August 10 – 14, 2025
We made our annual trip to Brewster, Washington, to play golf at the Gamble Sands Golf Course. This trip is special as we were once again wanting to play that course along with a good friend from the Methow Valley, but to also play the new course called Scarecrow which opened just a couple of weeks earlier. We always stay at the course as the rooms are fantastic and make your stay comfortable. There is a shuttle back and forth from the rooms to the pro shop, restaurants, and the course. The pro shop is small but well-staffed and contains all the goodies you would like to buy for mementoes. The staff at the pro shop, hotels, as well as the restaurants are all very nice. You will have the most interactions with the outside staff that includes the starter and the cart attendants. They are all extremely nice and are there to make sure you enjoy your experience. Just a quick note on the Barn and the Danny Boy restaurant. The noise level that you will encounter within these facilities is almost unbearable. If you are lucky enough to be there when there are very few people within them, you will enjoy the food and drink. However, if you are there when there are a number of people there, you will not be able to hear yourself think, let alone be able to talk to others at your table without yelling, adding to the noise. Make sure to get reservations a year in advance at the Danny Boy restaurant, as we found out after we arrived that there were no reservations available. We did however, show up early and they got us a seat on a couple of nights, so we felt lucky. If you feel like leaving the area and going out to eat, there are a couple restaurants in the town of Brewster, however, we would recommend Lone Point Cellars for a great meal, glass of wine, and or a beer. We were lucky enough to have some friends, Clint and Lina Estes, from the Methow Valley drive down to join us for dinner one evening. We were seated in one of the ski-lift like tables that overlooks the valley below. Absolutely beautiful setting and a great place to enjoy food and conversation.
Onto the golf courses. The main course, Gamble Sands, was in great shape. The fairways, bunkers, and the greens were very well maintained. They start you off on the first tee roughly 10 to 15 minutes apart, which helps with the pace of play. There is a halfway house between holes 9 and 10 which has all kinds of food, drinks, and snacks to get you through to the end. Additionally, as the weather is usually very warm during the summer in Central Washington, the course places water at various places along the way to keep you hydrated. After our morning round with our buddy Clint, we decided to play it again in the afternoon. 36 holes in 90 degree plus weather will make you thirsty for sure, stay hydrated. Note: There was a little confusion regarding the replay rates and courses. Make sure to verify both when deciding to do a replay.
The Scarecrow course was, as stated, just opened a couple of weeks prior to us playing it. The newness showed with firm fairways and greens. The course layout was great, making you think strategically about how to play each hole. We heard multiple players state that the course was fun and that it will only get better as it matures. I personally found it fun to play as well, and agree that it will only get better. The greens and fairways were excellent. The bunkers need some work, but were played as waste areas which made it fair. The halfway house attendant was very nice and the house was well stocked with food, drink, snacks, as well as ice and water. The views on part of the course, especially holes 10 and 11, were awesome of the valley and river below. You can also see the main lodge and buildings across the way. Overall, we cannot wait to get back to play this course again next year.
Course Price – 
Course Condition – Birdie
Course Amenities – Birdie
Course Personnel – Birdie
Overall Course Rating – Birdie
