Lloyd:
Brilliant.
Doak is so right... PRESERVE YALE!
As far as the long putt, it is a wonderful shot, but picture yourself with a wedge in your hand needing to feather one just over the trough. If that's not exciting enough, think about the next shot when you have to hit it out of the swale.
Dr. Childs:
I think you have underestimated the genius of Macdonald and Raynor. Yale was designed with three tees. Quoting the Hartford Courant, "The long course is 6,552, with a par of 71: for the regular course 6,107, par 69: and the short course 5,518, par also 69."
This is the important part, "... play will not necessarily be confined to one of the three courses. The players may choose his favorite tee on any hole by agrement with his group."
In other words, Dr. Childs, if Raynor wanted the front to be green, he would have made it that way since better players would have had the option to move tees and not be required to hit drivers or brassies. Shorter hitters (like yourself), who would be forced to use longer clubs, or less adept players, would most likely have ended up in the swale with a legitimate chance to make par or bogey. That sounds fair to me.
Your agronomic argument does not stand up. If greenkeepers of the day could maitain putting surfaces like those on 1 and 8, they would be able to maintain the 9th without a problem.
Anthony