I played Harding Sat 4/19. Good news bad news, the course isn't in good condition, very dry though out. BUT the greens are being punched 4/22-23. Hope... » More

I played Harding Sat 4/19. Good news bad news, the course isn't in good condition, very dry though out. BUT the greens are being punched 4/22-23. Hopefully with less play, things can recover. I like Harding for an LA City muni, but not so much as it's sister course Wilson.

I didn't use the range, I've heard it was upgraded. Smallish short game area (supporting 2 courses.) Plenty of putting areas.

Check in (they did ask for my DL before allowing others to check in) is easy in the pro shop. The restaurant that took years to get a facelift is open & seems to be flourishing! The snack shack in the middle of the course that serves both courses from various holes is open too.

Tee boxes; bad. Uneven, hard, dry, with spotty grass. Probably the same for past 40 years with the exception of hard & dry.

Fairways; Some were decent, many had small patches of dirt, with gopher hole damage rampant. Many had been filled in/repaired with dirt, but poorly done. Spring Gopher season?
"Gophers- the little brown, furry rodents!" Yup, need Carl out there...

Rough is anything from shin high weeds to bunchy weeds & dirt patches, all with Gopher holes. So dry it's easy to hit out of.

Collar areas mostly good.

Bunkers ok, at least consistent hardpan with a few inches of sand on top. Oh well, they are meant to be difficult.

Greens beat up, some bumpy, others not bad. All have plenty of unrepaired ball marks. More than anyplace I've played. Speed was medium, but a couple were furry & slower. Punching this week is needed.

The previous review mentioned the big missing tree right side of 16 or 17 & was spot on about it. Short par 4 was like a slight dogleg because one had to hit a fade around the big tree. Draw/hookers were in trouble. I'm one of them, many times I missed into the trees left. Now it is just a short wide open hole. One of my buddies had a 30 yard pitch to set up his birdie & I had an 80 yarder to set me up for my only birdie. With the flag in the front or middle the hole is just too easy. Bummer!

POP; 4:30. Not bad for a sat. 8*30 start time.

Nice carts with GPS & BT Speakers.

Overall, not in recommendable condition, but better than nothing & hopefully after the greens being punched they will get the rest of the course in better condition.
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Played Balboa this past Sat, 8*40 tee off (On time.) POP was 4*25, could be better, but not bad for a Sat. Balboa is part of the LA City muni's. Large... » More

Played Balboa this past Sat, 8*40 tee off (On time.) POP was 4*25, could be better, but not bad for a Sat. Balboa is part of the LA City muni's. Large tree lined course, no water hazards.
Big Range (Mats) & short game area.
Decent carts with GPS & Speakers.

Tee boxes ok.
Fairways; filled it nicely with a mix of grasses, better than I recall here in a long time.
Rough; mixed bag of grass, weeds & broken branches. Near the fairway ok, got worse further astray.
Collars around greens shaved tight, good coverage.
Greens; Med speed, good coverage. Soft enough to stick & spin.
Bunkers; fairway are mostly hard pan. Greenside decent, a few were being worked on.
They don't have bev cart service out here. They had a beautiful girl selling snacks & beer/soft drinks at the location in the middle of the course where the cart paths cross (the old Snack bar area), it may be 7th hole on front & 14th or 15th on back. But, she doesn't open until 11am. I believe the restaurant that serves both courses is open for breakfast & lunch. I didn't go in.

Overall the course is very playable, & fun, although not a tough challenge. I would recommend. The City res system now charges the city card holder $10 at time of reservation. No shows lose the $10 PER MAN. At check in, they charged I believe $57 (Green & cart fee.) But, it was really $67 with the $10 they had already charged. A bit confusing, but we'll get used to it.
FYI; The LA City courses all are on the Noteefy app. I haven't used it yet, I'm hopeful it will work.
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