Chambers Bay links and dunes above Puget Sound near Tacoma, Washington
Ranked · 8 courses · updated 2026

The Best Golf Courses in Washington State

Washington runs from a true links above Puget Sound to David McLay Kidd's sandy masterpiece in the high desert and the fir framed championship test of Sahalee. The variety is the appeal: ocean links, mountain minimalism, Palouse hills and wine country golf, much of it gloriously public. Here are the eight we rate most highly, ranked, with our verdict on each and how to play it.

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By the GolfForKings editorial desk · How we rank · Last reviewed June 2026

Photograph: Chambers Bay Golf Course, via Google

How we chose them

Washington is one of the most varied golf states in the country, and a complete top eight has to capture that range. West of the Cascades, around Seattle and Tacoma, sits a true U.S. Open links at Chambers Bay alongside the tree lined championship golf of Sahalee and Aldarra. East of the mountains, the climate flips to high desert, where David McLay Kidd's Gamble Sands above the Columbia River and the treeless, windswept courses of Walla Walla and the Palouse play firm and fast all summer. We weighed design quality, conditioning, championship pedigree and the pleasure of the round, and we leaned toward the many superb public courses that make Washington such an accessible trip.

Every fact here, from designers and opening years to host events, was checked at the time of writing. Where a course is a private members club we say so plainly. Five of these eight are fully public and bookable directly, which is rare among great golf states and a big part of why Washington rewards a travelling golfer. The verdicts and the order are ours, and reasonable people will reorder the top three. If you want any of these built into a costed trip, that is exactly what our concierge does.

The ranking

01

Chambers Bay

Robert Trent Jones II, 2007 · University Place · public

The most famous course in the state and a genuine links on American soil, carved by Robert Trent Jones II from an old sand and gravel quarry above Puget Sound. It opened in 2007 and, astonishingly fast, hosted the 2015 U.S. Open, a fescue clad, treeless, walking only expanse of huge dunes and a single lone fir. The conditions and the firm, fast ground divide opinion, but few American courses look or play more like a British links, and the views across the Sound to the Olympic Mountains are extraordinary. It is fully public, owned by Pierce County, which makes the best course in Washington one you can simply book. A bucket list round.

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02

Gamble Sands

David McLay Kidd, 2014 · Brewster · public

The course that put the Washington high desert on the golf map, and a regular pick as the best public course in the state. David McLay Kidd, the architect of Bandon Dunes, built it in 2014 on sand dunes high above the Columbia River, and it is everything modern golf travel wants: wide, forgiving fairways, vast sandy contours, huge greens and a generous playing width that makes it fun for everyone while still rewarding the bold line. The setting, looking out over the river and the orchards of the Columbia basin, is sweeping and serene. Add the Quicksands short course and the newer Scarecrow, and Gamble Sands is a destination in its own right.

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03

Sahalee Country Club

Ted Robinson, 1969 · Sammamish · private

The cathedral of Washington golf, a championship parkland course routed by Ted Robinson in 1969 through towering Douglas firs, cedars and hemlocks on the Sammamish plateau east of Seattle. The trees are the whole defence, framing every fairway like a tunnel and demanding precise, controlled ball striking off the tee. Sahalee hosted the 1998 PGA Championship, where Vijay Singh won the first of his majors, along with a U.S. Senior Open and, more recently, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, a championship pedigree no other course in the state can match. A private members club, and the most demanding tee to green test in Washington.

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04

Aldarra Golf Club

Tom Fazio, 2001 · Fall City · private

Tom Fazio's first course in the Pacific Northwest, built in 2001 on rolling former farmland near Fall City that once belonged to the Boeing family. It is a quieter, more natural counterpoint to Sahalee, a flowing, walkable parkland layout that uses the gentle contours of the land rather than fighting them, with excellent green complexes and the polished conditioning Fazio courses are known for. It ranks consistently among the best in the state and the country, and its secluded, members first character makes a round here feel like a privilege. Private, so access comes through a member. One of the finest modern designs in the region.

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05

Wine Valley Golf Club

Dan Hixson, 2009 · Walla Walla · public

The under the radar star of eastern Washington, a Dan Hixson design that opened in 2009 on open farmland outside Walla Walla and is a genuine contender for the best course in the state, public or private. With almost no trees, the defence is the wind, the bold bunkering and the rumpled, links like ground, and the wide fairways give way to clever, exacting approaches. Set against the Blue Mountains in the heart of Washington's wine country, it pairs golf and vineyards better than anywhere in the state, and it is fully public. A long drive from Seattle, and worth every mile.

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06

Tumble Creek at Suncadia

Tom Doak · Cle Elum · private

Tom Doak's Washington course, laid out on high ground above the Cle Elum River in the Cascades at the Suncadia resort. It has the minimalist, strategic character that defines Doak's best work, fairways that flow with the natural terrain, bold and varied greens, and big mountain views of the surrounding peaks. The cool, pine scented setting and the firm, well drained ground make it one of the most enjoyable rounds in the state for a thinking golfer. It is the private course at Suncadia, so access runs through membership or the resort's arrangements, but on design quality it sits firmly among the state's elite.

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07

Palouse Ridge Golf Club

John Harbottle III, 2008 · Pullman · public

The best collegiate course in the country and a brilliant public option, the home course of Washington State University in Pullman. The late John Harbottle III reimagined an older nine into a sweeping, big shouldered eighteen that opened in 2008, rolling over the treeless hills of the Palouse with dramatic elevation change, long views and bold, muscular bunkering. It plays firm and breezy, like the inland links it resembles, and it is excellent value and fully public. A long way from the Seattle courses, but a natural pairing with Wine Valley on an eastern Washington golf trip.

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08

Salish Cliffs Golf Club

Gene Bates, 2011 · Shelton · public

The best of the South Sound, a Gene Bates design that opened in 2011 on the Squaxin Island Tribe's land near Shelton and routinely tops the polls for visitor experience and conditioning. Cut through dense evergreen forest with the fairways isolated hole by hole, it is a peaceful, immaculately kept parkland course with generous landing areas, smart green sites and a real sense of seclusion. Attached to the Little Creek resort and casino, it is fully public and easy to build into a trip, a polished, accessible round that rounds out a Washington top eight without the membership barriers of the private clubs.

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Designers, opening years and host events verified June 2026. Sahalee, Aldarra and Tumble Creek are private members clubs; the rest are public or resort access. Course profiles are added across the site as the directory grows. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking. Check tee time availability.

Play the best of Washington

Tell us which of these are on your list, the Puget Sound links and parkland, Gamble Sands in the high desert, or an eastern Washington wine country leg, and roughly when. One concierge arranges the tee times and the base and costs the trip to the head, with no obligation.

Washington golf questions

What is the best golf course in Washington State?

Chambers Bay, the Robert Trent Jones II links above Puget Sound that hosted the 2015 U.S. Open, is our pick and the most celebrated course in the state, and it is fully public so you can play it. For pure design quality some rate David McLay Kidd's Gamble Sands or the private Sahalee even higher, and reasonable people reorder the top three.

Can you play the best Washington courses as a visitor?

Several of the very best are public and bookable directly, including Chambers Bay, Gamble Sands, Wine Valley, Palouse Ridge and Salish Cliffs. Sahalee, Aldarra and Tumble Creek are private and run through a member or the resort. Always confirm access and fees directly before booking.

Where is the best golf in Washington State?

It splits across the state. The Puget Sound area around Seattle and Tacoma has Chambers Bay, Sahalee and Aldarra; the high desert by the Columbia River has Gamble Sands; and the east, around Walla Walla and Pullman, has Wine Valley and Palouse Ridge. A trip usually pairs the Sound courses with either Gamble Sands or an eastern Washington leg.

When is the best time to play golf in Washington State?

Summer and early autumn, roughly late June to early October, are the prime months, when the Pacific Northwest is at its driest and warmest and the courses are firm and fast. The high desert at Gamble Sands and the east around Walla Walla and Pullman enjoy a longer, hotter, drier season. West of the Cascades, golf is playable year round but wet in winter. Always check the forecast for your dates.

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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course designers, opening years and host events verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.