One of golf’s most anticipated renovations has been Gil Hanse’s overhaul at Yale Golf Course, the revered C.B. Macdonald/Seth Raynor design at the storied Ivy League university, which raised $30 million for the work. So it was a surprise when the chatter on social media, led by our own Alex Myers, spotlighted the poor conditions seen at the course all season.
Yes, it has been a tough summer for weather in the Northeast. But for a course charging $350, it was inexcusable to see fairways with patchy grass and turf conditions deteriorating around greens and tees.
The Athletic’s Gabby Herzig dug deep into the issue with a report on Tuesday, spotlighting the issues and speaking with Hanse, who addressed the conditions: “I do not believe that there is anyone who has been involved in this project who could be objectively happy with how the course is currently being maintained and presented.”
Good on Yale for addressing the situation. They’ve retained Hanse to help them solve the issues, and the biggest piece of news is that the athletic department will no longer be running the course. The university operations team, which oversees the school’s grounds and buildings, will take over.
It's just an unfortunate situation—which has really minimized the attention to Hanse’s full-scale renovation. We’ll see how it fares in our 2026 Best Renovation survey, which will go live in January.