There can be a certain charm and innocence to non-traditional golf developers. They often work at a slower pace and ideas not normally broached are on the table for debate.
So, when a long-standing generational farming family in central Washington state–known for their apple and cherry orchards near the banks of the mighty Columbia River–decided to build a second golf course at Gamble Sands Resort, the unconventional path won out.
Instead of the normal trajectory of selecting a different architect for what will now be a 36-hole golf destination, the Gebbers family could not be talked out of re-hiring renowned designer David McLay Kidd, whose much anticipated Scarecrow course will open Aug. 1.
Kidd, whose first course in 2014 at the remote location outside of the small town of Brewster, Washington, was named “Best Public Course of the Year,” tried to persuade the family to hire another architect, going as far as providing phone numbers and offering introductions to other talented designers he would recommend.
“I was completely transparent with them. I told them that the normal model at resorts with multiple courses such as Sand Valley and Streamsong was to use different people,” Kidd said. “I told them, ‘I’m thrilled the first course is so successful and I love you guys but it would be to your benefit to build a second one with someone different.’ They listened, but they didn’t really pay much attention to me. They basically nodded their heads and then just kept coming back and saying, ‘OK, can you do a layout for the second course?’ I don’t think they even spoke to anybody else.”
General Manager Blake Froling remembers sitting in on those conversations between the Gebbers family and Kidd’s design team.
“The family has been around here for a long time and trust is important to them,” Froling said. “I think they may have thought of hiring David again as low risk. Worst case it wasn’t going to flop. As we get ready to open I wouldn’t have it any other way, and I don’t think the family would have it any other way. And I think if this again becomes another highly-ranked golf course I don’t think David would have it any other way.”
It will be the first time in Kidd’s career that he’s built two 18-hole courses at the same location. With that being the case, he turned over most of the design work to his top associate Nick Schaan for a fresh set of eyes.
“We had to figure out how to make the new course significantly different, but not so different that the very essence of the first one is lost,” Kidd said. “Nick has been with me for 20 years but was never involved in the first course. So I said, ‘OK, you run with the second one and I’ll watch and consult, but it’s yours.’
“And then we on purpose picked different people from our own team to go work on Scarecrow,” he added. “We kind of created a team within a team. And the team that worked on the first one teased the team that worked on the second one quite a bit, saying, ‘Hey, you know, the first one’s in the top 50 in the United States. The first one is much loved, and the first one killed it. So you guys are the ones under pressure. We already won the Super Bowl.’ There was a lot of internal competition.”
The land for the new course, with stunning panoramic views of the river and mountain range, was actually the preferred parcel for the first course, but overhead power lines impeded too many of the fabulous scenery and he and his team punted. Those power lines were later relocated in order to pave the way for the Scarecrow layout.
Those traveling to the Pacific Northwest for golf often think of Bandon Dunes (where Kidd has a course) and Chambers Bay, the site of the 2015 U.S. Open. However, the opening of the Scarecrow course and additional upscale lodging and culinary experiences has placed Gamble Sands squarely on the “must play” docket.
“We ran a zip code report and it’s just incredible to see where everybody’s coming from now that there’s two courses,” Froling said. “And we have golf carts, too. Some other places in the world that are destinations like us you have to walk and you’re not playing as much golf. Here, some people play three rounds in a day in the summer.”
Froling said recent reservations are coming from as far away as the East Coast, Mexico and parts of Canada. The nearest large airport is in Spokane, which is a two hour and 30 minute drive to the resort. My suggestion is to fly into Seattle, which adds another hour and 15 minutes to the drive, but is full of unmatched scenery.
“It’s one of the most beautiful drives on the planet,” Froling said of the Seattle to Gamble Sands trek.
“You will be driving through the most amazing mountainous terrain along the mighty Columbia River, looking at the Cascades Mountains with snow on the peaks, even in the middle of summer,” added Kidd. “You’re watching bald eagles take fish off the water. You’re only 50 miles from the Canadian border, so it’s remote – it’s almost wilderness. It’s gorgeous, beautiful weather in the summertime. It does not rain and there are no thunderstorms. There is low humidity with blue, sunny skies – just perfect, hence the reason they grow all the fruit here.”
Froling promises fresh apple pie and cherry desserts and specialty drinks when in season at the resort’s restaurant – and an ultra-fresh protein option.
“At the end of the day, we hang our hat on our beef,” Froling said. “The Gebbers family own a cattle company so we get the beef that is right next to hole No. 6 out on the new golf course. You’re literally eating the meat that is raised on the apples and the cherries. We think that’s pretty special.
“We’re really excited about our culinary program,” he added. “It’s an important part of kind of getting to that next echelon as a resort. That’s what people expect and want, and we feel good about what we’re delivering.”
Froling says golf rates for 18 holes on either course in 2026 will be $250. The rates now are seasonal and range from $225-$300, depending on lodging.
“What is the DNA of Gamble Sands? What do people truly love?” Kidd said. “I guess the first and foremost thing is fescue. The first course is 100 percent fescue, and people expect that. So we didn’t want to build a second course that suddenly had Bluegrass fairways and Bentgrass greens. And people love being able to get off the tee. Those were the things we wanted to perpetuate into the next course. But after that, all bets were off.
“On the second course we wanted more aggressive attacking lines, smaller greens, more contouring in the greens, more aggressive bunkering, a different bunker style, a different look, more pitchy fairways – all sorts of different things that this site lended itself to that the first site maybe didn’t.”
Froling said those who have logged a preview round on Scarecrow believe it will be ranked higher than the current golf course, which is listed at No. 31 among the best public courses in the United States by GolfDigest.
“If that’s the case it’s going to be mayhem out here,” he said. “I don’t know how often David and his team hit every single check mark they want but I have to imagine the Scarecrow course is pretty satisfying for them. And with our par-3 course Quicksands and the putting course David has four golf courses here, so it’s got to be a pretty special place for him.”