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Chambers Bay putting its best face forward for 2015 U.S. Open

By Scott Hanson
Published on

SEATTLE -- If you want to see the first round of the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay in June, you'd better not wait to buy your ticket.

That's the message from Danny Sink, the coordinator for the golf championship that will take place June 18-21 on the course bordering Puget Sound in University Place.

Sink said with the calendar turning to 2015, he has seen interest in the event amping up. Tickets for the final three rounds have been sold out for a few months, and Sink said tickets to Thursday's opening round should be sold out within a week or two.

"We've seen a real uptick in interest," Sink said. "We've been getting calls from media people around the country, and players who are already exempt have been calling us, asking us about the course and when they can play it."

Everyone involved seems to agree that significantly reducing play on the course this winter has helped its condition.

Larry Gilhuly, an agronomist for the West Region of the USGA, said the course is vastly improved from last winter. He said that in addition to cutting down traffic on the course, covering the greens on cold days also has helped.

"It keeps the temperature of the grass 10 degrees warmer than the temperature outside, and it really protects the plants through the colder times," he said.

"The program in place is producing results. Only two greens have ongoing thickness issues, No. 12 and 15, and they have improved dramatically. The other 16 are filling in nicely. I am very pleased."

Gilhuly said greens that had issues in the past, such as the first, fourth and seventh holes, are doing great.

And the weather has cooperated to some degree as well.

"It's been either mild and wet or frozen," Chambers Bay General Manager Matt Allen said. "Frozen isn't great, and I wouldn't mind a little less rain, but overall it has been OK. It certainly has been better than last winter."

The course is open Friday through Sunday through the early part of March. Plans for beyond that are being worked out, but the number of rounds will be held well below normal. Allen said because of that there won't be a problem finding slots for Open competitors to play the course in the weeks before the competition.

Sink, who is in charge of all aspects outside the ropes, said everything is on schedule. A USGA operations trailer was moved next to the course this week, and the real construction will begin in mid-March with bleachers beginning to be built at the end of April.

In April, Sink will unveil his transportation plan, with shuttles bringing people to the course from several parking locations. He said he is confident transportation will run smoothly, even though the plan to have a Sound Transit rail stop at the course was scrapped.

"It was never designed to transport 50 percent of the people," Sink said of the train plan. "It was just going to augment what we already had. It would have been a great bonus, but I think people will be pleasantly surprised with the plan we have in place."

Gilhuly said he has worked about 50 USGA championships, but the Gig Harbor resident said June's championship is special.

"I am excited and not nervous at all," he said. "It's going to be fun. I've done U.S. Opens before, but I have never done one next to my home. We get to show off the Northwest."

This article was written by Scott Hanson from Seattle Times and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.