#17 Chambers Bay

This is the controversial site of the 2015 US Open, won by Jordan Spieth.  Forget whatever you've heard, it's a fun and challenging course to play.  It's a links course, walking only (unless you have a note from your doctor).  You can take a pull cart or a caddy.  Tyler the caddy was great.  He works winters at Country Club Scottsdale, and knew all the courses I play in the Valley of the Sun.

It's a beautiful location, great views of the bay, islands, and when the sun finally came out, the snow-topped Olympics on the peninsula.

The greens were a disappointment, slow and bumpy.  They're letting the Poa Annua grow in before they mow them more closely.  But the price was right.  Due to a computer error, the greens fees posted on the web site for the last three days of May were $89 for everyone, the member rate, rather than $189 for non-residents (and various other prices in between).  That doesn't include the caddy, though.

Many of the holes featured numerous or large, irregularly-shaped bunkers

And some needed stairs.

Descending into one of these, a player once found an 8-iron next to a skeleton, and called to his caddy to throw down his 9-iron, because "you can't get out of here with an 8".  The one pictured above is in the 18th fairway, about 350 yards from the tee, and only one player hit into it:  Tiger.

This one is in the middle of the 15th green.  I birdied that hole.

This is the 16th, where Jordan hit his drive OB onto the train tracks.  I birdied that hole, too.

I hit my drive on 18 about a yard away from where Jordan hit his on Sunday

He hit 3-wood onto the green from there and made eagle.  I didn't.

Despite its successful defense of par, this course includes the hole on which were recorded the most eagles in a US Open.

I watched one YouTube video where Gary Player was interviewed, complaining about this golf course.  He said it was too hard, too unfair, and instead of courses like this we should be building easy courses to attract more people to the game.  I totally disagree.  Played from the right tees, this course is within the capabilities of any golfer.  Yes, your ball can end up in a bad spot if you hit it to the wrong place, but that can happen on any course.  Here, at least the dangers are obvious.  It's very hard to lose a ball on this course (unless you're Jordan Spieth, I guess).  The fairways are wide, the rough is short (where it is mown), and the greens are mostly large, which presents a challenge of a different sort, but not one to discourage new players.  The contours of the fairways and greens, which caused problems for the pros, are a big part of the charm and fun.