Chelan Golf

[leejohnkieh]

Going to Lake Chelan at the end of June and want to know which 2 courses to play?

 

Bear Mountain

Lake Chelan Municipal

Alta Lake

Desert Canyon

Gamble Sands

[tom.d.morris]

I have played lake Chelan and gamble sands. I know many people who have played bear mountain. Of those 3 Chelan is a typical muni. Nothing special but fine. Bear mountain is in good shape but lots of blind shots. Gamble sands is outstanding. I loved it could not recommend it more. I would honestly play gamble sands twice over the others.

[leejohnkieh]

I have played lake Chelan and gamble sands. I know many people who have played bear mountain. Of those 3 Chelan is a typical muni. Nothing special but fine. Bear mountain is in good shape but lots of blind shots. Gamble sands is outstanding. I loved it could not recommend it more. I would honestly play gamble sands twice over the others.

Nice. I'll play GS and then if I like it enough I'll do it again the next day.

[R4haehl]

Definitely play Gamble Sands, without a doubt. Played there 2 years ago and some buddies and I just booked a trip later this summer to stay at Gamble Sands and get as many rounds in as we can in 2 days. 2 of the guys did that 2 years ago and got 3 rounds in a single day. About an hour drive from Chelan.

 

I have also played Lake Chelan Muni and it is nothing special, but it is close if you are staying in Chelan... Dont have intel on the others as I have not played them. Last time I was there we were gonna play Alta Lake but there were fires in the area and it was closed.

[ryu123]

Of the five courses listed in the original post I've only played Desert Canyon & Gamble Sands.

 

Like tom.d.morris I would play Gamble twice.

 

(Personally, I think Gamble is one of the best courses in the state, along with Wine Valley & Chambers Bay.)

[BirdieRoll]

+1. I'll be visiting Chelan in July and will be playing Gamble twice. Might take a caddie for the first round for fun, too.

[leejohnkieh]

I think I'm going to be making an early trip to Gamble Sands Memorial Day weekend.

 

Looking forward to playing this course after I just played at Chambers Bay yesterday.

[WestCoastHacker]

I've been to the Chelan area twice on golf trips. The first time down we played Gamble Sands and Desert Canyon. The second time down we played all of our golf at Gamble Sands. We didn't go back to Desert Canyon and we didn't bother looking at anything else. Gamble Sands is that good.

 

If you are looking for a little fun off the golf course definitely check out Senor Frogs on the main strip in Chelan. I've never had a bad time there.

[Sneakbox]

Chelan holds a special place with me...I personally have never played GS but will this year. Bear Mountain is a love/hate relationship for most people, but I LOVE it!

 

1.) Bear Mountain (Twilight rate is unbeatable value)

2.) Alta Lake (Funky 3 tiered greens on most holes)

3.) Chelan Muni (Raised green complexes make it tough to hold your approach shots, and if going in July, will be very fast. Putts break back towards the lake...)

4.) Desert Canyon. In terms of value, this is my last place track. You should definitely play it once and form your own opinion. The long downhill par 5 is breathtaking however.

[drewtaylor21]

I've played Desert Canyon, Chelan Muni, and Bear Mountain multiple times. Muni is fun but very simple, definitely just a typical muni course. Worth playing if you don't want to drive and just have an afternoon to kill while the lake is choppy or something. Desert Canyon isn't really worth the drive IMO. Decent track, but just not that great for how out of the way it is. Bear Mountain is fun, and the times I've played it it was in great shape. Great views of the lake on several holes, and the back 9 is fairly interesting. I mean, hard to beat this....

 

 

 

I haven't gotten up to Gamble Sands yet, but as others have mentioned, it is supposed to be fantastic, and definitely one of the best in the state. I'll be in Chelan in another month or so, and I'm hoping to get up there myself!

 

Anyway, my recommendation for 2 courses would be Bear Mountain and Gamble Sands (based on word of mouth)

[leejohnkieh]

yea my plan is to leave seattle thursday night and play GS twice on Friday. Then if I have time the rest of the weekend, to play Bear Mtn or Chelan muni.

 

Thanks for the inputs everyone.

[leejohnkieh]

Tee times set for 10am and 4pm for next friday!

 

So excited.

[Double K]

I'm heading this way in September.

 

Is there anything else within an hour of Lake Chelan I should look into beyond what's listed in this thread?

 

Thanks in advance.

[kaschreiber]

You can hit Suncadia on the way over, if you're taking 90. Our group has done that trip before, we hit everything but the muni (friends have played and echo the same sentiment as here). Our group all preferred Bear Mountain over Gamble, especially if you want to factor in the cost. Bear Mountain also has the best bloody mary's you can probably ever find on a golf course. Alta Lake was a really gimmicky front 9- postage stamp, three tiered greens, but a fun back 9. They also have a little motel that a lot of people head out to, so you get a pretty eclectic mix of people (a lot of non-golfers if that doesn't bother you). Bear Mountain and Gamble are the two of those five I'd say you need to hit.

[Double K]

We booked into Suncadia for a week.

 

I’m assuming I can just play the courses on property? They look to be ok.

 

Bear and Gamble are pretty far from where we are staying. Is there anything else worth playing within an hours drive?

[Cheech n Jon]

For me, I would go with Gamble Sands and Bear Mt. Desert Canyon would be the 1st alternate if I couldn’t make it to the first 2 courses.

[Double K]

Suncadia to Gamble is 140 miles one way. That's a bit too far for one round.