As the sun sets over the Cascade Mountains, the putting course at Gamble Sands Golf Club in Eastern Washington bustles with activity. Golfers walk out the back door of their rooms, a putter in one hand and often a drink in the other, to roll putts on the resort’s wildly undulating, two-acre green created by golf architect David McLay Kidd. Sitting high above the Columbia River, the course’s contours are bathed in late-day shadows and an exclamation from one corner is a sure signal a tricky putt has dropped.
The Cascades at Gamble Sands is among a host of sprawling putting courses that have become increasingly popular at destination golf resorts, and it just might have the best location of any in the U.S.
Others may be better known, like The Punchbowl at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort on the Oregon coast or Thistle Dhu at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. Both are unquestionably among the game’s finest: the 100,000-square-foot Punchbowl sitting adjacent to the clubhouse at first tee at Pacific Dunes golf course, and Thistle Dhu just steps outside the doors of the Pinehurst clubhouse alongside the resort’s recently-added par-3 course called The Cradle.
Streamsong Resort in Florida has “The Gauntlet,” Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri has the Tom Watson putting course at Mountain Top, Forest Dunes in North Michigan has a two-acre layout called “HillTop,” and Erin Hills in Wisconsin has “The Drumlin,” which wraps around a ridge and features lights for play after the sun goes down. Pebble Beach Golf Links just opened a new putting course next to its redone par-3 layout, “The Hay,” and Kohler Golf in Wisconsin, the home of Whistling Straits, this summer is opening a two-acre putting course with 18- or 27-hole routings in conjunction with its new par-3 course.
But what makes the Cascades putting course at Gamble Sands particularly unique, beyond the terrific water and mountain views, is that it’s located directly behind the resort’s five lodges and 37 guest rooms. The proximity is unmatched, providing easy access to a putting green that’s about 175 yards long, or allowing guests to sit on their back porch or balcony to watch the action unfold — not to mention the sun reflecting off the river before it sets over the mountains in the distance.
“The sheer size is overwhelming and the view just takes it over the top,” said Gamble Sands General Manager Blake Froling, noting that the Cascades putting course is popular with golfers and non-golfers alike, providing a complement to the resort’s 18-hole championship Sands Course and new, 14-hole, par-3 Quicksands Course.
“This ends up being the place that brings everyone together and out of their rooms,” Froling added. “Being located one step from your hotel rooms, you are able to enjoy the putting green as if it’s in your own backyard.”
There’s also a small heated pool and a firepit adjacent to the putting course, in addition to event space. There are of course the requisite wrought-iron drink holders and, for those who want to practice their putting after the sun goes down, glow-in-the-dark balls available in the neighboring guest center.
While other putting courses, like Punchbowl and Thistle Dhu, are special social spots and great fun for groups big and small, the Cascades might just have the best overall location in the country, helping make Gamble Sands one of the game’s most noteworthy up-and-coming locations.
