Playing every golf course in Melbourne Australia Rd 8: Yarrambat Golf Course

Kangaroo’s and impossibly difficult greens, is how I would describe my trip to Yarrambat Golf Club. This course was recommended to me in the comments on my previous videos and also by a few playing partners. As you know I am playing every golf course in Melbourne Australia, so if you have a course recommendation, comment it below and I will go play the most liked one.
Having just moved from Ireland, Kangaroos are real novelty to me, however I am no stranger to bad putting days. And I walked away from this course feeling like I played well, but at the end of the day my score tells a different story. So if you fancy your short game, I challenge you to play here and post a lower score than me.
Yarrambat is an hour from the city and it is a beautiful setting. I was paired with two local Aussies today and we started with a Par 4 326m. I’m still not over the social awkwardness of filming my rounds with other people, so a good drive is essential to start the day well. I’m just off the fairway and have an easy pitch to the green. It rolls into the sand and hit a decent chip out. I’m thinking a standard two putt from here should do the job, but the greens as fast, and slow at the same time. What should have been a bogey, end up in a double.
Hole 2 is a Par 5 448m. This course has a massive boom sound to scare birds and it put me off during my back swing. I push my drive into trees, I hit a provisional which I didn’t record. I don’t find my first drive so this is shot three. It’s short of the green and I pitch it close and leave myself with a chance to save par. Again, my putt slows at the hole, and I take and bogey.
Hole 3 is a Par 4 342m. I hit a decent drive to the right of the fairway which leaves me with 140m to the green. I hit a 7-iron and it comes up short of the green. My chip runs over the back of the green and I have to chip it back where it came from. I hit what is probably my only good putt of the day, and I sinks for a bogey.
Hole 4 is a Par 4 320m. My drive finds the fairway and I have a pitching wedge 100m to the green. I hit the green and have a 10m putt to the green. I manage to two putt here and get my first par of the day.
Hole 5 is a Par 3 171m. My 6-iron hits the green and I have a 15m putt for birdie. I was getting increasingly flustered with the greens, because I literally tapped this and it ran 10m beyond where I was aiming. So, I ended up tapping it back, and this time it came up short. And I ended up taking a bogey.
Hole 6 is a Par 4 315m. I hit a perfect drive which rolled into the centre of the fairway. I hit a sand wedge from 85m. It made the green and left me with a 20m putt for birdie. I was the ultimate thee-putt-merchant and that’s what it took here, to get a bogey from a promising position.
Hole 7 is a Par 5 445m. I hit a low drive and it worked out well. There was water to the left so I decided to tap a 5-iron up the right side of the fairway. It clipped a tree branch and lost some distance. So I was still about 130ish from the green on shot 3. I didn’t catch it well and nearly ended up in the water after all my thinking about it. I hit a perfect pitch shot, but it plugged in a wet part of the fringe and didn’t roll onto the green. My pitch rolled 5 meters past the hole and I ended up two-putting for a double-bogey 7 at 7.
Hole 8 is a par 3 118m. I hit a 9-iron at the flag and have a good chance at a birdie. I’m so nervous about these greens, so I politely tap it but it doesn’t come close and I take a par.
Hole 9 is a Par 4 377m. I hit a really good drive to the middle of the fairway. I have a pitching wedge 100m to the green and it comes up just short. I chip it towards the hole. It goes close but not close enough and I have a 5m putt to save par. Agonizingly, it veers right and take a bogey to close out the front 9.
That was a tough front nine for me. I thought I drove well and my approaches were good. But I couldn’t read the greens so my putting and chipping left a lot to be desired. Par was 36 and I shot 45 which is nine over par. Two double bogeys, 5 bogeys, and 2 pars.

[@lifewithg7139]

Starting the back 9, Hole 10 is a Par 4 342m. My drive rolled off the fairway and into the trees. All I could do was chip it back into play. My pitch hits the green and gives me a par chance. It doesn’t fall and I take bogey.
Hole 11 is a Par 5 435m. I follow up my drive with a 4-iron. It pushed right and leaves me with a difficult chip off a bare surface. It runs to the other side of the green, and I have to chip it back where it came from. And the same again, it just runs right over the back I have to chip for par. It leaves me with a tough putt for bogey. And thankfully it falls.
Hole 12 is a Par 3 153m. I hit a 7-iron and it lands with the ducks on the green.
Thankfully my putt doesn’t run too far past the hole and I am able to take a par from here.
Hole 13 is a Par 4 342m. I try to cut the corner on the dog-leg-left, but it gets held up on this hill. I hit a good chip to the green and follow it up with a good putt that leaves me with an easy par putt. However, there are no easy putts on this course, and it veers to the right and I take another bogey.
Hole 14 is a short Par 4, 262m. I don’t catch my drive too well but I goes straight. I hit a sand wedge to the raised green from around 60m and it runs over the back. My chip runs off the green the other side and I have to putt from the fringes for par. It doesn’t reach and leaves me with a short putt for bogey. This too comes up short and I take a double bogey.
Hole 15 is a 462m Par 5. I hit a drive to 236m and then I hit a 4-iron which drifts to the right and end up in this craves. I a sand wedge towards the raised green bit it comes up short. I’m a bit distracted by the Kangaroo’s on this hole and I don’t chip it well at all. I finally make the green in 4 shots and have a two-putt for bogey.
Hole 16 is a downhill Par 3 163m. I hit a 6-iron and it just cover the pond and reaches the edge of the green. My putt here is a bit off kilter, but the speed is good and it leaves me with a decent putt for par.
Hole 17 is a Par 4 356m. I get lucky here because my drive hits a tree and bounces back into the fairway. I hit a 4-iron which lays up just in front of this protected green. I chip over the hills and it leaves me with a long putt for par. It doesn’t worry the hole but it’s close enough so can tap in a bogey.
Hole 18 is a Par 4 345m. To clear the ways is 200m. I decided to go for it, but mostly aim at the gap to the right. I clear it but leaves me in the trees. I tap a 4-iron out, so it stays low and I end up just to the back of the green. I chip well and it gives me a chance to save par on the last.
Par for the back nine was 36 and I shot 43. That’s 7-over-par; one double bogey, five bogeys, and three pars. Overall, I had 88 shots, and I was +16 for the day. I submitted all the rounds I published online prior to this one and I got a handicap of 14. So, I played close to my handicap here, but I left a lot of shots on the course because of my putting performance here.
Overall, I would recommend you come and play this course. It’s a very interesting and challenging track, and like myself, your short game will be tested. The Kangaroos and the rest of the wildlife on the are also a nice novelty for blow-ins like myself. So, if you know another course I should play, comment it below. And if you made it this far give the page a follow to see where I end up next.

[@jkturtle6384]

Hey G, with your handicap submissions (i assume with FG) do you need another person with an official handicap to mark your cards? I would like to get a handicap but mainly just play by myself.

[@lifewithg7139]

I had a mixed situation. My playing partner signed some of them. But when I filled out my own card I asked the worker in the pro shop to sign it. You have out your first three with a 36 handicap stableford score. So get a spare card in case you make mistakes.

[@jkturtle6384]

@@lifewithg7139 thanks thats good to know. Just joined FG.