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It's not like Gamble Sands, already a special stay-and-play destination in the high desert of north central Washington, needed another championship course. Home to an acclaimed David McLay Kidd design named the "Best New Course to Open in America in 2014" by Golf Digest and the Best Course in Washington State" by Golf Magazine in 2020-2021, Gamble Sands already had game.
This is where golfers come to enjoy pure golf, the way it was meant to be played. No planes buzzing overhead, no traffic rattling in the background. Just panoramic vistas of the beautiful Cascade Mountains and the meandering Columbia River to keep you and your playing partners company. McLay Kidd called the Sands course a "once in a lifetime site every golf designer dreams of, rolling sand dunes overlooking a large body of water, a developer willing to build golf just for the love of the game, no homes, no other development around, just golf on sand, golf as it was truly meant to be."
But a decade later, McLay Kidd is back. He's building a second championship course on the same land, with the same sandy soil and the same conditions. The second course is a rare opportunity for the designer and ownership group to see how a Top 20 in the World golf course played for ten years. With that valuable hindsight, adjustments have been made to the new course, set to open in August 2025, that will improve on the original.
When the new course opens, a new lodge will be ready, bringing the total number of rooms to 77. Add in McLay Kidd's already-built 14-hole par-3 short course, and you will have all the ingredients to elevate a celebrated regional golf destination into a top-tier, bucket-list national golf destination. There is no doubt now that this is a place worthy of whatever effort it takes to get to this must-play collection of courses. And Gamble Sands offers something you won't find at many traditional links-style courses: the option to take a cart with GPS.
Gamble Sands built its reputation with its first course, the Sands. Blessed with one of the world's most dramatic settings for true links golf, the course is built on rolling sand dunes of up to 300 feet and offers one of the best all-fescue grass surfaces found anywhere. It's more akin to some of Kidd's earlier work at Bandon, where the emphasis is on having fun. This is illustrated throughout the golf course, especially on the reachable par-4 2nd hole with its breathtaking view of the Columbia River or perhaps on the split fairway of the par-4 14th.
Another McLay creation, QuickSands is a 14-hole par-3 short course with wildly contoured greens built for fun. Grab four clubs and your putter and take a walk along what may be the most fun and creative course you've ever played while listening to "good vibes" music built throughout.
At this majestic destination, there is little to distract from your golf experience—unless you count unwinding in the on-site Inn at Gamble Sands' spacious rooms, which perfectly match the wide-open nature of the golf course, or enjoying a steak or other locally sourced food at the Danny Boy Bar and Grill. Great golf, farm-to-table dining, and spacious accommodations make this the complete golf getaway.
Insider Tip
Psst! The second biggest putting green on the planet is at Gamble Sands. On a bluff high above the Columbia River Gorge, the 100,000-sq. ft. Cascade Putting Course also offers the best views on the planet. Take off your shoes and enjoy the pure fescue surface along with the fantastic views.
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