One of the more challenging aspects of designing a golf course is trying to accommodate a wide range of playing abilities for golfers worried about their scores. Designers find themselves having to conform to norms or makes things “fair” as opposed to finding or crafting interesting holes.
Eighteen years ago I was part of the team including Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Bruce Charlton that designed Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington, and there was always a desire for it to be played as a match course. No tee blocks, no par, just play the hole from wherever you want and whoever wins that hole picks where to start on the next hole.
As we got ready to open the course, that idea didn’t fly. Chambers Bay is a municipal course developed by Pierce County and managed by KemperSports. Both parties believed the public course had to have a scorecard with pars, yardages and different sets of tees for players of different abilities. And so like 99.9 percent of courses, Chambers Bay – which ranks as the No. 2 public-access course in Washington on Golfweek’s Best list, as well as No. 52 among all modern courses built in the U.S. since 1960 – is normally set up for stroke play.
But not this week when the world’s best female amateur golfers descend on Chambers Bay for the 122nd U.S. Women’s Amateur. The stroke-play qualifying for the championship began Monday and continued into Tuesday. After those two days of stroke-play qualifying, match play rules the day until a champion is crowned Sunday, August 14. And while winners won’t get to pick where to tee off next, USGA officials have an infinite number of options when setting up the course.
Let’s take a look at Nos. 10-16, as they are most likely to determine the outcome of many matches. These holes played pivotal roles in previous individual championships at Chambers Bay, the 2010 U.S. Amateur and the 2015 U.S. Open.
No. 10 at Chambers Bay (USGA/Jeff Marsh)
The hole narrows as you get closer to the green, so players face a decision off the tee: Play to the widest spot in the fairway (46 yards wide) just short of the bunkers, leaving an approach of 165-plus yards, or challenge the bunkers to a fairway 32-40 yards wide for a much shorter approach. If they challenge the bunkers, the right side can be semi-blind to right-hand hole locations. This would be a great hole for the USGA to move up the tees and tempt to players to drive the green one of the days.
No. 10 at Chambers Bay in Washington (Google Earth)
No. 11 at Chambers Bay (USGA/Jeff Marsh)
A central dune in the landing area forces players to make a decision off the tee. Playing left of the dune can lead to a good angle into the green but with a blind or semi-blind look. Playing right of the dune will lead to a tougher angle and a carry over a large waste area. Playing over the dune will yield a good approach but is a tougher tee shot. Hole locations on the left side of the green will be tough to access on the approach and tough to get up and down in two from around the green. The USGA should utilize back tees and play this hole as a par 5, which would offer multiple options off the tee and on the second shot.
No. 11 at Chambers Bay in Washington (Google Earth)
Matt Kuchar hits an approach shot on the 12th hole during the first round of the 115th U.S. Open at Chambers Bay in 2015. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
This hole was drivable for everyone in the 2015 U.S. Open field and hopefully will be set up that way for the Women’s Am. The fairway is narrow, as this was an old hauling road during the mining operation. A large bunker fronts the left side of the green, and players will struggle to make 3 to back hole locations from this bunker. This is the biggest green on the course with wild undulations and a variety of unique hole locations. Driving the green does not ensure birdie. The toughest hole location is the middle of the green. Making a 2 here will give someone a major jolt of momentum.
No. 12 at Chambers Bay in Washington (Google Earth)
No. 13 at Chambers Bay (Jay Blasi)
The tee shot on the par 5 is blind, so players will have needed to do their homework in practice rounds to determine the best line off the tee. If a player hits a long drive down the right, they can go for the green in two shots. If they do go for the green in two, they will need to carry a large bunker and navigate a strong roll on the left side of the green. Any ball that doesn’t crest that roll will funnel back 15 yards into the bunker. That same bunker and roll in the green will impact those who lay up. Approaching from the left will be very tough, so players will need to play as close to the waste bunker on the right for the best chance at birdie.
No. 13 at Chambers Bay in Washington (Google Earth)
No. 14 at Chambers Bay (USGA/Jeff Marsh)
The downhill, right-to-left par 4 favors longer hitters. A single bunker in the middle of the fairway must be considered. Those who can carry that bunker will be rewarded with a wider landing area. The green on this hole cants from right to left with the back half running away. The best angle will be from the left edge of the fairway, which requires players to flirt with a 7-acre waste area off the tee. This is another hole on which the USGA can utilize back tees from a more elevated perch to test players’ ability to drive the ball.
No. 14 at Chambers Bay in Washington (Google Earth)
No. 15 at Chambers Bay (Golfweek files)
This par 3 features a green surrounded by a waste bunker with The Lone Fir and Puget Sound in the background. It will be common to see and hear trains going past this hole. The tee shot plays about 30 feet downhill and is exposed to the wind, so club selection is critical. The left-hand hole locations are more accessible, including a back-left spot where we might expect to see a hole-in-one at some point during the week. The right-side locations can be tricky, as players must contend with a spine on the right edge of the green that will repel less-precise shots.
No. 15 at Chambers Bay in Washington (Google Earth)
Rory McIlroy hits his tee shot on the 16th hole in the final round of the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay. (John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports)
This is where Peter Uihlein defeated David Chung to win the 2010 U.S. Amateur, and in 2015 this is where Jordan Spieth made a 20-foot birdie putt that ultimately proved to be the difference in his one-shot win over Dustin Johnson. The players again will have many choices depending on setup and situation. If played as a medium-length par 4, players need to hug the right-side waste bunker to gain the best approach angle. From the left, the approach will be semi-blind to a green that runs away in spots. If the USGA moves up the tees, as it did for the final round of the U.S. Open, players can try to drive the green. That could lead to a 2 or a 6, as a miss short-left, long-left or to the right all have the potential for double bogey.
No. 16 at Chambers Bay in Washington (Google Earth)
– Jay Blasi is a golf architect who has worked on courses such as Chambers Bay, The Patriot and Santa Ana Country Club. He also serves as a Golfweek’s Best rater ambassador and contributes frequently to Golfweek.
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