Gamble Sands

The place might be called Gamble Sands, but there’s really not much of a gamble if you head to Brewster, Wash. for a round of golf. This is a sure thing.

Gamble Sands opened for play four years ago, and ever since it has been named one of the top public courses in the Pacific Northwest. This is a true links course that stretches over former orchard land and was designed by Scotsman David McLay Kidd, who became a familiar name when he designed Bandon Dunes.

The land is owned by the Gebbers family and when Cass Gebbers decided to get into the golf business he gave Kidd everything an architect would want: More than 600 acres of sprawling high desert land over looking the Columbia River. Kidd described the location as a “once is a lifetime site that every designer dreams of.”

The course was a hit when the doors first opened. Playing from 7,169 yards from the tips, Gamble Sands features wide fairways, plenty of roll and a course that Kidd calls “pure unadulterated golf.”

The course gets your attention right away with the second hole playing as a reachable par-4 with the Columbia River as a backdrop.

The Cascade Putting Course, also designed by David Kidd, is regularly changed so it could be different every time you visit the resort.

The Inn at Gamble Sands opened a few years ago and gives golfers oversized rooms with views of the course and the Columbia River Valley. Check out their website for package offers. Danny Boy’s restaurant offers dining right on site.

The Gebbers’ family foray into golf started back in 2008 when Perry Dye designed three holes of a golf course that was never finished. Then the plans came along for the 18-hole course. The Gebbers family, which is a giant in the apple and cherry business, decided that golf was a good thing to add to the family portfolio.

Brewster might be a bit of a trek, about four hours east of Seattle, but Gamble Sands is not a gamble at all. With the golf, hotel and other amenities, it has become a sure bet.