Played Encino on May 25, 2015. Greens were in very good condition. Taking drought into consideration, the fairways and rough were not too bad, but far from ideal. You get the sense that they are doing... Continue »

Played Encino on May 25, 2015. Greens were in very good condition. Taking drought into consideration, the fairways and rough were not too bad, but far from ideal. You get the sense that they are doing the best they can do. I have played Encino many times and have always enjoyed the course, and I did so on May 25, 2015. Course is not easy, but not difficult either. A mediocre golfer like me can play an enjoyable round and not feel beat up by the course. Pace of play was excellent. We finished our round in just a few minutes over 4 hours.

Played yesterday for the first time in quite awhile. Since the course has been reviewed recently by others, I don't have too much to add on. Everything is what you'd expect from a city course-averag... Continue »

Played yesterday for the first time in quite awhile. Since the course has been reviewed recently by others, I don't have too much to add on. Everything is what you'd expect from a city course-average fairways & rough that are patchy (but not thin, disagreeing with previous reviewer), greens with LOTS of unrepaired ball marks and bumpy at times, sand that is soft like play sand, but not golf sand consistency. There was also a lot of crud in all the bunkers. On various holes there were a lot of spots marked GUR (usually mudpits). POP was fine at just over four hours with a little waiting on every back nine hole, and service was fine. I honestly wasn't looking for too much my first time out in awhile & Encino fit the bill. Everything is simply bland or fine.

Played the blues (6564/70.6/116) in 4 hours on a beautiful weekday afternoon in the low 70's with RGM2525 on a GolfNow Hot Deal for $26.49, including a cart. Typical city course maintenance wise. Th... Continue »

Played the blues (6564/70.6/116) in 4 hours on a beautiful weekday afternoon in the low 70's with RGM2525 on a GolfNow Hot Deal for $26.49, including a cart. Typical city course maintenance wise. The poa annua greens were medium speed, occasionally bumpy and held approach shots well. The fairways and rough were both typical winter conditions, generally thin with good coverage. The tees were fairly chewed up. They could use more divot maintenance and rotation of the tee markers. The sand traps seemed to have an adequate amount of sand in them. However, they did not appear to have been raked recently by the course, crusty on top. Additionally, it seemed like the locals must have thought the rakes around the traps were mere ornaments, because seemingly every trap had multiple golfers footprints in them. Overall, the course conditions are mediocre. Many straight holes or holes with just a slight bend. Not a single hole with a wow factor, but no hokey or tricked up holes either. The tree lined layout is traditional, fairly wide open and had some fun golf holes. However, I honestly thought we were getting ready to play a wrong par 4 on the back because it looked very much like one we had already played on the front. My 1st time playing here, it's an Ok course worth playing if you can get a deal.

Played Sunday 2/8. Got out at 1:06 and finished in the dark at 5:45. Payed just $32 with a cart. Weather was perfect; sunny, lows 70's, slight breeze. That translated into a packed course. The front 9... Continue »

Played Sunday 2/8. Got out at 1:06 and finished in the dark at 5:45. Payed just $32 with a cart. Weather was perfect; sunny, lows 70's, slight breeze. That translated into a packed course. The front 9 was exceptionally slow, with a wait on every shot. As people bailed off the course in the later afternoon, the back 9 sped up considerably.
The course is in fair shape for a muni. It was recently mowed and the fairways were quite thin. The rough was also trimmed and less penal than usual. Traps were wet/hardened by recent rains. Greens were good with a true roll. Some of the putts actually broke (which is unusual for these typically slower greens). Encino is my favorite of the three Sepulveda Dam courses.

For a course that had finished its aeration, i was expecting a lot more. Greens Keeper said it was green and no maintenance to report. You could tell the greens had been aerated recently, with visib... Continue »

For a course that had finished its aeration, i was expecting a lot more. Greens Keeper said it was green and no maintenance to report. You could tell the greens had been aerated recently, with visible spots, bare spots on greens, ground under repair in fairways that are not marked. this course needs some maintenance. with that being said, the course is playable. I would give it another week or two for a true recovery from the aeration.

It's been a while since this courses last review, so I thought I'd write a quick update. I found Encino to be playing better than normal. I expected thinner and dryer conditions considering the past... Continue »

It's been a while since this courses last review, so I thought I'd write a quick update. I found Encino to be playing better than normal. I expected thinner and dryer conditions considering the past heat wave, but the fairways and rough had pretty good and mostly green coverage. I didn't have any issues regarding lies in the fairways. The greens were punched about 3 weeks ago and were running pretty true and consistent but a little on the slow side. The one issue several of the greens seemed to be battling a slight fungus problem, that formed what looked like large yellow water spots on the greens. It was mostly a cosmetic issue than a physical one. The biggest problem are the bunkers, which were very wet and thin. It isn't a challenging course, with very few hazards and landing strip size fairways. If you have a decent day with the driver, your scores should be better than usual. The best thing about playing here are the interesting people I always seemed to be randomly paired with. The locals I played with say Balboa is playing even nicer, so I'll try to make it out to that one next.

Played yesterday (12/26/13) and oh my has the city of LA run out of water? The course is sooooo dry with the exception of the greens, I saw no watering. The ball will go for ever down the fairway if i... Continue »

Played yesterday (12/26/13) and oh my has the city of LA run out of water? The course is sooooo dry with the exception of the greens, I saw no watering. The ball will go for ever down the fairway if it does not hit mound of dirt or hole. Pace of play was good becauese we were out at 6:48 and had no one in front of us. Don't know if I will back again.

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 loo... Continue »

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.

The longer and newer of the two courses at the Sepulveda complex, the other being Balboa.
All kinds of grasses all over the fairways and rough, very messy. But it takes some skill and imagination to... Continue »

The longer and newer of the two courses at the Sepulveda complex, the other being Balboa.
All kinds of grasses all over the fairways and rough, very messy. But it takes some skill and imagination to play that stuff! Huge trees all around.
If you want a casual practice game, instead of just pounding balls at the range, this would be a good place to just knock it out there. The fairways are wide, the greens are all mostly flat and elevated. You'll be driving the ball long all day, as there isn't much roll from the clumpy grass and flat fairways, so the real challenge is the approach shots to the green. In the winter the ball does roll out a bit more, as long as you don't play the couple days after heavy rains.
Just a good place to walk.