Scottish golf course architect David McLay Kidd is to design a second 18-hole layout at Gamble Sands in Washington, USA, with the course to begin construction this autumn ahead of a planned opening in the summer of 2025.
The new yet-to-be-named course adds to an already impressive collection of golf and hospitality amenities at Gamble Sands. The property’s 18-hole, McLay Kidd-designed Sands Course opened for play in 2014 to widespread acclaim and is recognized as a Top 100 golf course in the United States. In 2021, Gamble Sands unveiled its 14-hole QuickSands short course – also a McLay Kidd layout – providing golfers with a fun and imaginative shot-making alternative to the Sands course.
“The site for the next course at Gamble Sands was high on the list the first time around but some challenges with power lines made us choose the first course site. Those challenges have been overcome and golfers have shown their appreciation of the amazing fescue surfaces that allow them to play every shot a thousand different ways,” said David McLay Kidd.
“They want more and we are only too thrilled to oblige. The Gebbers family – owners of Gamble Sands – have entrusted us to create another full 18 that are similar in terms of playing style, but different enough to again grab the interest of every passionate golfer. The site we will build this new course upon is different, more intimate, more dramatic even. I can’t wait to get going this fall.”
In addition to the new golf course, the Inn at Gamble Sands, the 37-room on-property lodge, will also be enhanced with 36 more rooms added (for a total of 73 rooms). A new food and beverage outlet will also be built to compliment the current Danny Boy Bar and Grill. The Inn at Gamble Sands features oversized rooms that match the wide-open nature of Gamble Sands, as big rooms open to the big golf course, framed by even bigger views that sweep across the Columbia River Valley. Danny Boy Bar and Grill has large garage-style doors that roll open to outdoor dining options and more views of the Cascades and Columbia River Valley.
“All of us here at Gamble Sands are truly excited for the next step in the evolution of the golf resort,” said Tory Wulf, project manager at Gamble Sands. “Our team has worked hard to enhance the experience on and off the golf course since opening in 2014. The second full-length rendition by David McLay Kidd and his team will be fun to watch take shape and I’m sure even ‘funner’ to play. With the addition of more golf, the resort will expand more overnight units and a new F/B outlet that will match the laid-back atmosphere of the property. Stay tuned…”
Among McLay Kidd’s other award-winning course designs include Bandon Dunes in Oregon and Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley Golf Resort in Wisconsin. He is currently working on projects in Nebraska and Portugal.