'Academy Award' Goes To Chambers Bay


By Ken Klavon, USGA

Far Hills, N.J. – As renowned architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. rode his way down an elevator recently in Houston, his docile eyes were ebullient.

The elevator crawled to a stop. Jones didn’t. Who could blame him? The 68-year-old son of iconic architect Robert Trent Jones and brother of "U.S. Open Doctor" Rees bounded out as if he just won the prize of a lifetime. Well, in all actuality, he had. Forget the more than 240 courses worldwide his firm has designed. For the Yale-educated Jones was basking in the afterglow of seeing his latest brainchild, Chambers Bay, awarded the 2010 U.S. Amateur and 2015 U.S. Open, the crown jewel of the package.

"It made me beyond happy," said Jones. "I felt like a 16 year old who qualified for a USGA junior championship for the first time. It’s an honor of a lifetime."

"It was like winning an Oscar," said Bruce Charlton, 50, president of Robert Trent Jones II, LLC.

The opening hole at Chambers Bay offers a picturesque view of Puget Sound. (Photo Courtesy of Chambers Bay)

When the USGA awarded Chambers Bay the two championships on Feb. 8, it solidified Jones’ 45-year-plus reputation as a designer. Never mind that the Open signified the first major championship Jones could stick in his back pocket. Moreover, speaking of backs, it took a back seat to Chamber Bay’s breath-taking expanse as the perfect landscape to carve out the masterfully panoramic-woven 7,585-yard, par-72 course.

Jones quickly pointed out that he dare not take all the credit for the 240-acre links gem that abuts Puget Sound in University Place, Wash. He singled out Charlton and Jay Blasi, a 20-something wunderkind, as instrumental in getting the $20.7 million man-made municipal course developed. Charlton, a 27 year-veteran at the firm, took the lead on the project. Blasi was his right-hand aide.

In 1992 Pierce County bought the 930-acre park for $33 million. At that time, only visions of a 27-hole municipal golf course were in the mind’s eye. Pierce County executive John Ladenburg headed up a search for an architect that could create a unique championship layout, ala Bandon Dunes on the southwest coast of Oregon. He first got the idea from another muni: Bethpage State Park’s Black Course while at the 2002 U.S. Open. Bids were opened. The most illustrious design firms, more than 50, fell over one another trying to land the contract. Why? With the property on a former quarry that produced sand and gravel, this was a designer’s dream. After all, courses are, as Jones whimsically pointed out, all about drainage, drainage and more drainage.

Mike Davis, the USGA’s senior director of Rules and competitions, recalled being tipped off about the course from fellow staff member Ron Read. While on a trip to the Pacific Northwest, Davis came upon fenced-in terrain.

"I remember looking over the fence and the first thing I saw was 1,000 acres, not only on water but on all sand," said Davis. "It was a giant sand pit. And I thought to myself, ‘Wow, does this ever have potential.’ "

In the meantime, Jones’ firm decided to take a calculated risk as it attempted to procure the request for proposal. In their presentation to county officials, Charlton said his team abandoned the 27-hole schematic the county envisioned and proposed an 18-hole layout instead.

"I remember we stood and said, ‘You know, you could have a very high quality golf course with 27 holes,’ " said Charlton. "But if you want to take it to the next level, you really need to do 18 good holes. Before we were selected, I remember thinking, ‘Never happen now. Forget it.’ When the Pierce County officials selected us, we were all celebrating together and one of them said, ‘Now the pressure’s on.’ "

Getting It Built

The flowing topography invited thoughts "outside of the box," as Charlton put it. Imagine placing a child in a vast sandbox with toys galore. That’s the feeling Jones’ crew had. Not only was the most challenging aspect solved – namely soil and sand mix – there’d be no need to haul it in. Much of the rich soil, though, resided on the north side of the land parcel and needed to be mined. A sifting process was set up on the south end to ensure the right mix could be used. More than 1.4 million cubic yards of soil were shifted throughout the course, much of it by bulldozers to fashion mounds and windswept vistas along seascape. In some cases while shaping and reshaping holes, a layer of sand had to be added.

During the initial construction in 2003, Charlton would stand 240 feet above sea level on the eastern edge of the site, on top of the rim that kissed the Puget Sound, and visualize the layout. A strong bluff along the water existed, long and linear, that lent itself to lowering holes (15 and 16, for instance) closer to the Sound or constructing others closer to one another at right angles.

But first, leftover elements from the quarry had to be removed. There was a defunct mine operation, sorting bins, tunnel and dilapidated buildings that needed to be demolished or hidden. The sorting bins, which separated rock and sand, were saved and serve as a signature marker off the 18^th hole.

"It’s kind of like Stonehenge," said Charlton. "Where else in the world have you seen something like that? That was our thinking by leaving the storage bins."

Jones approached playability with a smidgen of clairvoyance. If he could get into the player’s mind on the tees, he knew the course could grow into its potential as "The Monster Jr.," a reference to his father’s famous re-design of Oakland Hills. Unleveled lie ribbon tees were introduced. The thought was to have the teeing grounds flow and provide a tie-in with the dune landscape.

"Once you’re in the player’s mind," said Jones, "you’re in his backswing."

The beauty of the course lies in its natural feel. There are no cart paths. There is, however, a paved trail for exercisers that cuts through the course. Jones pushed for something inimitable, struggling to find an adequate comparison that he’s created in the past. The Links at Spanish Bay and The National Golf Club in Australia come to mind for their breath-taking views, but in terms of distinct characteristics, it’s hard to judge, he said.

It’s rare but not an innovative idea to hand the U.S. Open keys to such a youthful course. Hazeltine National Golf Club (1962) and Bellerive Country Club (1960) - both, incidentally, designs done by Jones’ father - hosted the 1970 and 1965 Opens, respectively. Champions Golf Club, opened in 1958, was awarded the 1969 championship.

The thought, according to Davis, is that Chambers Bay would host more championships down the line assuming things go well. That, no less, would suit Charlton fine.

"Just like the Academy Awards," said Charlton, "you hope that you win another one at some point again. But this is so unique."

Ken Klavon is the USGA’s Editor of New Media. E-mail him with questions or comments at kklavon@usga.org.