Raynor's Notch--The 8th at Yale

[Noel Freeman]

I am most fortunate to play Yale on a regular basis.  With the recent lack of rain, despite being brown and having poa death (thankfully) in blighty areas, the course is playing like an inland links---ie the way it was supposed to..  A few weeks ago before the uber heat, Scott Ramsey had Yale playing perfectly (without the dead grass) as well, the best I have seen in 5y.  Anyhow, my favorite hole and shots at Yale are the drive and the approach on #8.  A few weeks ago, I hit an absolutely perfect drive there.  From the high tee which is about 400 yards, if you aim at an electrical box off the fairway and hit a draw you will find a level flat spot with a perfect view down the gauntlet of the hole and the green with its kick in redanish feature.  Then I was with a curmudgeon who knows Yale best.. His name, Dr. Geoff Childs..  After hitting my drive in this flat spot, Geoff uttered you are in "Raynor's Notch".  I had never heard this depiction.  I asked if Geoff had ever seen it since he researched the course and he said no.. Brilliant name for the area!  As an aside it is very similar to Vardon's Parlour on the 17th at Deal, another area you need to hit into to see the flag.

Today Geoff and I saw Scott Ramsey and we told him of the name.  He loved it and then told us Raynor had constructed it and made it part of the strategy of the hole (Originally we had thought it perhaps natural)..  The below picture is from 145 yards from the center of the green.  Raynor's notch starts at a 153y marker on the right hand side of the fairway.  Hit it left of here you are blind unless you drive over the ridge.  Hit it right and you are in some serious cabbage.  The high sun makes it hard to see the flag here but trust me it is there back left 4 paces from the back edge..

[John Mayhugh]

Interesting name.  My favorite hole at Yale as well, though I like the approach more than the tee shot.

[Tim Gavrich]

The more I reflect on my rounds at Yale, the more the 8th moves up in my estimation.  Its green is my favorite on the course and probably one of my five favorites on any course.  I guess it just gets outshined by the 9th hole in the view of people who haven't played it more than a couple times.

[Tom Dunne]

Visitors to Yale are sometimes surprised at the degree to which the 8th is a completely manufactured hole. The green stands out as manmade, sure, but all of those fairway contours were planned by Raynor as well.  I'm sad to say I usually bail out so far to the right that it would likely have taken me years to identify "Raynor's Notch."

Here's an old photo of the 8th under construction. I love the old Model T on the right. Imagine trying to get around a construction site in one of those things!

[Tim Bert]

Interesting name.  My favorite hole at Yale as well, though I like the approach more than the tee shot.

Not my favorite hole on the course but my favorite shot on this hole is the recovery from the bunker long and right.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Noel,

It's one of my favorite holes at Yale.

I particularly like the angle of the green and contouring/banks at the flanks of the green.

There is/are prefered angles to approach from, and, there are angles to be avoided.

The notch, though not common, is the reverse of the knob or spine you find on CBM/SR/CB courses, including Yale.

[Noel Freeman]

When the pin is middle or front, a fade is the best shot into this green.. I have often mishit (with a cut) my approach--while trying to hit it straight and the shot has gone directly into the slope and rolled right by the pin.. Is amazing to watch... That said, the best approach is the running draw to left side locations, truly a joy to execute and view.

[Mike Cirba]

Noel,

Great to see you back here, with your typical aplomb and engaging writing style.

A fine topic, as well, as the 8th at Yale is one of the very best and least known holes on that golf course.   I think one could literally fall to their death if they aren't careful walking along the left fringe, lest they fall into that woefully deep bunker.

Excellent to hear the Good Doctor can still turn a phrase, as well.   I miss you guys.

[jkinney]

The 8th hole's green complex is astoundingly good. I was lucky enough to learn the game over four years there in the late '60's, and it's in the left greenside bunker complex on the 8th (and on the 2nd) that I really learned bunker play. Talk about necessity being the mother of invention !! There's really no such thing as an intimidating bunker for anyone who's played Yale enough, IMO.

[Andrew Lewis]

Like NFreeman, one of my favorite shots on this course is the running draw that feeds off the massive kickboard to a back-left pin -- a shot best hit from the aforementioned "notch."

And perhaps one of the most daunting is the recovery from the right bunkers after flailing an approach.  Hitting from traps some 15+ feet below green level up and over the kickboard in hope of not flying or rolling across the green and into the abyss on the other side is NOT a comfortable shot!

[John Mayhugh]

The 8th hole's green complex is astoundingly good. I was lucky enough to learn the game over four years there in the late '60's, and it's in the left greenside bunker complex on the 8th (and on the 2nd) that I really learned bunker play. Talk about necessity being the mother of invention !! There's really no such thing as an intimidating bunker for anyone who's played Yale enough, IMO.

You learned the game there?  What did you think when you saw a more typical course?

[jkinney]

The 8th hole's green complex is astoundingly good. I was lucky enough to learn the game over four years there in the late '60's, and it's in the left greenside bunker complex on the 8th (and on the 2nd) that I really learned bunker play. Talk about necessity being the mother of invention !! There's really no such thing as an intimidating bunker for anyone who's played Yale enough, IMO.

You learned the game there?  What did you think when you saw a more typical course?

John - I thought "Blah"......until I saw the eastern end of Long Island !!

[Tim Martin]

I am most fortunate to play Yale on a regular basis.  With the recent lack of rain, despite being brown and having poa death (thankfully) in blighty areas, the course is playing like an inland links---ie the way it was supposed to..  A few weeks ago before the uber heat, Scott Ramsey had Yale playing perfectly (without the dead grass) as well, the best I have seen in 5y.  Anyhow, my favorite hole and shots at Yale are the drive and the approach on #8.  A few weeks ago, I hit an absolutely perfect drive there.  From the high tee which is about 400 yards, if you aim at an electrical box off the fairway and hit a draw you will find a level flat spot with a perfect view down the gauntlet of the hole and the green with its kick in redanish feature.  Then I was with a curmudgeon who knows Yale best.. His name, Dr. Geoff Childs..  After hitting my drive in this flat spot, Geoff uttered you are in "Raynor's Notch".  I had never heard this depiction.  I asked if Geoff had ever seen it since he researched the course and he said no.. Brilliant name for the area!  As an aside it is very similar to Vardon's Parlour on the 17th at Deal, another area you need to hit into to see the flag.

Today Geoff and I saw Scott Ramsey and we told him of the name.  He loved it and then told us Raynor had constructed it and made it part of the strategy of the hole (Originally we had thought it perhaps natural)..  The below picture is from 145 yards from the center of the green.  Raynor's notch starts at a 153y marker on the right hand side of the fairway.  Hit it left of here you are blind unless you drive over the ridge.  Hit it right and you are in some serious cabbage.  The high sun makes it hard to see the flag here but trust me it is there back left 4 paces from the back edge..

The back pin placement allows for the use of the huge mound/kick board on the right hand portion of the green and a front/middle placement is always a disappointment as is the front placement on #9. Are there 3 more severe and interesting greens in succession than 8,9 and 10 at Yale? By the time you get to 11 tee you need a paper bag to blow into.

[Tim Gavrich]

The back pin placement allows for the use of the huge mound/kick board on the right hand portion of the green and a front/middle placement is always a disappointment as is the front placement on #9. Are there 3 more severe and interesting greens in succession than 8,9 and 10 at Yale? By the time you get to 11 tee you need a paper bag to blow into.

Tim--

Heck, I'd even add the 7th green onto the front end of that list, given its steep back-to-front slope and tiers and whatnot.

--Tim

[John Mayhugh]

The 8th hole's green complex is astoundingly good. I was lucky enough to learn the game over four years there in the late '60's, and it's in the left greenside bunker complex on the 8th (and on the 2nd) that I really learned bunker play. Talk about necessity being the mother of invention !! There's really no such thing as an intimidating bunker for anyone who's played Yale enough, IMO.

You learned the game there?  What did you think when you saw a more typical course?

John - I thought "Blah"......until I saw the eastern end of Long Island !!

I can see how that would help.

[Bill_McBride]

For those who have played both, isn't the green at the 8th at Yale very similar to the 1st at The Creek?

[Noel Freeman]

For those who have played both, isn't the green at the 8th at Yale very similar to the 1st at The Creek?

They are similar but the Yale green is much much bigger and the slope (kick in) is more severe at Yale.

The hardest pin placement at the 8th is the back right location.  Impossible to get close to and the slope then acts as a hazard in many respects.