Making the Grade
From a one-year-old phenom to a 111-year-old veteran, here are the new courses among the 2008 Top 100 You Can Play

No. 8
Chambers Bay Golf Course

Having been named the site of the 2015 U.S. Open, Chambers Bay doesn't suffer from a lack of accolades, but this spiritual cousin to Ballybunion does suffer from misconceptions.

First, unlike Bandon Dunes, which can be challenging to get to, Chambers Bay is practically a suburban park course, just minutes from downtown Tacoma and 45 minutes from Seattle-Tacoma Airport.

Second, don't let the tips yardage of 7,585 bother you: the slope from the back tees is only 135, so while this walking-only track will test your hamstrings, you'll find it tough to lose a ball, which might be the true genius of the design.

Third, for anyone who has a preconceived notion of what a Robert Trent Jones II design is supposed to look like, forget it. Chambers Bay is a true collaboration of the RTJ II team — Bruce Charlton, Jay Blasi and Jones himself — and the course is a strategic masterpiece with wild elevation changes, split fairways, enormous dunes, tattered-edge bunkers and stunning scenery. We can't wait for the 2015 Open.

Credit: Aidan Bradley/Chambers Bay Golf Club