Played Friday 5/16 at 11:00 am in an annual guys' weekend. Service was outstanding for our gang of 10, allowing us to play in 3 groups. The setting is beautiful with pine trees, wild animals and fantastic views of the bay. This is a fun track requiring good shots. Lots of elevation changes. For the lack of rain, the course was in good condition with lots of lush, green grass. The bunkers were filled with VERY soft, heavy sand making escapes difficult. Greens were in great shape running quickly. Everything rolls toward the bay and often seems to defy gravity. The only downside was the driving range. Although you hit off grass, the "stalls" were pretty chewed up and all were slanted creating uphill lies (for right handers)... some quite severely. The wind picked up and created a chill... bring a sweater! I'll be back.

Played Birthday Golf on 3/31 for just the $15 cart fee. Two other GK members played with a $35 coupon. Sweet! Even at rack rates, this is a great value course. Played Lakes since Vineyard was being punched. Service was amazing as they even drove our sandwiches out to us on the course (the snack shack at the turn was closed).

The greens were recovering nicely from punching earlier in March. They ran at 10.5 which, for me, is pretty fast. Seems to me the greens protect the course. They are big and undulating. Some pin placements were very tricky.

The fairway & rough were lush and in good condition. My only knock is some tee boxes were un-level requiring an slight uphill or downhill lie for your drive.

We teed off on time at 10:30 am. Within 2 hours the wind had picked up and by the time we finished at 3:00 it was howling and downright chilly. Rather brutal conditions. I recommend you try either of the courses at River Ridge; they will test your game!

Played Sunday 11/10 at 3:00 pm. $14 super-twilight rate for walkers. Not a bad rate for 9 holes when you consider the Van Nuys Executive course is $17. Unfortunately, the front 9 at Encino did not look very good. Maybe it was just beat up from a long weekend, but the track needs some TLC. Many of the tee boxes (white tees) were not level and completely bare. Some were even a bit muddy. Many of the fairways were quite thin and pocked with bare areas and grounds under repair. A good drive was often rewarded with a tight lie. The rough was a mixture of different grasses, but lush enough to grab your club head. Can't speak for the bunkers as I was lucky to avoid them. The greens were recently punched and have recovered nicely. They were a bit slow & bumpy. Your best bet here is twilight or super-twilight...and at least you aren't hitting off a mat! But right now, there is no way the course is worth its rack rate. Disappointed.

Played Saturday 6/22 at 8:34 am. Teed off exactly on time in perfect conditions. We paid the weekend rack rate of $48 + $15 cart fee. While this may be about 30% more than the munis I usually play, the course & facility are 100% better. Service was excellent from the pro shop to the starter to the regular visits by the "rolling refreshment stand". Pace of play was very good, with marshals at the turn who were unafraid to admonish those falling behind. The course was pristine with greens rolling about 10.5. Tee boxes were lush with just a few being slightly tilted. The course is fairly open, but creative. You can score well by staying in the fairway, otherwise the thick rough will slow you way down. The fairway bunkers I strayed into had fine, soft sand. My partner found a deep greenside bunker where, unfortunately, the sand was wet. With the hot summer days coming, I plan on returning to this cool course. Go check it out!

Teed off at 7:45 am Memorial Day. The course was in good condition overall. For a muni course in the Sepulveda Dam complex, the fairways aren't going to be perfect. For the most part, I was pleased with the turn around of the course. The tee boxes have definitely been moved up and the "blues" are now playing where the "whites" used to be. The "whites" are pushed up and at times were by the "red" stone markers (though the reds were further up as well). No complaints as it made the course different for me. The greens have healed from prior maintenance and rolled true at a medium pace. I found a few fairway bunkers and can say the traps were in good shape. Pace was excellent for a Holiday. Weather was perfect...and I played well. On top of it all, the two singles who joined us were excellent playing partners. No need to shy away from Balboa right now.

For an annual two day get away golf trip with 20 friends we played at noon on 5/17 & 8:00 am on 5/18. For a golf trip, this place has everything you need: Rooms with balconies overlooking the course, good food & drink and 27 beautiful golf holes. Both days we played the "Oaks" & "Creek" courses. We did not play the "Stonehouse" 9. Condition-wise, this was one of the nicest tracks I've ever played. Considering I play LA munis most of the time, I found the greens to run very fast and difficult to read. Yet the putts ran true and the greens would hold your ball if you had any spin. The fairways were immaculate and clearly defined by the cut of the rough. The rough was very lush and long enough for the ball to nestle down and be a challenge. The sand was a bit heavy but the traps were well maintained. The tee boxes were pretty chewed up, so using a tee on par 3's was a necessity. This is a resort course so there are some generous landing areas. Still, at my handicap, I found the course to be fun & challenging. There a some nice views, particularly on the Creek 9. Very quiet & rustic; reminded us of La Purisma. The Oaks 9 is a little noisier as several holes run alongside the freeway. Even the pace of play was good considering they were running several tournaments at the same time. At this price point, I thought the course & hotel to be an excellent value.

Played 4/18 at 2:45 pm. Starter got us out just before a club tournament. Thanks! got around in 4 hours. The course is really starting to shape up. The greens were in good condition, running true and medium fast. The fairways are looking better than the last time I played here, though they were trim and hard. Rough was certainly more penal than before, but not more than 3". Tee boxes were fairly level and lush. Bunkers had good sand, but some were crunchy. Hole #1 is under repair, so all tees are bunched together; the blues are pushed forward a good 30 - 40 yards. With the wind behind you, a big hitter could drive the green. This is a fun course requiring little imagination. What you see is what you get; wide open fairways, a couple of slight doglegs and large greens. While not a test, it is a great course to work on your game. Enjoy!

Played 4/1 at 9:45. The course is looking good. The greens were firm & quick for a muni. Very few ball marks! Some of the tee boxes were fairly uneven. I did not find a bunker all day, but they looked very fresh & well maintained. The rough was about 3", quite lush and challenging. Fairways were inconsistent. Not very many lush areas and were hard packed. On the plus side, the ball ran a long ways. But many shots from 100 yds in were hard pan. This is the 4th time I've played here since they flipped the two nines. I'm not convinced that having a drivable par 4 for the 2nd hole is a good design. There were three groups waiting to tee off and we waited nearly 20 minutes. The next hole is a par 5 and things open up after that. Still, a 5 hour round on a Monday seems a bit much.

Played on President's Day. Holiday rates are the same as weekend rates. So know that resident rates are $54 with a cart. There are many nicer courses available at that price point.
However, if you don't mind poor conditions with wide open fairways to work on your game, this is your place. Pace of play was fine at just over 4 hours. The course appears to have been mowed by a team of tractors that only stopped around the greens & tee boxes. There was virtually no rough to be found on the entire course. The fairways were very thin. The only good reward for a fairway drive was a looong roll. Most shots within 100 yards were hard pan. The greens were in decent shape, rolling true, but at a medium/slow pace (like all greens in the Sepulveda Dam golf complex). Sand traps were fairly hard allowing you to pick the ball clean. Only other thing: Strike a deal with your playing partners allowing you to lift / clean / place balls that roll through goose crap!

Played 8/26. Off at 8:20 am just 5 minutes behind scheduled tee time. This was my first time out since early June due to some back issues. I chose Scholl Cyn so I could enjoy 18 holes and not swing too many big clubs. An excellent choice! This is a nice executive course with six shorter par 4's & 14 par 3's where you don't have to tee off of mats. The back 9 is very different from the front, offering risk/reward over arroyo shots, elevated tees and some really nice views.

I see by other recent reviews there was a tournament the day before. This would explain the severely chewed up tee boxes. I'd think after a tournament they might move the tee markers a few feet. The rest of the tee area was quite lush. However, nothing could be done about leveling the tee area. As others have said, you are either teeing off a downslope or an upslope. On the other hand, the tee boxes are quite big so you could face a very different course each time you return if the markers are moved around.

The fairways were somewhat dry & duffy, but quite playable; they were not hardpan. I found the rough to be juicy and somewhat penal. But I think that's a good thing on a short course. Since we teed off earlier in the day it would explain the dampness in the longer grass and in the sand traps. One trap looked like a pond had just been drained.

The biggest negative was waiting at every tee box. You wouldn't think it would take 4 1/2 hours to move around such a short course. BUT...all of the par 4's are under 300 yards. Thus, everyone thinks they are driveable (including my two partners). So everybody waits for the green to clear before teeing off. I didn't see anyone drive a green all day...in front of me, in my group or behind me. Seriously, get real people. You're playing Scholl Canyon; you're not that good! But I'll play here again.

Scholl Canyon Golf Club Course Review
Glendale California Golf Course Reviews

Played in the GK event 5/4. Though a bit above my pay grade with a slope of 135 from the white tees, I found the course is excellent condition. The tee boxes & fairways were lush and the greens were clean and rolled true. The staff was very good; I give them the 3 P's: Professional, Pleasant & Polite. Only complaint is with the inconsistent bunkers. Some fairway bunkers were so hard pan they felt like hitting off the cart path. Some greenside bunkers were fluffy but others were so devoid of sand that our playing partner hurt his wrist when his club hit the mesh mat under whatever amount of sand was hiding it. The course is quite unforgiving. If you spray a ball, it will be gone for good. I will play here again with a great rate like this GK event, but would not come back and pay rack rate until my game improves.

Robinson Ranch Golf Club Review
Santa Clarita California Golf Course Reviews

Played Sunday 4/29 at noon. The good: Greens are recovering well from recent aeration. The sand in the bunkers was clean and soft. Tee boxes were in decent shape and fairly level. The bad: The fairways are in poor shape. Different types of grass (weeds) growing and bare areas can leave you with a clumpy or a tight lie, so don't expect to be too rewarded for driving down the middle. For a muni, it's passable.

Black tees have been added which pushes the blue & white tees forward. The whites measure out to ~6,100 yards. On some holes the difference is quite noticeable, on others there is little change from before, e.g. the 17th hole is still a 200 yard par 3 from the whites. I didn't mind the more forward position; they actually made some fairway bunkers reachable for me which created a more interesting challenge.

Balboa Golf Course Review
Los Angeles California Golf Course Reviews