image62

Yeamans Hall in the 20's

While doing research for our piece on the "Lost" Holes of Gibson Island, we stumbled across a treasure trove of historic Yeamans Hall photographs in the Frederick Law Olmsted Archive. Yeamans Hall, like Fishers Island, Mountain Lake and Gibson Island, was a planned unit development with Olmstead laying out the grounds and Raynor the course. These pictures date from the mid-to-late 1920's and were presumably taken by Olmstead or an associate. Here, for the first time in broad circulation, we are able to bring these photographs to light.


Much has been written about the Yeamans Hall Club and its spectacular course. It rates as one of our absolute favorites and an invitation to play Yeamans Hall is one to be coveted. We needn't extol its obvious virtues more in this piece. Instead, we prefer this to be more in the nature of a photo essay with only limited commentary to guide the observer to the pertinent features. Many of the photos have hand-written notes, which were presumably from the photographer. We hope you enjoy this trip back in time as much as we did!

Clubhouse and Surrounds

#1 - Double Plateau

One of the best opening shots in golf is the tee shot off the first at Yeamans Hall: playing across the entrance drive, out towards the Principal's Nose bunker. The contours of the Double Plateau green must be seen to believed and they stand out in the photograph below, even in black and white and even from a distance.

#2 - Leven

The large "leven" mound obscures the left portion of the green. To get a clear look at the putting surface, a player must favor the right side of the fairway where three bunkers wait to catch a pushed tee shot.

#3 - Short

The classic Raynor "Short" template ringed by sand. Today - the trees behind the green are gone leaving a long view out to the marsh.

#4 - Bottle

Sadly, the picture is of the green as the fairway bunkering is what gives the hole its teeth. However, the greensite is equally spectacular. Taken from the right side of the approach area, this would be the view just past a crossbunker that a player taking the "safe" line off the tee would have had to carry.

#6 - Redan

Whoever took the photograph knew exactly the right angle to show off the kicker slope. A tremendous shot.

#8 - Creek (non-template)

The template holes tend to grab the headlines, but here is a fantastic example of an original and beautiful composition by Raynor. The sandy, scrubby waste area looks more like Pinehurst or Pine Valley than the club's present, more manicured presentation.

#9 - Long

With the creek to the rear, the tee shot on #9 is one of the highlight moments of the round. 

Story Continues on the Next Page

Yeamans Hall Club in the '20's - PART 2

 

All photographs are courtesy of the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site.