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October 2024 by Brent Winterbottom
I’ll start with the good stuff:
The views are great. Right on the Columbia river with views of the cascade mountains. Hard to beat that setting. The course has some interesting and challenging holes, most of which use the topography well. That’s it for the good.
Now the bad…
Greens are bumpy as hell. Shockingly bad for this type of course. Maybe that’s just how the grass is supposed to be?
Not every hole, but several have absolutely blind shots. Blind from the tee, blind layups and blind approaches. Golf is hard enough when I know where to aim. When all you can see is a horizon and no flag, it makes for slow play because everyone has to drive the damn cart all the way up to the green to give their playing partners the line. I don’t care for this gimmick of golf course architecture. You might like it. I don’t.
All “bunkers” are actually waste areas so none are groomed or kept. They are just trampled up sandy areas that are at times VERY deep. It can be a 10+ foot drop off to get in or out. Local rule is you get free relief from footprints but you’ll just be dropping in more footprints. Also, because the bunkers are so deep it creates MORE BLIND SHOTS. More confusion about where to aim. Any golfer with a physical mobility problem will struggle just to enter/exit. If they are a less skilled golfer, they will have a hard time getting their ball out due to the crappy lie + steep faces + blind shot. This creates a scenario where they struggle to climb in, wait for a partner to line them up, take 3-4 swings advancing the ball forward several yards but still in the waste area, now they need a different club so they have to climb back out/in, get their friend to line them up again and the whole thing starts over. Excruciating.
All cart paths are dust. If you play in the summer as I did and you’re the second cart in the group, prepare for a face full of choke you out dust.
There is something odd about the fairways when you hit wedges. The divots don’t come out of the ground. They stay in place like a peeled up scab. I’m a good wedge player and I sprained my wrist after 7 holes.
There are some gimmicks on the greens. I think it was the 17th hole where I hit the green from 200+ yards (a good shot by any standard) and my ball ended up in a place where I had no chance of putting my ball any closer to the hole than where it sat. If you hit a green, you should be able to have a chance at a 2-putt no matter where your ball is and no matter where the flag is IMO.
To cap it all off is the shameless kick you in the cohones style price gouging. I purchased a “turkey wrap” for $15. I opened it up to discover a flour tortilla wrapped over itself 5 times with a single slice of lunch meat inside. Oh, and you get a tiny mustard squirt pod. No tomato, no lettuce, no dressing, no bacon, no cheese. $15! This reveals exactly the character of the folks in charge.
I’m an absolute pure golf die hard and I will never be going back here. I don’t care how many courses they build. Considering what a pain in the ass it is to get there and the steep price (gas, time, greens fees and turkey wraps) I can think of 100 other places that offer a much better value than this. Don’t waste your time or money.
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October 2024 by Sarah Thorpe
Tricky but beautiful course.
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October 2024 by Michael C
Excellent staff, but it's a drive to get there. They will have another course open next year, which will make the drive out to nowhere more palatable. Highly recommend and get the yardage book. Helps tremendously!
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October 2024 by EiLeen Andris
Booked a rehearsal dinner at the golf course and it was great. The food was delicious. All of guests had nothing but wonderful reviews for the appetizers and steaks. The scenery was spectacular and we were fortunate enough to witness the sunset. If I had to criticize one thing I would question whether or not a prior spill had been cleaned up properly because we were outside and there were swarms of knats at one end of our table.
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October 2024 by Leo Brookhart Twiggs
Fantastic course wonderful accommodations. Needs a rework on the food
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October 2024 by Doug
an absolute gem!....I play alot of golf an ive never seen anything like it...the conditions are as good as it gets...fairways like tight nap carpet with zero weeds...greens run so true an the views are epic....low to mid handicap friendly... excellent tee arangment...multiple ways to get the ball close to flag...an absolute must play!
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September 2024 by James Derrig
Made my second trip there last May.
Everything about Gamble Sands is first rate.
Accommodations great. Golf is fun and the views are spectacular.
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September 2024 by Jeff Morgan
I love it, played it about a month ago. Awesome course.
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September 2024 by Kevin Miller & Colleen Aubrey
Course is fun and the location is beautiful. The staff are friendly and keep it fun. It is great to see more women playing this year vs 2023. It would be better if the resort had a spa or even just deep tissue massage available. The pool is tiny and not that useful.
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September 2024 by Nathan Sites
Great golf course and awesome staff. They really do a great job!
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September 2024 by Thomas Youngerman
Great course, really enjoyed my round there
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September 2024 by Joe ONeill
Great golf and really nice room. Food was pretty good
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September 2024 by Brett Miller
Amazing facilities and only going to get better. We and a group of 12 and we are going to book again. Got em straight.
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September 2024 by John Rosendahl
First time playing Gamble and I enjoyed the course very much. I played with a member, which helped a lot with course management. The fairways are wide generally but still require proper placement to get the best chance of making par. No trees but lots of sagebrush. Course was in excellent condition and pace of play was good.
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September 2024 by Angie Curtiss
Best game of golf I've ever played!
