Gamble Sands

Gamble Sands opened the resort in 2014, and David McLay Kidd's par-72 routing over 7,151 yards above the Columbia River quickly picked up Golf Digest's Best New Course award—proof that a course can be both a serious test and genuinely fun to play.

Fairways run wide and forgiving off the tee; the trouble shows up around the greens, where the ground game matters more than the air game.

Hole 2 · 340 yards

The architect's favorite

David McLay Kidd has called the short second his favorite hole on the property, and the tee shot explains why—340 yards falling away beneath the widest view on the bluff, the Columbia threading the orchards far below. Chase it with driver or lay back to a wedge; either way the ground does half the work.