I played Yale for the first time in over 20+ years last week and, not being around GCA much recently, I only remembered the flap a few years ago about the (lack of) quality in the course's restoration. Therefore, I was expecting a "watered down" CBM - i.e. shallow bunkers and "template" holes that don't really present the same problems as their namesake (e.g. the Cape hole at The Greenbrier).
Boy, was I pleasantly surprised. The restoration job looks pretty darn good to me. The greenside bunkers are as deep and penal as you could want, the putting surfaces look to have been mostly re-captured and the condition of the (very) contoured greens was excellent - and FAST!!.
EDIT: Tim Martin's post reminded me to mention the effectiveness of the massive tree removal program. Not quite as radical as NGLA or Winged Foot, but very well done, nonetheless.
Did they get George Bahto in there, or something?
The fairways were a touch shaggy, but we played the ball "down" with no bad lies and the rough, it seemed to me, was just the right length. Long enough that you didn't really want to be out of the fairway on your approach to the challenging greens, but not so long as to be punishing or to make finding your ball difficult.
We played with a low handicap member who said that the maintenance meld in the summer is pretty soft around the greens so the ground game isn't really what it could be given how the putting surfaces and their surrounds are contoured. Other than that, I was very, very impressed.
I will say that Yale isn't the easiest course to walk I've ever played - lots of steep hills to climb. I confess that, if we'd had time for 36 holes, I'd have gone for the buggy on the second round.
With apologies to those who haven't played it, my impressions of some of the holes are below. In all cases, regardless of my comments, the greens were in excellent condition and the bunkers were to be avoided!
#4 "Road" - A fine hole but I didn't see any resemblance to either #7 at National or #17 at TOC. Did I miss something?
#5 "Short" - Like all "Short" template holes I've played, nothing compares to the problems on #6 at NGLA. Yale's version reminded me of The Creek or Fishers Island without the wind. Just a flat green with a deep bunker in the front.
#8 "Cape" - Well, sort of. Yes, the left 1/4 of the green is protected by a bunker but, so are about 6 other holes at Yale. Not sure I see any extra "Cape" on "Cape" (still a fine hole, though).
#9 "Biarritz" - Now, THIS is a Biarritz! The flagstick was up front but you still don't want to miss the green or hit too much club.
#10 It's called "Carries" but it reminds me more of a "Knoll" (think #13 at Piping Rock) than Yale's version (see #14 below).
#12 "Alps" - The best I've ever seen outside of National (including the original at Prestwick).
#13 "Redan" - I call this a "2/3 Redan" as the ability to bounce the ball in from the right side doesn't exist - even under firm conditions. Also, the green doesn't slope away from the golfer so being long right isn't really a problem. Finally, the front left bunker isn't nearly as fearsome. National's is the gold standard, of course, but Shinnecock and Piping Rock are much closer than Yale in terms of presenting the same problems with the same degree of difficulty.
#14 "Knoll" - Pretty diluted compared to #13 @ PRC. The green isn't very elevated, it's quite big and, if you miss, you're not SOL. This hole should be called "Breather".
#15 "Eden" - Like #4, this is a fine hole in its own right but, I didn't see the similarity to either National or the original.
#16 "Lang"
The first par 5 on the course. A pretty "blah" hole. Is that a misprint on the 25,000 scorecards they've had printed?
#17 "Nose" - Named for the Principal's Nose bunker about 50 yards short of the green. I loved the green complex but I don't see the point of the PN bunker. You can't reach it off the tee and it doesn't come into play on the approach even with a 20 MPH wind in your face. What's it doing there?
#18 "Home" - Should be named "Controversial" and I can see why. For anyone other than a good ball striker, it's a lousy Par 6. For someone like Mucci the Machine, who can hit two long shots in the right place, it's a demanding, but eminently fair, Par 5. For the Senior, or the high handicapper, #4 at Bethpage or #15 at Pine Valley are more fun to play. Actually, if it was shorter and less uphill, it might make a pretty good "Alps".
All in all, I was very impressed and look forward to playing there again.
If somebody can find any links to recent threads on Yale, I'd like to see them.
Comments??