I am setting my intention for 2027: a golf trip to the Pacific Northwest. Chambers Bay and Gamble Sands have been on my list for years, and I am writing the plan down so it actually happens. Nothing is booked yet and all of it is flexible, but here is what is on our radar: five days, two states and six rounds, from the sand dunes of eastern Washington to a hilly muni outside Portland.
The rough shape: start at Gamble Sands, David McLay Kidd’s resort on a bluff above the Columbia River, for 36 holes and a night on the putting course. Cross the Cascades past Lake Chelan and Leavenworth to Tacoma for The Home Course and Chambers Bay, with Gold Mountain as a bonus round if our legs allow. Finish in Portland at Wildwood, with one big dinner and a waterfall on the way to the airport.
We are leaning toward September. Gamble Sands is still at its peak, Chambers Bay is cheaper than in high summer, the rain usually has not arrived west of the mountains, and after Labor Day the Multnomah Falls permit season is over. The thinking is to fly into Wenatchee and out of Portland.
How we would book it. The Inn at Gamble Sands first: overnight guests can already book every 2027 date, room and tee times together. Then Chambers Bay, where non-resident advance times opened on January 1 in 2026. Then Le Pigeon and everything else. Green fees for the six rounds come to roughly $1,200 to $1,400 a person before lodging, using 2027 rates at Gamble Sands and 2026 rates elsewhere. Stops will move around, and I will update this as the plan firms up.
Brewster, WashingtonThe idea: fly into Wenatchee, check in, play the short course at sunset and putt by firelight.
Gamble SandsPhotos courtesy of Gamble Sands: Scarecrow at sunset, the Sands course from above, and the Inn on the bluff.
The two big coursesGamble Sands in the morning, Scarecrow in the afternoon at the second-18 rate, then steak.
Lake Chelan, Leavenworth, Stevens PassFour and a half hours of driving with the best stops in the state, then a twilight round in DuPont.
Chambers BayPhotos courtesy of Chambers Bay: the lone fir, the clubhouse above the Sound, and the course in the evening.
The U.S. Open course, then the bonusChambers Bay with caddies in the morning. If we still have it in us, Gold Mountain after lunch, then dinner on the harbor.
Biscuits, a hilly muni and the big dinnerDown I-5 to Oregon for one last round, then a waterfall on the way to the airport.
Mount RainierIf we can steal a day, it is a day trip from Tacoma. In 2026 the park needed no timed-entry reservation, just the entrance fee.
SeattleWith a night to spare, we would eat at Canlis, the family-run fine dining room that has been open since 1950, then a late burger at Dick’s Drive-In.
Bandon DunesThe obvious question. It is about four and a half hours south of Portland, too far for five days, and a whole trip of its own. Call it 2028.
Find your foursome before 2027A trip like this is only as good as the people in the car, and I am still filling seats. The Grassy Issue Social Club is how I find them: small groups of eight to twelve people playing good courses in and around Austin, no dues, everyone pays their own green fee. Join the interest list, come play a few rounds with me, and maybe I will see you on the first tee at Gamble Sands. Join the Social Club →
September. Gamble Sands is still in its peak season, Chambers Bay's non-resident rate drops from $325 in July and August to $279 in September (2026 rates), it is usually drier west of the Cascades, and the Multnomah Falls timed-permit season ended on September 7 in 2026.
About 221 miles and four hours by car, according to the resort. Wenatchee airport, with Alaska flights from Seattle, is 77 miles and about 90 minutes away.
Non-resident rates in 2026 started at $220 in April, $299 in June, $325 in July and August, $279 in September and $229 in October, plus 15.2% tax. Caddies are $100 a bag plus tip. 2027 rates had not been published on October 12, 2026.
Yes. Push carts are free and caddies are available; motorized carts are only for golfers with a medical need.
Gamble Sands or Scarecrow is $315 from May to September 2027 and $235 in April and October, with a second 18 the same day at $210 in peak season. QuickSands is $80. Cart included; taxes extra.
It is cooperatively owned and operated by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association and Washington Golf. Rates in October 2026 were $64 Monday to Thursday and $70 Friday to Sunday for 18 holes.
