The other day I had the pleasure of spending a few hours with Scott Ramsey, the able superintendent of the Yale golf course.

At this point I won’t detail all that has been done but for now would rather concentrate on the 18th hole, for for this is for now, and probably will be after completed, one of the most improved holes on the course.

The restoration of 3-green might one day surpass the changes in hole 18 if it gets that far.

There have been a number of people who do not like this hole. A few years ago there was an article written about Yale’s course that really (wrongly) dissed the hole.

To many (including myself) this is one of the great holes on a course filled with great holes.

Much tree removal has opened up the tee shot!! - there are now options off the tee.

Tree removal has opened up the tee-shot landing area so there are now OPTIONS of play there as well depending on where you are on the fairway and how much nerve you can garner up.

From the right fairway in the tee-shot landing area you can now get a glimpse of the alternate route to the lower 2nd  shot fairway. Pictures will be posted soon showing the before and after from different areas of the 18th.

The hairy, overgrown hill at the side of the hill is now close cropped so balls no longer hang up on the hill (if you could find them)

The lower optional fairway has had an incredible amount of trees removed and is in their place grass has been planted - we now have a "lower fairway!!"

So many trees have been removed on this hole alone, to open up all the views and options, it is too hard to describe, so we’ll let the pictures when posted tell the story.

After the Seth Raynor Soc. “meeting” there on Monday I’m sure the will be a complete new round of discussions about the Yale course - this time ALL POSITIVE!!

I’m thrilled about what is happening to what I consider Seth Raynor’s finest golf course.

There is even WIND blowing down some of the fairway corridors.

The fairways have been expanded (with more to follow) and the greens have begun the expansion process.

The “wounded beast” called Yale has raised himself up a bit, is dusting himself off (it is a masculine course) on the way to a incredible recovery.


Super of the Year - Scott Ramsey!!

George

Bravo - I've already nominated Scott for SOY at Supt. News Magazine.

I think the 18th at Yale is perhaps the best example I have ever seen of how removal of trees can benefit the playability and strategy of a golf hole.  I learned to love the "old" 18th.  It's easy to love the new one.

I realize I've probably been in the minority of really enjoying the 18th hole as it has been in recent years, simply because of the bold and unusual use of the land.

George's post and Scott's work have me really anticipating a return visit to see the hole realize its full potential.

I can't help but think of Yeats' "The Second Coming".......

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at laSt,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

Are they going to use the slightly elevated back tee on 18?  Seems to have gone out of use, at least when I've played the course.

What is Scott Ramseys background?  

I played Yale shortly before he was hired and couldn't be happier to see this course restored.  I suspect that behind the scene, he has worked magic on the the budget and maintance equipment which is key in a large scale restoration.   Lastly, is the tree removal being done in house?

Scott came to Yale from The Orchards in Mass right before The US Womens Open was held there.

I have never heard of any problems with equipment, the problem was always the cost of labor via the unions. Scott was able to work a deal with the union/administration where he keep his union payroll where it is and then added on seasonal workers. I don't know the exact numbers but something like 8 workers a few years back is now 20+ in season.

Much of the drainage work was contracted out, not sure that the trees were, as much was done this winter during down time.

One of the simple things that Scott had done is pulled out tons of leaves from the woods at Yale that had clogged natural drainage. Suddenly, a dry course! However, not much will be dry up there after all the rain this weekend for the Seth Raynor Society today.

Scott is scheduled to do an interview with Ran and correct any of the above.

JW"T"K

So what's happened to the Yale Bowl?!  I'll concede that getting 90,000 souls for a Yale-Columbia game is a bit of a stretch these days, but as a tailgating bring your flask try to pull some Vassar hottie sort of venue, it was not that bad in the 60's.  Of course, nothing was that bad in the 60's........

I have never heard of any problems with equipment, the problem was always the cost of labor via the unions.

Complete utter bullshit! A least in the way you are putting it!

Sweens,
When is someone going to commend those Unionized workers for the job they are doing? Especially after so many years of taking the blame--as in your statement here--for ALL of Yale's problems?

I completely commend Scott's efforts at Yale, but I've said this since before I even saw the course, and while I was there--this has always been a MANAGEMENT PROBLEM as in LACK OF MANAGEMENT. From what I can tell, ORGANIZATION seems to be Scott's expertise. He came. He saw, and he has conquered an internal problem of a crew that was not being managed to maintain the course, while doing it with a very small budget.

These men who work on the course are not trained superintendents. They are labor. They needed to be told what to do as per the daily needs of the course by it's superintendent--a man trained in recognizing turf issues, as well as being fully trained and experienced and organized on how to delegate the work.

My point is that this is always been way to easy for many to deem, "A Union Problem." So stop trying to pass the buck on to the low man on the totem pole! Try giving the crew at Yale a pat on the back when your playing once in a while. You would be surprised how much that can inspire a man to work even harder! So he know that there are others that take pride in his efforts.

But, I fully expect this coming from a University that has basically sold George W. Bush a diploma. (sorry to make this political) The fact is, and Sweens knows this since the day I told certain people at the club--when he was right there, "Quit blaming the Unions. This is about lack of management and making them work to their agreement. Any 'good' Union man will tell you that he has to work per his agreement of collective bargaining. That's what makes collective bargaining work--YOU HAVE TO DO THE WORK!

The Course at Yale suffered from lack of a trained, proper authority to direct those workers. Without the directive--and in the case of a PLANNED DIRECTIVE, the golf course suffered the consequences. It started with a former superintendent that felt he knew better then Seth Raynor on how the golf course should play!

Congratulations are in order to Scott Ramsey for the phenominal job of resurrecting this priceless gem. It is in my estimation one of the Top Ten courses in the Sport of Golfing. His efforts with his Unionized crew has not only changed the complexity of the course and the problems that were confronting it, but has even managed to make his workers PROUD of what they are accomplishing. (from what I'm told)

The rest of the country should be so lucky!

James

Surely the 1914 design ensured that the afternoon sun across the 50-yard line was directly in the eyes of the Harvard people?!

Rich

PS--was the lack of loo fact the origin of the "nil by mouth" inscription on Doctor's notes...........

Rich -

I believe that the sun in the eyes of the Harvard fans was not intentional given the lack of bathrooms, but I doubt that anyone would admit to the fortuitous result of said design.

The lack of the loo could have been the inscription.

RDC looks glorious with the heather in bloom...

JWK

James

Surely the 1914 design ensured that the afternoon sun across the 50-yard line was directly in the eyes of the Harvard people?!

Rich

PS--was the lack of loo fact the origin of the "nil by mouth" inscription on Doctor's notes...........

Rich -

I believe that the sun in the eyes of the Harvard fans was not intentional given the lack of bathrooms, but I doubt that anyone would admit to the fortuitous result of said design.

The lack of the loo could have been the inscription.

RDC looks glorious with the heather in bloom...

JWK

Thanks, James

PS--that is the gorse in bloom, not the heather.  There is very little heather on Dornoch (or any links course).  When it does bloom (in late summer, on the higher land (e.g. 7 and 17 at RDGC)) it is a wonderful purple.

Sweens,
Well lets hear you publicly commend the Union workers of Yale, if you at least partially agree. Go ahead and do it in this forum. With that being, when was the last time you walked up to one of them and gave them a compliment on their efforts with the course?

Sweens,
Well lets hear you publicly commend the Union workers of Yale, if you at least partially agree. Go ahead and do it in this forum. With that being, when was the last time you walked up to one of them and gave them a compliment on their efforts with the course?

If you dig in the archives, I was actually a supporter of Scott's predecessor Michael who was promoted from within and is still on the greens staff. Very good guy and more knowledgable than most. He tried, but just could not get the ship turned, and in the complexity of the union agreements he would have given up many of his benefits if he took the Head Greenskeeper job. As with many things in business, YGC needed an outsider with a fresh perspective to get the administration, union, greens staff and members to buy in.

Thus, you will get no union bashing from me except that week when the transit workers went on strike here. Now about 12 million other people and myself were pissed off that week!