trophy dinner in Tacoma; toast on the deck as the ferries slide past.
- 5
Sound sunrise & home
AM A last shoreline walk or early range session, then the short hop to Sea-Tac.
Why it wins
A county-owned course that hosted the U.S. Open, walking-only through gravel-pit dunes with ferries sliding past on the Sound — and a supporting cast of Washington's best-value public golf. Big-championship pedigree without a private gate in sight.
Booking notes
Book Chambers Bay direct and take a caddie or push cart — the walk is serious and the greens reward local knowledge. Summer is the dry-sky window; fly into Seattle-Tacoma, forty minutes north.