The Bellingham Amateur Open

Description

The Bellingham Amateur Open takes place August 29-30, 2026 at Sudden Valley Golf Course. This open amateur event features individual competition using Stableford scoring, rewarding consistent play throughout the tournament.

Sudden Valley Golf Course

WA, United States

Sudden Valley Golf Course is an 18-hole course located in Bellingham, Washington, bordering the shores of Lake Whatcom. The front nine features relatively open and flat terrain with generous fairway landing areas and large greens, while the back nine follows a ridge uphill with narrow evergreen-fringed fairways and smaller, more character-filled greens. The course is considered a masterpiece emphasizing finesse and accuracy, with water hazards present on fourteen of the eighteen holes and approximately forty-seven bunkers distributed throughout. Course ratings range from 63.0 to 77.7 depending on tee selection, with slope ratings between 106 and 143. Sudden Valley has hosted significant tournaments, including the 2019 US Senior Open Qualifier and the Washington State Women's Amateur, establishing it as a premier golf destination in the region. The combination of water hazards, strategic bunkering, and varied terrain across the front and back nines creates a challenging layout that rewards both strategic play and precision shot-making.