Yale Golf Course

Tucked away in Westville, just under four miles from Yale’s downtown New Haven campus, lies a hidden gem, a relic of the “Golden Age” of golf course architecture: the Ray Tompkins Memorial. Also known as the Yale Golf Course, this course is a product of the legendary Seth Raynor and Charles Blair Macdonald collaboration. The Ray Tompkins Memorial was built in the 1920s out of a boulder-strewn forest and swamp that had to be blasted, drained, and reseeded after Ray Tompkins’ widow, Sarah, purchased the 720-acre Greist Estate and gifted it to Yale in her late-husband’s memory.[i]

With its oversized greens, deep bunkers, blind shots, and “template” holes from Scotland’s great links, the sheer size and scale of the course is unmatched. Tom Doak, a leading golf course architect called it one word, “big,” and wrote, “I haven’t seen anything as big and bold as Yale since, well, probably since the last time I played at Yale. Out of the 11 holes we played, there is nobody today who would have the balls to build 7 of those holes.”[ii]

Some of the iconic holes include: No. 3 “Blind,” No. 9 “Biarritz,” and No. 13 “Redan.”[iii] After a tee shot over the water on No. 3, the golfer has a completely blind shot to the iconic double punchbowl green. This hole underwent the most transformation during the restoration.[iv] “Biarritz,” the par three that closes out the front nine, has golfers take their tee shot from an elevated tee and carry over the water to the green known for its six-foot swale cutting through the middle, demanding precision and accuracy.[v] With deep bunkers flanking all sides of the green, “Redan” challenges even the most skilled golfer, as a shot too short or too long will land him/her in deep trouble.[vi]

Owned and operated by Yale University, the course reopened in April 2026 after a $30 million centennial restoration by leading golf course architect Gil Hanse. The course is open to the public as a daily fee course.

[i] Godley and Kelly, “1923-1926: Building the Yale Golf Course.”

[ii] Fried Egg Golf, “The Scale of Yale: C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor's Great College Golf Course,” YouTube video, posted by Fried Egg Golf, November 3, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MmGDMXfC_I; Tom Doak, “OMG Yale,” Golf Club Atlas, August 15, 2013, https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php?topic=56565.0.

[iii] Yale Athletics, “Yale Golf Course.”

[iv] Yale Athletics, “Hole #3 – Blind,” YouTube video, March 25, 2026, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl4N7903rR4&list=PL8cqIJsPayyhtx79zRY-nm4J01-0Of9LF&index=14.

[v] Yale Athletics, “Hole #9 – Biarritz,” YouTube video, April 7, 2026, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vybfAUXHl-8&list=PL8cqIJsPayyhtx79zRY-nm4J01-0Of9LF&index=9.

[vi] Yale Athletics, “Hole #13 – Redan,” YouTube video, April 15, 2026, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IITei6ktwLo&list=PL8cqIJsPayyhtx79zRY-nm4J01-0Of9LF&index=6.