David McLay Kidd’s 14-hole QuickSands short course has opened for play at Gamble Sands in Brewster, Washington.

QuickSands is laid out on a 25-acre parcel of rolling sand dunes to the east of the Gamble Sands clubhouse, between the range and the entry road. It has holes varying between 60 and 180 yards, each designed to offer a unique challenge to a golfer’s skills and imagination. The holes carry names such as Plinko, Crater, Donut and Corkscrew.

The layout joins the resort’s 18-hole Sands course, which opened for play in 2014, and the 100,000-square-foot Cascades putting course that followed shortly afterwards.

“Short courses are all the rage and so they should be, golfers love short holes, it’s a chance for success, it’s immediate gratification,” said McLay Kidd. “QuickSands, however, has a different twist, wild holes, impossible to replicate on full course. If you ask for the yardage, you’re not getting the concept, it’s about reading the ground and imagining a shot, maybe it’s a chipped seven iron or a low checking wedge, it might even be a putter off the tee, it could be every one of those shots in the same group.”

Construction began in winter 2020, with grassing taking place in June. McLay Kidd and partner Nick Schaan were both on site working with the construction crew, running equipment and shaping with hand tools.

A sound system has also been installed on the course.

“The Gamble Sands family is truly excited to begin play on QuickSands,” said project manager Tory Wulf. “We know that our guests will enjoy the golf experience that DMK and our crew has produced. We can’t wait to see and hear how much fun folks will have!”