The Best Golf Courses in Washington State
From a US Open links above Puget Sound to a minimalist masterpiece on the high desert bluffs of the Columbia, Washington holds some of the most varied public golf in America, with a pair of private gems to match. Our ranked eight across the state, with verdicts, access notes and how to play them.
How we ranked them
Washington is two golf states in one. West of the Cascades, the wet, green Puget Sound country gives you a genuine US Open venue and a pair of the Northwest's best private clubs. East of the mountains, the dry, sunny high desert and the wine and wheat country hold a run of destination public courses that have quietly become some of the most talked about in the country. The best of it is dramatic, walkable and, more often than not, open to anyone willing to book. We weighed the quality and originality of the design, the conditioning and the strength of the routing, the tournament pedigree, and how easily a visiting golfer can get on.
Every fact here, the designers, the opening years, the championships and the access, was checked at the time of writing in June 2026 by the GolfForKings editorial desk against the clubs and recognized course databases. Green fees swing with the season and the day, so treat any numbers as a guide and always confirm directly before booking. The verdicts are ours. If your group wants any of these built into a costed itinerary, that is exactly what our concierge does.
The 8 best golf courses in Washington State
Chambers Bay
The headline. Robert Trent Jones Jr carved a vertical, treeless links from an old sand and gravel quarry above Puget Sound, and in 2015 it hosted the US Open. Firm, fast and walking only, with a lone fir tree, vast fescue fairways and views across the water to the islands, it is a true championship test and the most ambitious public course in the Northwest. A bucket list round for any traveling golfer.
Gamble Sands
The course that put eastern Washington on the golf map. David McLay Kidd's wide, joyful design sits on sandy bluffs above the Columbia River, all huge fairways, big greens and almost no rough, built to be playable and fun for every level while still rewarding the bold. With a lodge, a short course and a second eighteen on site, it is a destination resort and, for many, the most enjoyable golf in the state.
Sahalee Country Club
The cathedral of Northwest golf. Cut through towering Douglas firs and cedars east of Seattle, Sahalee is a tight, demanding parkland test that asks for pinpoint driving down its tree lined corridors. It hosted the 1998 PGA Championship and the 2002 World Golf Championship and remains the state's premier private members club. Access is the only caveat; the golf is championship through and through.
Aldarra Golf Club
A Tom Fazio design on the old Boeing family estate in the Snoqualmie Valley east of Seattle, Aldarra is widely rated among the finest private courses in the Northwest. Rolling, beautifully conditioned and routed with Fazio's trademark variety across meadow and forest, it is a connoisseur's members club and a regular near the top of state rankings.
Wine Valley Golf Club
Set on an expansive site below the Blue Mountains in Washington's wine country, Wine Valley is a Dan Hixson design of broad, rumpled fairways and clever, exposed green complexes that play firm and strategic in the eastern sun. Big, bold and consistently ranked among the best public courses in the state, it pairs naturally with a Walla Walla wine weekend.
Palouse Ridge Golf Club
The university course done right. John Harbottle III routed Palouse Ridge across the rolling wheat hills of the Palouse at Washington State University in Pullman, a big, windswept layout with long views and bold contouring. Affordable, public and genuinely strong, it is the best golf in the southeast corner of the state and a worthwhile detour on an eastern Washington tour.
Suncadia, Prospector Course
An hour and a half east of Seattle in the Cascade foothills at Cle Elum, the Prospector course at Suncadia climbs through pine forest and meadow with mountain air and dramatic elevation change. A four season resort with lodging, a spa and a relaxed pace, it is the most accessible mountain golf in the state and an easy weekend from the city.
The Home Course
The state golf association's own links style course on the shore of Puget Sound at DuPont, near Chambers Bay, The Home Course has hosted US Open and US Amateur qualifying and offers firm, open, walkable golf with water views. Public, well run and a natural pairing with Chambers Bay for a south Sound golf day.
Designers, opening years, championships and access verified June 2026 by the GolfForKings editorial desk from the clubs and recognized course databases. Chambers Bay, Gamble Sands, Wine Valley, Palouse Ridge, Suncadia and The Home Course are public; Sahalee and Aldarra are private members clubs. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking.
Check tee time availability Best golf courses in the United States
Where they are, and indicative costs
Washington's best golf splits cleanly across the Cascades. On the Puget Sound side, Chambers Bay and The Home Course sit south of Tacoma, with Sahalee and Aldarra in the wooded suburbs east of Seattle. Over the mountains, Suncadia is the gateway in the Cascade foothills, while Gamble Sands above the Columbia, Wine Valley in Walla Walla and Palouse Ridge in Pullman anchor the sunnier, drier east. Seattle Tacoma airport serves the western courses; a road trip with a hire car is the way to string the eastern destinations together, with Gamble Sands about three hours from Seattle and Walla Walla about four. Pair the eastern golf with the wine country and you have one of the best value golf weeks in the West.
| Item | Indicative 2026 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Public destination green fee | Around US$120 to US$300 | Chambers Bay and Gamble Sands in peak season, lower off peak |
| Public resort green fee | Around US$70 to US$160 | Wine Valley, Palouse Ridge, Suncadia and The Home Course |
| A golf weekend, all in | Around US$1,000 to US$2,500 per person | Lodging, several rounds, car, excluding flights |
Indicative third party figures for the 2026 season, shown to set expectations only. We are a guide, not an operator, and never quote our own pricing. Always confirm directly before booking.
Plan your Washington golf trip
Tell us the courses you want and roughly when. One concierge costs the whole trip to the head, secures the tee times and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
Washington golf questions
What is the best golf course in Washington State?
Chambers Bay, the Robert Trent Jones Jr links near Tacoma that hosted the 2015 US Open, is our pick for the best course in Washington you can play. Gamble Sands, the David McLay Kidd minimalist masterpiece above the Columbia River, runs it close. Our ranking weighs the design, the conditioning and how easily a visitor can get on.
When is the best time to play golf in Washington State?
May to September is the prime season, with the driest, warmest weather and long daylight. The eastern half of the state around Gamble Sands and Wine Valley plays well from spring into autumn and is sunnier than the wetter Puget Sound side. Winter golf is possible in milder spells but conditions are soft.
Are the best Washington golf courses open to visitors?
Many are public, including Chambers Bay, Gamble Sands, Wine Valley, Palouse Ridge, Suncadia and The Home Course, all open to visiting golfers by booking. Sahalee and Aldarra are private members clubs. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts verified June 2026; green fees indicative for the 2026 season, always confirm directly before booking. Last reviewed June 2026.