The Travesty of Yale- the back 9- #17
It’s been a while since we visited the changes that were made to the Course at Yale. I thought it would be nice to visit a place on the course where there is absolutely no question that
RESTORATION was the intended result.
After the debacle of the front nine, John Beinecke was shown the work and he formed a committee to raise funds for a restoration and to advise Roger Rulewich, look over his shoulder and make sure the mistakes made on the front nine were not repeated. I managed to convince John to get together with George Bahto for consultation, guidance and plans. George wrote a “white paper” report to document Yale’s history and what is required to make it what it once was. He drew hole diagrams to scale to show the committee exactly what needed to be done to restore them. Members were asked to contribute $500 each or whatever they wished for “the complete restoration of our Charles Blair McDonald masterpiece” (quote from Peter Pulaski, director of golf’s letter to the members).
George’s plans were ignored and the committee and Roger Rulewich went out on their own armed with the 1934 aerial and construction photos to work on holes, 10, 11,12 (alps), 13, (redan), 15 (eden), 16, 17 (double plateau) and 18. The work on #’s 12, 13 and 17 were saved for last presumably because they were more difficult and required more effort and research. I’d like to show you hole #17 because it was the last of the work done to the course and presumably when Mr. Rulewich and the committee were at the height of their powers and knew the most about the course and its architecture.
The double plateau hole at Yale is about my favorite par 4 on the course. It has a beautiful aesthetic quality to it along with difficulty from the tee shot all the way to the final putt. It is a 430 yard hole and a fitting penultimate hole for a great golf course. There is some room to lengthen it if needed.
The tee shot shown above from Ran’s course profile (back tee is above and behind this shot) is somewhat uphill and blind across the saddle above the pond and to a generous fairway with a sideboard on the right and scrubby rough on the left. Long time superintendent Harry Meusel took his bulldozer and knocked down 7-8 feet of rock and soil from the hill. The result is an easier tee shot with a bit less of a blind aspect to it. This was the least egregious of his MANY changes to the course as the resulting saddle that was created looks both natural and pleasing to the eye. One could argue that the tee shot was meant to be intimidating and difficult. There is an amazing construction photo taken from the same place as the above photo hanging in the dining room. It shows the stark imposing rocky hillside that Mr. Meusel bulldozed away.
Having mastered the tee shot, the approach shot from a bit further away then this photo of Ran’s was taken, one can see the hillside that previously had the principal’s nose bunker complex surrounding it about 40-50 yards shot of the putting surface. It’s pretty clear to see that tee shot placement is important to attack a given pin location on this large double plateau green. Raynor gave the player alternate alleys to use the ground game to approach each side of the green although this is less important given today’s distance premium coupled with the over watered maintenance meld of the recent past. The two handsome butts Ran captured are me and Andy Ryan.
Once at the green, the double plateau is obvious as are the myriad of options and interesting shots. That’s me on the front left facing a long putt down the incline and across a slope to about the easiest pin location on the green. Pat Mucci is pin high on the right with a pretty simple pitch from where the greenside bunker was located.
Now let’s look at an aerial of the green end of the 17th taken in 1934
One can see the right greenside bunker and the principal’s nose surrounding the little hill. Please not the relative size and shapes of the bunkers.
Charles Banks wrote about the 17th hole shortly before this aerial was taken (copied from “The Evangelist of Golf” p244). The play from the tee is over the last of six water fairways at the far side of which is a lift of 20 feet from the water’s surface. The carry to the top of the lift opens up the hole. The ground from the edge of the lift slopes down to the green at a good angle so that a good roll can be expected. The green is composed of three plateaus. With an opening at the back between two of them and upon the low one. The approach to the green on the left is guarded by a mound flanked with bunkers, one at the left and one at the right, both visible from the playing ground for the second shot and a third behind the knoll next to the green which is hidden from the player making his second shot. This hazard is known as the principal’s nose and originates on the St. Andrews course. The approach on the right is smooth but not broad and travel that way may present a putting hazard unless the pin is on the lower plateau.”