Facilities

Yale Golf Course

In 1923, a 700-acre tract of swamp and woodland called the Ray Tompkins Memorial, was given to Yale by Mrs. Sarah Wey Tompkins in memory of her husband. Under the supervision of Charles Blair Macdonald, the renowned golf course architect, champion golfer, and co-founder of the USGA, plans were made for an 18-hole golf course. With a budget of $400,000, Macdonald, in collaboration with Seth Raynor, designed a masterpiece which opened for play in 1926.
n addition to 18 holes, The Yale Golf Course features the William S. Beinecke Golf House, which was dedicated in April of 2015.

The Yale Golf Course serves as the home for Yale's golf teams and has hosted NCAA Regionals in 1991, 1995, 2004, 2010 and 2015. In Apr. 2017 it was announced that Yale will host the 2022 NCAA Regional.

The Yale Golf Course is also the competition course and practice venue for Yale's cross country teams. It provides a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of downtown New Haven and gives Yale distance and middle distance runners an incredibly scenic, bucolic and challenging place to train and compete.  In addition to being able to run on the course itself, Yale athletes are afforded the opportunity to train on the numerous dirt trails that surround the golf course.

Directly abutting the Yale Golf Course is the Maltby Lakes Recreation Area, supervised by the New Haven Regional Water Authority.  Maltby offers miles of dirt fire roads and single track trails for Yale cross country and track athletes to train on year-round.  Although only a short run from Yale's Smilow Fieldhouse, the Maltby Lakes trails offer a serene alternative to the nearby busy downtown area of New Haven and are big enough to offer a variety of different runs.  Athletes can access these trails without ever having to run on pavement when beginning their runs from either the indoor or outdoor tracks.

Yale hosted the 2010 NCAA Men's Golf Regional. Here is what those who took part in the Regional had to say about The Course at Yale:

“It’s a thrill for our guys to come and play a piece of golf history. C.B. Macdonald did an outstanding job almost 90 years ago. It really has stood the test of time. We feel very fortunate to be able to come and compete on this course.” - John Field, Head Coach University of Texas

"It’s tricky but fun. It challenges all aspects of your game. Whoever wins here is going to be playing the best. You are not getting through here by being lucky. It’s all about your skills when playing this course.” -George Bryan, sophomore player University of South Carolina

“It is beautiful, and it’s obvious Yale has put a lot of work into it. The condition is second to none. It has a lot of character and elevation change. It’s a fun course to play. Every hole seems different than the other 17.” -Patrick Rada, senior player University of South Carolina

“I like it but it’s tricky. Whoever putts the best will win. You have to know where to hit it. You really need to trust yourself and your instincts. It can be very deceiving and there are a lot of blind shots.” -Rich Mueller, head coach Columbia University