Brewster, WA
Wide-open fescue above the Columbia River — the most fun-per-swing course in America.
High on a sagebrush bench above the Columbia River in Washington's orchard country, Gamble Sands is David McLay Kidd's love letter to fun: fairways sixty yards wide, fescue that runs forever, and green sites that reward the ground game the way links golf intended. The Inn sits between the courses, QuickSands — a rollicking par-3 course — hosts the drinks-in-hand evening matches, and the new second eighteen doubles the reason to stay an extra day. It is remote by any definition, and every crew that makes the drive comes home evangelizing.
| Course | Designer | Notes | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gamble Sands | David McLay Kidd | Enormous fairways, endless run-outs and Columbia views — golf engineered for grins. The original. | resort |
| Scarecrow | David McLay Kidd | The new second course on the bluff — wilder land, same wide-open spirit. | resort |
| QuickSands | David McLay Kidd | The par-3 romp beside the Inn — drinks in hand, bets on every green. | resort |
The resort
Modern rooms yards from the first tee and the putting course — firepits facing the river bench and the only nightlife being the golf itself.
◆ The private house
A river-view home in the Brewster-Chelan orchard country — deck over the water, cherry stands down the road, and the Sands twenty to forty minutes away. Lake Chelan widens the rental pool considerably.
4-6 BR · sleeps 8-12 · ~$600–$2,000/nt
AM Fly into Wenatchee or Seattle and drive up the Columbia into orchard country.
PM Check in at the Inn, QuickSands opener with drinks in hand, dinner overlooking the river bench.
AM The original — swing free, chase the bounces.
PM Optional emergency nine or putting-course league; barbecue on the firepit terrace.
AM The new course's wilder land.
PM Diehards replay the original; others run a Lake Chelan winery detour. Steak night.
AM The team match on Gamble Sands — the ground game decides it.
PM Trophy dinner, then a QuickSands night final under the last light.
AM Coffee above the Columbia and a farewell putting-course lap, then the drive out.
David McLay Kidd built Gamble Sands to make golfers happy — huge fairways, running bounces, and views down the Columbia that stop carts mid-hole. With a second course now on the bluff, an on-site inn steps from a world-class putting course, it is pure golf joy with zero pretense.
Book the Inn and tee times together — rooms are limited and summer sells out. Fly into Wenatchee or Seattle (a scenic three-hour drive); the concierge should confirm the current course rotation and second-course access when locking dates.