For some, the summer solstice is just one day. For golfers like me it is a state of mind. The days are long, the golf is in peak form and copious amounts of golf is being played. This is better than the holiday season, this is the solstice season.
I was fresh off of the One Hundred Hole Hike at East Potomac and I was heading into the Chambers Bay Solstice. Once again, the goal was to raise money for the local community and you can still donate here to support local junior golf. Our secondary goal was to go around the golf course 4 times and play 72 holes. Even with my previous experience at East Potomac, I knew that this would be a tall order with the mighty elevation changes at Chambers Bay. Here are the highlights from my Chambers Bay Solstice experience.
The People
As is almost always the case, the people that you play golf with will be the most memorable part of any worthwhile golf experience. That was certainly the case for the Chambers Bay Solstice. I played with First Tee Program Director Evan Johnsen, 4x Sahalee Club Champion Ben Garrett and my best man John Kennelly. These guys made the 26.36 miles that we walked feel like a short trip around the local muni. We amassed an unprecedented amount of inappropriate one liners and even managed to hit a few good golf shots. Having a great group of friends to share in the experience made the 2024 Chambers Bay Solstice special.
The Nutrition
On my Hundred Hole Hike, I shared my 8 pillars of survival. Perhaps the most important of those 8 pillars were the benefits of eating properly. Fortunately, the Chambers Bay Solstice folks have the nutrition pillar completely dialed in. There is always something nutritious available to eat after every round and everything is focused on making sure that your body is in peak performance mode.
Hard boiled eggs
Nuts, raisins and snackos
Water, whole bunches of water
Peanut butter jelly sandos
Turkey, lettuce and ranch wraps
Sausage, egg and cheese, breakfast sandwiches
Champagne toast. I used water to celebrate my 19 years of sobriety.
The Architecture
Not only is Chambers Bay a beautiful golf course but it is filled with strategic and well constructed architecture. Several of these holes are like none other that you can play in the United States. The conditioning of the greens is simply the only thing holding this golf course back from being a top 10 public golf course. Here are a handful of my favorite strategic golf holes.
Hole #5
The first shot at Chambers Bay that offers a downhill dramatic view does not disappoint. Golfers have the option to lay back and find a large swath of fairway or they can attempt to pump one deep where the chute narrows. A miss left or right of the fairway is certain to provide a very difficult approach to a challenging green.
The second hole is an ode to the 14th hole at Royal Dornoch. The share the same moniker, “Foxy.” Foxy indeed.
The 3rd hole is a spectacularly fun redan hole. This redan usually plays firm and allows golf balls to roll along the undulations providing the golfer with excitement and a chance at an ace.
Hole #7
This uphill par 4 gives the golfers all sorts of options from the tee. If you can hug the hazard on the right you have earned yourself a direct sight line to the flag. There is plenty of the room to the left, but if you opt with the safe and easy drive, your approach shot will be further away and visually obstructed by the two large fairway mounds. It’s a decision unlike any other in America.
Hole #8
How can a dead straight par 5 provide significant strategic merit? The answer lies in the dirt. How the golfer handles the undulations on and around the green will dictate your final score. See that ridge that streaks down the center of the landing area? A shot that lands on the high side of that ridge will set the golf up with a perfect scoring chance, Bailing out to the right will increase the difficulty and any shot that gets stuck on the hillside is near certain disaster.
The Ace Hunt
As a man that has exactly zero aces to his name, the Chambers Bay Solstice was a prime opportunity to capture that elusive first ace. In addition to the 16 attempts, I was going to have one major advantage over an ordinary day of golf with just 18 holes. I was playing every one of the par 3 holes 4 times. I was going to know exactly what club to hit and how to play the slopes perfectly at Chambers Bay.
This benefit lead to some thrilling close calls early on. As our golf balls spilled off of the slopes and trundled down towards the pin flag we were certain that one of them was going to hit the flag and disappear. There were several very close calls on #9 and #3. The sort of close call that makes your heart skip a beat. Unfortunately, none of them disappeared.
The Finish
The best part about playing 72 holes of golf is finally being done. Towards the end, fatigue really starts to take a toll on your legs and the golf begins to feel more like a chore. Fortunately, the sunsets over Chambers Bay are spectacular and then final 9 holes that day was so good that we ignored our aching legs and decided to play one more for a total of 73.
We ended up walking 26.36 miles and playing those 73 holes in just 16 hours. It was one of those days that you put in your golf resume and remember for quite some time.
