New David McLay Kidd design wows raters and guests
BREWSTER, WASH. – Scarecrow, the new David McLay Kidd-designed golf course at Gamble Sands Resort in Brewster, Washington, has been named “Best New Public Course of 2025” by Golf Digest and the “Best New Resort Course” by Sports Illustrated. Scarecrow opened for public play on August 1, and after only being open 80 days in 2025, has wowed raters and guests with its stunning, fun-to-play layout overlooking the Columbia River Valley. The new Golf Digest honor comes 11 years after the world’s leading golf media brand named the property’s original Gamble Sands Course “Best New Public Course of 2014.”
The Golf Digest rankings of best new public, private, renovation and transformation will appear in the February print issue of the magazine and are currently on GolfDigest.com. The rankings are based on hundreds of evaluations submitted by their traveling course-ranking panelists and are a reflection of the architectural merits of each course. Panelists assess candidate courses based on the following criteria: Shot Options, Challenge, Design Variety, Conditioning, Aesthetics, Character and Fun.
Sports Illustrated’s “Best New Resort Course” recognition was published on December 31 on www.Si.com, with journalist Joe Passov declaring, “…it’s the eye candy moments that truly resonate, especially at holes 9, 10, and 11, which boast glorious views of the Columbia River and of the apple and cherry orchards owned by the Gebbers family, the same folks that developed Gamble Sands. As evidenced by the reception to Scarecrow, we can declare a bumper crop of great new golf holes in 2025.”
Scarecrow also recently debuted at No. 73 on Golfweek’s “Best 2026 Top 200 Resort Golf Courses in the U.S.” ranking, with Travel Editor Jason Lusk predicting, “Expect to see the brand-new Scarecrow climb in the rankings in the coming years.” The Gamble Sands Course is ranked T20 on Golfweek’s prestigious new Top Resort Course ranking.
“In the past I have always shied away from sequels, but Scarecrow had a ‘script’ that was so strong I believed it could truly rival the OG. Seems the fans of Gamble Sands agree,” said McLay Kidd. “I knew that when I first visited Gamble Sands the best land was under what is now Scarecrow but for one reason or another we couldn’t build there first. A decade later it was possible and we knew it was an incredible site with at least as much potential as the original course. We wanted to create something different and yet the same, a conundrum we chewed at length. What should we carry from the first course to the second and what should we leave behind. The tight fescue and prominent ground game are the core of the resort’s identity, but the strategy could be unique to Scarecrow which included tighter scoring lines and more testing recovery play.”
Built on 300 acres of rumpled and rolling terrain where cornfields once stood, Scarecrow watches over the neighboring apple and cherry orchards of the Gebbers’ family farm. The corn is gone but the Scarecrow still stands, serving as a defender of the fertile soil’s new purpose. In Scarecrow, McLay Kidd and design associate Nick Schaan transformed a twisted saddle of undulating land and river-view ridgeline into what golfers have found to be a worthy yet contrasting counterpart to their award-winning Gamble Sands Course.
Scarecrow plays to a par of 71, stretches to 6,900 yards and is turfed with traditional fine fescue, which provides for firm and fast surfaces. One of the most visually compelling courses anywhere in North America, Scarecrow begins with a rollicking downhill par 4 with a blind tee shot to a massive fairway and ends with a drivable par 4 with a green that is perched on the edge of a cliff. Throughout the round speed slots, boomerangs, angles and slopes spark creativity and add to the fun, while a mix of reachable par 5s, five distinct par 3s and challenging par 4s combine to deliver an unforgettable golf experience.
With 50 holes of golf, including two 18-hole McLay Kidd-designed championship courses and a fun-to-play 14-hole McLay Kidd-designed short course (Quicksands), a 100,000-square-foot Cascades Putting Course, 77 luxury rooms at The Inn at Gamble Sands, as well as multiple food and beverage options, Gamble Sands is a premier Top 100 golf resort destination. The property’s original Gamble Sands Course is currently No. 14 on GOLF Magazine’s “Top 100 Courses You Can Play” ranking and is firmly entrenched as a Top 100 golf course in the United States.
For more information on Gamble Sands, visit www.gamblesands.com or call 509-436-8323.
About Gamble Sands
Located in Central Washington in the town of Brewster, the 7,169-yard Gamble Sands Course opened for public play in 2014 among widespread industry acclaim. Both GOLF Magazine and Golf Digest named it the “Best New” golf course of 2014. It is currently listed among “Golfweek’s Best: Modern Courses,” and on Golf Digest’s ranking of America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses. Scarecrow, Gamble Sands second 18-hole McLay Kidd-designed course, opened to rave reviews in August 2025. Located in the high desert overlooking the Columbia River with sandy soil, the courses at Gamble Sands are all turfed with traditional fine fescue grass which provides firm and fast surfaces. In addition to 50 holes of golf, Gamble Sands also offers a complete practice facility, a well-equipped golf shop, Danny Boy Bar & Grill, The Barn restaurant and lodging at The Inn at Gamble Sands featuring meeting and event space.
About Troon
Gamble Sands is managed by Troon. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Troon is the world’s largest golf and golf-related hospitality management company providing services at 950-plus locations in 45-plus states and 40-plus countries, including operational responsibility for 575-plus 18-hole equivalent golf courses. In addition to golf, Troon specializes in homeowner association management, private residence clubs, estate management and associated hospitality venues. Troon’s award-winning food and beverage division operates and manages 600-plus food and beverage operations located at golf resorts, private clubs, daily fee golf courses and recreational facilities. For additional news and information, visit www.Troon.com.