Played here for the first time since the 1990's and had a very good time! The course is in "pretty good" shape considering that we're experiencing a drought. The pace of play was brisk and good, which is unusual for an LA Muni, and I was very pleased overall.

Many holes clearly lay out a risk/reward scenario and call for a certain shape of tee shot which is also great for a muni. About 1/2 the holes are straight/flat par 4's that only require that you hit the fairway in order to score.

Encino is a bit longer than all the other city courses in LA and you get to use your whole bag. This is a welcome change from most of the courses that driver-wedge holes. It seems like the better players in the LA City League hang out there and like to play good golf. So if your game is a bit beyond beginner, you'll find it very fun and exciting.

The bad parts, there were a few areas of serious disrepair on the course but that is understandable since the course is busy and we are in a drought so I don't hold that against them at all.

The club house at the Encino/Balboa complex is nice but not luxurious. The staff is VERY friendly and accommodating. Lots of TV's and decent food in comfy chairs to relax after the round.

The practice area is also nice with a few putting greens, chipping green, practice trap, and a field that allows you hit wedges to warm up with your own balls.

Overall a good time and look forward to going back soon!

First time playing here and really enjoyed it! Most holes are creative and clearly lay out a risk/reward scenario that keeps it interesting and fun. The greens were great and track accurately. Very fun to putt and require a read and touch unlike most public courses in LA where the greens are overused and inconsistent. Overall a very fun round and definitely plan on coming back soon!

The bad part, like most public courses in LA, we got behind a group of Korean golfers who play amazingly slow and are completely oblivious to the groups behind them. Our round was 5 hours and 20 minutes. We figured that we spent over an hour and a half waiting on the group in front of us either on the tee box or in the fairway.

These guys were very nice but they hit from the back tees with an average drive of 175 yards in the rough. They fell out of position multiple times and they refused to let us play through (which is in the rules of golf) and made no efforts to speed up. We called the clubhouse as did other groups that were waiting with us on the tee boxes. Unfortunately the staff at Knollwood didn't take any serious action beyond asking the group to speed up; which they did not. I grew up in the East playing golf and this pace of play is not tolerated. I haven't seen it tolerated anywhere but Los Angeles and it's so very disappointing. I don't think the marshall even warned them, just politely asked that they speed up . . . and they didn't. We naively expected the marshall to hold them while we played through.

Last disappointment was the food options. Beat up and old looking food areas with very average food.

Even with the incredibly slow pace of play and so-so food, I had a great time and really enjoyed the course and will come back soon. Courses make more money when the pace of play is upheld and when everyone isn't allowed to play from the back tees, maybe one public course here will realize that. Again, a very fun course that rewards creative shot making and is well worth the money!