Gamble Sands’ bold new course delivers thrills, beauty and a touch of danger

BY Tony Dear • CG Editor

No matter how much you’ve read about it already, regardless of how many photographs you’ve seen, and irrespective of how often you’ve looked across at the site when arriving at Gamble Sands for a round on the Gamble Sands Course, nothing can fully prepare you for what you’re about to experience on Scarecrow, the resort’s new 18-holer that opens on Aug. 1.

Because you’ve played Gamble Sands, you’ll know where you are. The new course’s DNA is very similar to that of its much-loved older sibling — generous landing areas mean it’s playable for everybody — but there are holes on Scarecrow, several in fact, that you’re going to have to play a few times to fully appreciate.

On your first go round, you’ll certainly enjoy their obvious beauty, and on the second trip you’ll begin to get an idea of the details — the contours, ridges, hollows, and speed slots you might have missed on your first loop, but which make Scarecrow that rare, but revered, type of golf course. It’s one that high handicappers will fondly remember and be able to complete without losing any golf balls (well, maybe a couple) but one which scratch players will need to respect if they are to have any chance of matching the par of 71.

We’re loathe to sing its praises too loudly because we know it’s human nature to downplay the jubilant promoter, the exuberant supporter’s enthusiasm (we always wonder what the person who shrugs their shoulders and says “meh” knows that we don’t). But you try playing Scarecrow without coming off the 18th green and immediately wanting to take it on again. Stifle your “wow” and “OMG” if you must but see if you can make it home without saying to no one in particular that you just played an incredible golf course.

Scarecrow will always be known as a David McLay Kidd design. It’s his name over the door and, as the founder and principal of the firm that created it, everything must go through him. But it was his design partner, Nick Schaan, who labored over the routing, features, and particulars the most. It was he who was there day-to-day ensuring everything was in its proper place. Schaan joined Kidd’s company in 2006 and was made a partner in 2015 — shortly before he and his boss began routing Gamble’s second 18.

The Gebbers family, which owns Gamble Sands, decided to double down for good reason: the Gamble Sands Course had been open for a couple of years and spurred on by its success and the knowledge that for a golf resort to fully realize its potential and command greater attention, it needed at least 36 holes.

And there was so much great golf land still available on the property. Golfers who made the long journey up the approach road to the clubhouse in the resort’s early days always knew there was plenty of land for another course to the north of the original. But the general feeling was it didn’t look quite as dramatic or as conducive to great golf as the site for the Gamble Sands course. So, it was a pleasant surprise in 2017 and 2018 when reports began emerging that Kidd considered it the equal of that first plot, if not better.

Still, a modicum of doubt remained, and it was only after Covid that journalists and visitors lucky enough to get a tour realized Kidd had been speaking the truth, that there might indeed be sufficient interest in the land for the second course to rival its predecessor.

Schaan says that, although Scarecrow’s general routing remained much the same between 2016 and now, several of the holes saw modifications or had their par changed. That’s bound to happen on any site, even one where so many holes and features identify themselves early.

“The site for the 2nd green was obvious,” Schaan says. “But originally it was at the end of an opening par 5 that we ultimately rejected because there were so much good movement and so many interesting slopes to fit into just one hole.”

The stretch between the 9th and 12th was quickly apparent, too, says Schaan, and the incredible par-3 16th was a cornerstone that was among the first holes to be built.

“And we knew we wanted the hole before the 16th to be a long hole on the ridge skirting the canyon to the right,” says Schaan. “There was another terrific green site on the high ground close to the 15th tee and, working back up the hill the 14th fairway became obvious, too.”

The two holes swapped pars, however.

“When we worked through 14, it just didn’t work in the field as it did on paper,” says Schaan.

However, the pars worked out, 14 and 15 will be two of the holes you remember the longest. So interesting and full of options are they, you will surely have decided the route you’ll be taking to the cup the next time you’re here by the time you’ve completed your initial incursion.

Like the 1st, the home hole started out as a par 5 but Tory Wulf, the project manager and part of the Gebbers family, stood in the bowl that now forms the 17th green and announced it was too good not to use, so the plans changed again.

“We really wanted a short par-4 down the finishing stretch,” says Schaan. “The canyon edge was difficult to incorporate but, by making the 18th an almost drivable par 4, we found what we think is going to be a very exciting finish to the round.”

Discussion over which of the two courses at Gamble Sands is better will continue long into the night and probably beyond.

Schaan says the biggest differences are the greens and what he calls “living on the edge.”

“The total square footage of the greens is about 60 percent of the Gamble Sands Course,” he says. “But they’re more contoured with more defined hole locations which makes placement of the tee shot a bit more important.”

Just as with the Sands layout, there are ‘friendly’ contours around Scarecrow’s greens. But these are smaller and take a bit more finding, says Schaan.

As for living on the edge, a number of fairways and greens get perilously close to canyon edges which, says Schaan, makes Scarecrow a touch more dangerous, tempting you to be heroic.

How close you go is entirely up to you; the closer you get, the more advantage you’ll gain. That’s classic golf design strategy and when you combine it with a setting as unforgettable as that at Gamble Sands, the result is very special.

Be sure to tell us which of the two courses you prefer. We’re sure recency-bias will give Scarecrow the lead for a while, but we’ll never lose sight of how good the Gamble Sands Course is and, right now, we can’t make up our minds.

Oh well, we’ll just have to play each course dozens more times before deciding.