4th round recap at the Vineyard, this is starting to look like my home course if I had any because it’s so cheap at twilight and in good condition. This pin positions, just like last round, were in really tough spot today, many on slopes, making two putting not a guarantee by any stretch. A disappointing round of 81 today, but when you read the recap, you’ll find out why.
The Vineyard Golf Course 6,531 Yards Par 70
Front 9
Hole 1: 420 Par 4
Snap hooked my opening tee shot into the hazard on the right, not a good way to start my round. Hit my drop onto the green and two putted for an opening hole bogey. Bogey
Round (+1)
Hole 2: 351 Par 4
Short dogleg left with water surrounding the left side and green. Took a 5iron and hit a solid shot down the middle of the fairway. Had about 112 into the green, slightly into the wind. Hit a sand wedge that landed on green, but spun back off. Hit a real nice bump and run with my PW to a tap in par. Par
Round (+1)
Hole 3: 125 Par3
Pin was way up again like it was 2 rounds ago, only playing around 75yards today. Just tried to punch a half lob wedge up there, but hit it too good and it flew over into the back rough. Hit another great chip to about 3ft and made another par save. Par
Round (+1)
Hole 4: 404 Par 4
Hit my usual 3wood off this tee, but for once I didn’t shove it way left and this one drew back toward the fairway…unfortunately it just got caught up in the lip of a bunker. Only had 100 yards to the front of the green, really awkward lie for me being a lefty as I was basically standing on the down slope of the lip. Just punched a pw out and hit a great shot that ran up pin high about 15ft right of flag. The pin location was positioned on the ridge in the middle of the green and being pin high, I was faced with an almost impossible putt to stop close as it was a big breaking right to left putt down the slope. I was just trying to get it to finish about 6-8ft below the hole so I would be putting uphill for par and I did just that. Really struggling with my confidence from this distances right now however and I pulled the pretty much straight 6ft putt and 3 putted for a bogey. Really hard pin location and even though I was center of the green in two, you needed to keep it below the hole today and that cost me. Bogey
Round (+2)
Hole 5: 401 Par 4
Decided to go with my driver today to keep working on the changes I found and hit a great drive down the middle and only had about 80 yards in. Pin was located on the back of this 3 tier green on another slope! I hit a poor wedge as I pushed it to the left, was pin high, but had another big sloping putt at about 25ft. Left my first putt well short and missed my par again, for back to back 3 putts. I need to stop making bogeys from 80yards in the fairway, no excuse, just need to practice more. Should be making birdies and pars, bogeys from there are just unacceptable. Bogey
Round (+3)
Hole 6: 152 Par 3
Took one club too many on this shot and killed a 9iron over the green….should have factored in the heat as it makes the ball travel slightly farther. Hit another excellent chip to a tap in and made par. Par
Round (+3)
Hole 7: 295 Par 4
A sharp dog leg right hole, but gives you an angle to drive the green in 1. Usually about 250-260 to carry the hazard and drive the green. Since I hit a 3wood out of bounds last week after I blocked it left, I went with my 5wood today thinking that if I hit the same shot I’d be ok this time. Hmmm….guess not, hit the same shot as last week, but crushed my 5wood through the fairway and into the street….so pissed at myself, this is a birdie hole, keep it in bounds and it’s an easy par, keep killing myself off this tee. Hit a big flop after my drop that ended about 15ft from hole, missed my par putt and made another bogey on this 18th handicapped hole. Bogey
Round (+4)
Hole 8: 419 Par 4
Hit my best drive ever on this hole today, crushed it down the middle, hit the back of a hill in the fairway and got extra roll and only had 76yards in, 343 drive! Pin was located in another impossible spot, on an extreme down slope. I punched a wedge that landed about 3ft away, bit and spun back down the slope and about 15ft below the hole….this pin locations are brutal. Had an uphill right to left breaking putt that I left short, but made the par putt. Par
Round (+4)
Hole 9: 503 Par 5
Very reachable par 5, finally hit a good drive, was feeling confident in my driver at this point so I went with it today instead of my normal 3 wood. Hit a solid shot that was close to the fairway, but in the rough. Had only 184 yards to reach this par 5 in two. Wind was helping and I took an 8iron, but shoved it completed left. Horrible shot and ball ended on a down slope that I had to flop to get into the green. Hit a good shot to about 15ft, but missed the birdie. Let a good opportunity for birdie go after a nice drive because I left myself short sided again. Par
Round (+4)
Had two penalties off the tee and two three putts to shoot a 39 (+4) on this Par 35 Front 9. Was 3 for 3 on up and downs though, so chipping is staying solid. Fairways Hit (FW): 3/7 43% Greens in Regulation (GIR): 4/9 44% Up/Downs: 3/3 100% Sand Saves: 0/0 0% Penalties: 2
Back 9
Hole 10: 389 Par 4
Chose to hit my driver again instead of my normal 3wood, hit a great tee shot that went down the left side of the fairway, but just finished in the rough. It ended up in a little divot hole, but was able to get solid contact with a lob wedge. Had about 70yards to the uphill flag and stuck it to about 8ft. Rolled in my putt to get my first birdie of the day and a good start to this tough back 9. Funny how keeping the ball in play off the tee can do, triple bogey last week to a birdie this week. Birdie
Round (+3)
Hole 11: 457 Par 4
A very tight driving hole, hit a good drive that ended in the rough just to the left of the fairway. Had a bad angle into a back left hole location and I had to hit a small cut to avoid a tree. Clipped the top of the tree and it ended in the greenside bunker. There was little sand in this bunker and I hit it a little thin and it went out left. Was pin high, but needed to chip it again to get it onto the green. I was frustrated and should have gone to the back to switch clubs, but decided just to use the sand wedge. Hit a poor chip and was still left with about 9ft for bogey, missed it and made a bad double bogey. Double Bogey
Round (+5)
Hole 12: 154 Par 3
Another par 3 over water. Hit a great punch PW that hit left for pin and spun back to about 8ft for birdie. A slight downhill putt that lipped out and I made a par. Needed that birdie to fall badly. Par
Round (+5)
Hole 13: 477 Par 4
Downhill long par 4. Been feeling confident in my driver today, but I sliced this one way left. It was ok however in an adjacent fairway, but a long way to the green at 184 yards. Hit a 6iron, but caught it slightly fat and it came up short in the green side bunker. This time I hit a great blind bunker shot that finished about 6ft from cup….putting is letting me down today as I pulled this putt slightly too and it lipped out again. Bogey
Round (+6)
Hole 14: 412 Par 4
Water on the left and out of bounds on the right; hit a 4 iron down the left side that took a hard hard bounce and kept rolling through the fairway and into the water hazard. A really unlucky break, I crushed that ball and didn’t think I’d hit a 4iron that far. Dropped and hit a bad wedge that I quit on and it finished in another bunker. Hit a great downhill bunker shot to about 3 ft and made the putt for a bogey…could have been worse, but another penalty leads to another dropped shot. Bogey
(Round +7)
Hole 15: 551 Par 5
Hit a great drive just to the right of the fairway. Had a bad lie as the ball ended in a depression, so I could only hit a 6iron instead of go for the green from 244out. Left myself in the perfect spot, about 55 yards in the fairway, hit a wedge up to about 12ft. A downhill putt, but looked almost straight. I killed the putt, crushed it a good 6ft by and like I’ve been doing lately, missed the comeback putt. An absolutely horrible 3 putt bogey, my 3rd of the day, and after being only 50yards from the green in two, my short game killing me now. Bogey
(Round +8)
Hole 16: 453 Par 4
The most difficult hole on the course according to the handicap on the scorecard. Took my driver out today and hit it into another hazard, 4th penalty of the day. Hit my drop short of the green and hit my PW chip a little too hard and left myself about 6ft for bogey. Lipped out another putt and carded a double bogey 6. Double Bogey.
Round (+10)
Hole 17: 157 Par 3
Blocked an 8iron left, hit a great chip to a tap in par. Par
Round (+10)
Hole 18: 411 Par 4
Very scenic 18th hole heading back down the hill to the clubhouse. Hit a great drive to only 68yards and it settled just through the fairway. Hit a bad 2nd shot, just trying a half lob wedge and it ended short of green. Should have been an easy chip up, but left my chip short. Missed my putt to end the round with a bogey. Bogey
(Round +11)
Started this back 9 with a birdie, but finished 8over on my last 8holes to shoot a very disappointing 42 (+7) on the Par 35 Back 9. 0 fairways hit, but had about 4 that were just in the rough, pretty good drives, but technically weren’t fairways hit. Fairways Hit (FW) 0/7 0% Green in Regulation (GIR) 3/9 33% Up/Downs 1/2 50% Sand Saves 0/2 0% Penalties: 2
Final Score: 81 (+11) Fairways Hit (FW) 3/14 21% Green in Regulation (GIR) 7/18 38% Up/Downs 4/5 80%. Sand Saves 0/2 0% Penalties: 4 Putts: 33
Obviously a very disappointing round today at the Vineyard. I felt like I drove the ball well with my driver, better than I have over the past month, but still just can’t avoid the mistakes. I can’t keep having 2-4 penalties a round, absolutely killing me. My wedge game needs to improve from 100yards and in along with my lag putting. I’m starting to miss those 5-6 foot par putts as well over my last 3 rounds; my confidence from that distance has plummeted. The short game is just going to take a lot more practice, I’ve been focusing on my long game a lot over the past few weeks and I’m not really putting in the hours on or around the greens that’s needed to improve in those areas.
I’m going to be playing again this week on Wednesday, Thursday for sure and then hopefully on Sunday too. I was thinking about getting a lesson tomorrow, but I’m just going to put it off until next week. I don’t want to cloud my mind with too many new swing thoughts for my next few rounds, I need to just go out and play and trust my swing. My driver swing is improving, got all my distance back and I’m hitting it more solid. I’m hitting it straighter as well, so I hope I can maintain that on Wednesday and Thursday. This is going to be a long process getting to scratch and I’m starting to realize just how hard it is going to be, but these struggles will only make it more rewarding when I reach my goal. My scores are rising since the first couple weeks, but I do feel like I’m improving at the same time, it’s weird, but I think you know what I mean by that.
My Journey 2 Scratch 