Course Review: Yeamans Hall Club

Yeamans Hall Club
Hanahan, South Carolina
Seth Raynor - 1925

I love Charleston!  Seriously, living here has a lot of advantages.  Sure, the summers can be hotter than two goats in a pepper patch and it is ALWAYS humid, but it more than makes up for that from December-March.  I mean, where else can you find the combination of Lowcountry charm, good people, fresh seafood, classic architecture, four centuries of history, a good climate, the ocean, and TWO Seth Raynor golf courses??

Yeamans Hall Club, located nearby in the small town of Hanahan, is the epitome of Lowcountry South Carolina.  Founded as a winter retreat for wealthy northerners, the club is situated on a 900 acre peninsula that protrudes out into a marsh and stream system that eventually feeds into the Cooper River.  The original intention was for two 18-hole golf courses to be built here, along with 250 homes, but the stock market crash of 1929 put an end to that dream.  Today, there exists one 18 hole golf course, the impressive clubhouse facilities, and 35 privately owned homes.  The course is highly regarded as one of the best in the state and has spent time ranked in the Top 100 in the World. 

As it is, driving into this place is like taking a step back in time.  After turning off of N. Rhett Avenue, one is greeted by a "No Outlet" sign, followed shortly by a set of railroad tracks and then a guard gate.  After crossing through the gate, the feeling that you might have driven back into colonial South Carolina sweeps over you as you travel down the gravel entrance road.  

This picture hardly does justice.

The golf course was designed by Seth Raynor and opened for play in 1925.  Raynor was an engineer by trade, but was hired by Charles Blair MacDonald in 1908 to survey the land that would eventually become the National Golf Links of America on Long Island.  MacDonald was impressed and kept Raynor around to help in the construction.  Eventually, Raynor struck out on his own.  MacDonald was known for his use of "template holes" in his golf courses.  These were a collection of what he believed to be the best types of holes that golf had to offer, based on his time studying the great links courses of the British Isles.

Raynor followed suit in his own practice, and each of Yeamans Hall's eighteen holes has an adaptation of these principles.  Between its opening in 1925 and the 1980's, the course lost many of its original features, thanks to overzealous greens chairmen and maintenance practices.  In 1998, Tom Doak and his Renaissance Design crew came to the rescue, restoring many of the features that had been lost. 

Front of the Scorecard

Back of the Scorecard with Hole Names

In June, I had the great honor to be able to tee it up at this fantastic course.  After two false starts where my round was halted by Mother Nature, I was able to finally see the golf course in its entirety.

The routing

The golf course starts off with a bang thanks to the diabolical 427 yard, par 4 1st hole.  Many courses tend to give you a breather to start the round.  Not here!  While the fairways here are plenty wide, the first starts out with an uphill tee shot, over water, to a fairway that doglegs off to the right.

The tee shot on Hole 1

You find out that you are in for a real treat, when you get to your tee ball though.  The approach shot is played over the entrance road, to one of the wildest greens I have ever seen.

The approach shot on Hole 1

The diabolical green

Another view

The majority of Raynor's greens that I have seen tend to have a false front.  That is certainly the case at Yeamans Hall.  Also, each green here has one corner that is cut square.  I am not exactly sure why, but I assume this was done to make cutting the greens easier.

Square-edged corner of the first green

The course continues to head out to the marsh, prominently displayed behind the par 3 third green, the first of a great set of par 3's here.

The par 3 third hole, aptly named "Short" with the marsh in the background

Typical Raynor bunkering, deep and simple in their design.  No frilly edges here!

This green was built with what resembles a thumb print depression in the middle

The par 4 5th hole, Raynor's "Alps" hole.  Tricky tee shot

The mounds on the left aren't bunkers after all!  Sneaky!

The par 3 6th is Raynor's "Redan" hole.  Not a great example, but still a great hole

Deep bunker fronting the 6th green.  Not the place to be.  I know...from experience!

The seventh hole here, a rendition of the "Road" hole at the Old Course at Saint Andrews, acts as a connector between the land where the first six holes are located and the rest of the course.  It was a smart decision because the 8th hole is just fantastic, in my opinion. 

The tee shot on the 8th as it heads back towards the water

Another look.  Awesome!

The tee box on #9.  I could've hung out here all day!

The tee shot on #9, back up the hill toward the clubhouse

The back nine heads off toward the south with the short, par 4 10th hole, nicknamed "Cape."

The 10th green.  You do not want to miss this one left, right, or long!

The "Maiden" green at the par 4 11th.  Use your imagination!

The par 3 13th, nicknamed "Eden"

I really enjoyed the 14th hole, nicknamed "Knoll."  The tee shot is pretty unassuming as the hole looks fairly straightforward.  In reality, though, it is quite visually deceiving.  

The tee shot on 14

I got under my drive and was left with this approach shot.  Again, ho hum, right?

The approach shot from my tee ball

I hit a great draw with a 5 iron here that hit in the middle of the green and settled on the right edge.  Once I got to the top of the hill though, I saw how close my shot came to being in really bad shape!

What the area surrounding the green actually looks like!

The flag on #15 with the marsh and river in the background

Despite its appearance from the tee and the fact that I made a pretty routine par, this hole turned out to be very memorable for me.  I think that is the essence of great golf course design.  The 16th is another enjoyable hole.  A "Biarritz" green, this hole was inspired by a hole at the Biarritz Golf Club in France.  This type of hole features a deep depression that bisects the green into front and back and can be found on many MacDonald/Raynor courses.  The green here, however, doesn't begin until after the swale.  I'm not sure if that is typical with Raynor or if the original design was not restored. 

The "Biarritz" green at the par 3 16th.  The pin appears to be on the back of the green

The pin is actually on the front of the green.  The swale proved deceiving!

The punchbowl green at the par 4 17th

The approach on the par 5 18th.  I did NOT want this round to end!

My first experience on a MacDonald/Raynor course was one that I had been looking forward to for some time.  It certainly did not let me down, and I look forward to the opportunity to see the rest of their offerings!  This course quickly moved to the very top of my favorites list.  Someone recently asked, "what course could you play every day for the rest of your life?"  Well, this is the one for me!

Perhaps the concept of playing template holes will get repetitive as I see more MacDonald/Raynor courses.  However, the setting really makes this course unique and I look forward to the opportunity to play it again in the future!  Up next...the other Raynor in the Lowcountry, Country Club of Charleston!

The end!