Scarecrow at Gamble Sands Resort (Photo by Patrick Koenig)
Gamble Sands Resort, already gaining steam as one of America’s most compelling modern golf destinations, has raised the stakes with the opening of Scarecrow, a stunning new 18-hole course that gives the remote resort in Eastern Washington two championship layouts from acclaimed architect David McLay Kidd.
With panoramic views from former farm fields that overlook the Columbia River and two courses that complement and contrast each other wonderfully, Gamble Sands has officially thrust itself into the destination golf category. It’s a niche informally established by the visionary developer who helped usher in the getaway golf movement, Bandon Dunes founder Mike Keiser.
And in the Gebbers family orchards, amid an arid landscape that seems purpose-built for links-style golf, Gamble Sands is starting to stand out a bit more – not just with its expansion to 50 holes, but by staying true to a single architect at a time when many properties are seeking to mix and match the game’s most acclaimed designers.
Scarecrow at Gamble Sands Resort (Photo by Patrick Koenig)
The golf
McLay Kidd, the Scotsman who burst onto the scene about two-and-a-half decades ago by designing the original course at Bandon Dunes on the Oregon coast, debuted Gamble Sands in 2014. It’s a broad-shouldered layout that turned heads and quickly jumped into the national rankings.
Quicksands, a fun-filled, 14-hole, par-3 course also designed by McLay Kidd and his team, followed in 2021.
The addition of Scarecrow ups the ante, putting Gamble Sands Resort firmly into the category of other must-see destinations that have two 18-hole courses like The Prairie Club (Nebraska), Arcadia Bluffs (Michigan), The Broadmoor (Colorado), and Forest Dunes (Michigan) – unless you count the latter’s reversible Loop as two different courses.
Scarecrow at Gamble Sands Resort (Photo by Scott Brooks)
Scarecrow rises
If there were questions about how two courses designed by the same architect adjacent to one another could be radically different, they’ve been answered.
Built on a rugged 300 acres of land once home to corn circles at its highest points, the course makes full use of natural elevation changes and topography. McLay Kidd and design associate Nick Schaan discovered that this part of the property has higher spots with peaks akin to classic sand-dune, sandhills-type blowouts. The result is a more intimate, strategic test that plays quite differently from its older sibling across the road.
Scarecrow opens with a blind tee shot to a sloping fairway that dives toward a green tucked into a dell, immediately signaling that this will be a different experience than Gamble Sands.
In addition to the blind shots, there are speed slots and holes that sling around gorges and across yawning waste areas. There are greens that sit in punchbowls, wildly undulating fairways, and gettable par-4s that dare golfers to carefully weigh their options.
The views are spectacular, especially at the 10th, a par-4 that plays downhill toward the Columbia River, and the par-3 11th that plays out to a green perched onto a peninsula of land with drop-offs on either side.
“The land really dictated the design,” McLay Kidd said. “This piece of property had so much more movement, so much more drama. It wanted to be a different kind of golf course.”
Scarecrow at Gamble Sands Resort (Photo by Brian Oar)
The lineup at Gamble Sands Resort
Gamble Sands (2014): The original layout that put Gamble Sands on the map sprawls across the landscape with massive fairways and expansive greens. Its width, angles and options epitomize in many ways what modern resort golf is: providing a lot of room for lesser-skilled players to find success while offering more challenging strategic avenues for better golfers.
Quicksands (2021): This modern short course offers holes ranging from 60 to 160 yards in a bowl setting below the pro shop and restaurants, and features music piped throughout. It’s become a favorite for groups arriving early, looking to extend their golf day, or to settle wagers.
Cascades Putting Course: If this isn’t the best putting course in the world of destination golf, it’s squarely in the conversation. Also designed by McLay Kidd, the wildly undulating layout stretches about 175 yards in length and encompasses approximately 100,000-square-feet of pure fescue. There are not only inspiring views of the Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River Gorge, but it’s set on a bluff directly out the back doors of the resort’s five original lodge buildings, allowing guests to easily walk from their room to the putting green.
Stay-and-play
Coinciding with the opening of Scarecrow is a major expansion of the on-site accommodations, specifically 40 brand-new double-king luxury rooms directly overlooking the 1st and 2nd holes of the new course. The new rooms are strategically designed for golf groups, featuring double king beds and mini fridges, and bring the resort’s total number of rooms to 77.
The Inn at Gamble Sands now has River View (original buildings) and Golf View (overlooking Scarecrow) rooms, with the latter now open as of June 2.
The Inn at Gamble Sands
Dining and amenities
Gamble Sands has developed an F&B program that celebrates the agricultural heritage of the Columbia River Valley while embracing the wants and needs of traveling golfers:
Danny Boy Bar & Grill: The upscale option offers farm-to-table cuisine featuring steaks, seafood, pasta, and locally sourced ingredients from the surrounding orchards and farms.
The Barn: A casual hangout serving chef-inspired pizzas, sliders, salads, and a variety of grab-and-go items in a relaxed atmosphere perfect for post-round discussions. It also has its own bar.
Additional amenities at the Troon-managed property include fire pits for evening gatherings, a soaking pool for recovery, and a comprehensive practice facility.
The Barn at Gamble Sands Resort
Getting there
Gamble Sands’ location in Brewster, Washington, is approximately four hours from Seattle, two hours from Spokane, or 70 minutes from the regional airport in Wenatchee, Washington. The resort and its more quintessential Pacific Northwest feel, continues to attract golfers willing to make the journey for a pure, golf-centric experience that strips away modern distractions.
In comparing it to other remote U.S. destination locations at which he’s built courses – Bandon Dunes in Oregon and Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley in Wisconsin – McLay Kidd notes that Gamble Sands Resort has the most reliable summer weather of the bunch.
Now with two championship 18-hole courses and its expanded accommodations in addition to a popular short course and putting course, comprehensive amenities and stunning landscapes, Gamble Sands Resort continues its evolution from regional destination to national golf retreat.