Top 10 Golf Courses in Washington State
Washington State's reputation in American golf rests on a handful of courses that belong in any national conversation about the country's finest layouts — but the state's full golfing picture is richer and more varied than the headline names suggest. The rainy western side of the Cascades supports lush parkland and heathland-style tracks around Seattle, while the drier Okanagan-influenced east produces firm, open conditions suited to a more links-like style of play. The state has hosted a US Open, a US Amateur, and numerous PGA Tour events, and its best courses can stand comparison with any in the Pacific Northwest. Open the map to see all of Washington State's golf courses.
1. Chambers Bay Golf Course, University Place
Chambers Bay is Washington's most famous course and one of the most polarising designs in recent American golf history. Robert Trent Jones II created the layout on an abandoned sand and gravel quarry above Puget Sound, and its dramatic elevation changes, fescue playing surfaces, and wide open fairways were unlike anything in the Pacific Northwest when it opened in 2007. The course hosted the 2015 US Open — the only major championship played in the Pacific Northwest — and Dustin Johnson's victory on those firm, brown, links-like fairways sparked debate about the course's playability. From the public tee, Chambers Bay is accessible and spectacular, with views over the Sound and the Olympic Mountains that are simply without equal in American public golf.
2. Sahalee Country Club, Sammamish
Sahalee is everything Chambers Bay is not: a dense, claustrophobic, cathedral-like parkland course routed through towering Pacific Northwest fir and cedar trees that make the fairways feel narrow regardless of their actual width. Ted Robinson designed the original layout in 1969, and the course hosted the 1998 PGA Championship, won by Vijay Singh, and the 2010 US Senior Open. At around 7,100 yards from the tips, with fairways that offer little room for error and small, contoured greens, Sahalee is one of the most demanding private club tests in the country. Access is restricted to members and their guests.
3. Gamble Sands Golf Course, Brewster
Gamble Sands is the most significant new course built in Washington State in decades and the most compelling public-access golf experience in the state's drier east. David McLay Kidd designed the layout across open sandy terrain above the Columbia River near Brewster, with the apple orchards and river valley providing a visual context that feels completely unlike western Washington. The fescue fairways play firm and fast in the dry Okanagan microclimate, and the wide, multi-option routing gives every player a sensible line regardless of ability. Opened in 2014, Gamble Sands quickly earned national recognition and operates a stay-and-play model with on-site accommodation.
4. Aldarra Golf Club, Fall City
Aldarra is the most respected private parkland course in the Seattle area, designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 2000 on land in the Snoqualmie Valley foothills east of Seattle. The layout plays through mature Douglas fir forest with the natural terrain providing significant elevation changes and Fazio's characteristic smooth mounding around the greens. At around 6,700 yards, it demands precise positioning off the tee because the approach angles to the greens are carefully designed to punish wayward drives. Aldarra is a members-only club with no visitor access, and its low-profile operation contrasts with its high standing in course rankings.
5. Washington National Golf Club, Auburn
Washington National is the best public course in the greater Seattle area, designed by John Fought and opened in 1999. The parkland layout in the Green River Valley south of Seattle plays to around 7,300 yards and consistently presents firm, well-maintained conditions despite the wet climate. Fought created a challenging test of iron play, with water coming into play on numerous holes and the green complexes demanding approach accuracy rather than simple straight-line hitting. Washington National is a public course with green fees in the moderate-to-premium range for the Pacific Northwest market, and it operates a full tournament calendar.
6. The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club, Aloha (Oregon border)
While technically across the state line in Oregon, the Reserve is closely aligned with the Portland-Vancouver metro area that straddles the Washington-Oregon border and draws heavily from Washington golfers. Tom Lehman and John Fought designed the two courses — the North and South — on the open tableland of the Tualatin Valley, and the Fought-designed North Course is the stronger of the pair. The facility operates as a semi-private club with public tee times available.
7. Gold Mountain Golf Club (Olympic Course), Bremerton
Gold Mountain on the Kitsap Peninsula across Puget Sound from Seattle is the state's finest public course in the moderate price bracket. John Harbottle III designed the Olympic Course, which opened in 1996 and was named America's best municipal course by Golf Digest shortly afterward. The layout plays through Pacific Northwest second-growth woodland at around 6,700 yards, with tight fairways and greens that demand careful shotmaking. Access by ferry from downtown Seattle adds an adventure component to the round. Green fees are among the most affordable for a quality course in the western Washington region.
8. Tacoma Country and Golf Club, Lakewood
Tacoma Country and Golf Club is one of the oldest golf clubs in the Pacific Northwest, founded in 1894, and the course has been refined over more than a century to its current parkland configuration on the shores of American Lake. The layout is modest by championship standards but carries a club character and historical authenticity that newer venues cannot replicate. The club is private, but members regularly welcome visiting golfers from affiliated clubs, and the Tacoma area's position between Seattle and the mountain courses makes a visit here a natural part of a wider itinerary.
9. Skamania Lodge Golf Course, Stevenson
Skamania Lodge Golf Course, situated in the Columbia River Gorge near Stevenson, is one of the most scenically dramatic short courses in the Pacific Northwest. The layout cuts through old-growth forest above the Columbia River with holes that drop sharply down escarpments and climb back through woodland clearings. At around 5,300 yards, it is not a length test, but the natural terrain and the views of the Gorge make it memorable. The course is part of the Skamania Lodge resort and is accessible to lodge guests and the public. The Gorge's autumn colours make October visits particularly rewarding.
10. The Trophy Club, Monroe
The Trophy Club in Monroe, northeast of Seattle in the Snoqualmie Valley, represents a solid public course option for golfers in the greater Seattle area who want a full-length parkland test at accessible green fees. The layout plays to around 7,000 yards with enough elevation change and water to keep the round interesting throughout. The club hosts a high volume of weekend play, so mid-week visits are recommended for a relaxed round. The valley setting with views toward the Cascade foothills provides pleasant scenery, and the course conditions are generally well maintained for a public facility operating in western Washington's challenging rainfall climate.
Planning a Golf Trip to Washington State
Western Washington receives substantial rainfall from October through April, and while courses remain open year-round, the best conditions for firm-ground play fall between June and September. Eastern Washington courses like Gamble Sands are best in summer, when the dry climate produces the firm, fast surfaces the design was built for — spring shoulder months are also excellent before the summer heat arrives. Green fees across the state range from under $50 at municipal tracks to over $150 at the premium resort courses. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport provides easy access to the western courses; eastern Washington courses require a two-and-a-half-hour drive east over the Cascades. Open the map to plot your Washington State itinerary.