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After months of deliberation, Yale’s sports department has officially announced that it will hire world-class golf architect Gil Hanse to restore the historic golf course.
Eugenio Garza García 12:46 am, September 24th, 2021
Employee reporter
muscosportsphotos.com
On Thursday, Yale Athletics officially announced that they had reached an agreement with Hanse Golf Course Design to create an “Architectural Restoration Master Plan” for the Yale Golf Course.
Back in May, the news reported that a proposal for a restoration of the legendary Charles Blair Macdonald and Seth Raynor course was in the works. At the time, YGC general manager Peter Palacios told the News that the restoration would close the course for approximately 22 to 24 months if the plan were approved. Yale has now officially appointed Gil Hanse to lead the design efforts. The announcement, which has been in preparation for years, follows two important personnel changes to the course in the past 12 months.
Earlier Thursday, Golf Course Industry reported that Yale alumni’s renovation plans would be “$ 25 million” in funding. Athletics Assistant Director of Strategic Communications Mike Gambardella said the athletics department is not commenting on funds.
“The restoration of the Yale Golf Course is the most significant restoration opportunity entrusted to us,” said golf architect Gil Hanse in a statement from Yale Athletics. “The enormous history of the design, the original meaning of the place and the potential that lies in its landscape are truly breathtaking. By restoring the scale of the design and the property, we have the opportunity to re-introduce the golf world with one of the landmarks in the history of American golf course architecture. “
In 2016, the news reported that a proposal was in the works to build a new world-class golf course in Woodbridge and modernize the YGC. Although this project was not implemented, Hanse would have been the responsible architect for the project. Hanse is perhaps best known for designing the golf course used in the 2016 Rio Olympics, which marked the first time golf has participated in the Games since 1904.
Hanse has extensive experience restoring other Macdonald Raynor golf courses, including Sleepy Hollow Country Club, The Creek, and Raynor-designed Fishers Island Club – all in New York.
“Gil’s experience, creativity, foresight, intellect and passion make him the ideal candidate to take on this responsibility,” said Palacios in the Yale Athletics press release. “His considerable résumé includes restorations of some of the most prestigious golf courses in the world.”
Back in May, Palacios told the news that the restoration plans included upgrading the driving range, a new entrance, a water protection plan and a tree removal program. Palacios particularly emphasized the importance of the “post-restoration plan”, which would maintain the quality of the square for years to come. The Yale Athletics press release states that the plan includes “significant investments in maintaining the track and developing a fiscally sound business model.”
According to the statement, these changes to the business plan include the change to a daily fee structure and an “increased” [level of] Funds into the conservation foundations. ”In May, new Superintendent Jeffrey Austin said the plan would use both internal and external contractors.
In the same interview, Palacios told the news that the restoration plans were not in response to the criticism the university faced more than a year ago in the middle of the pandemic when the course fell into disrepair after a lengthy shutdown.
During the pandemic, Yale men’s golf head coach Colin Sheehan ’97 prepared a document of potential improvements to the YGC with a detailed list of budget estimates. The total list added up to roughly three million dollars.
Palacios said this document was one of the first things he read at the beginning of his work, but told the news in May that Sheehan was not officially involved in the restoration plans.
The YGC is hosting the 45th edition of the Macdonald Cup on Saturday and Sunday this weekend.
EUGENIO GARZA GARCíA
Eugenio Garza García deals with baseball, golf and sports phases. Originally from Monterrey, Mexico, he is a sophomore at Branford College majoring in Economics and English.
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