Winter conditions does not even begin to describe the condition this course is in. Absolutely abysmal. Played on 1/29/13.

Greens: Bumpy. Pitch marks all over the place. Impossible to get a true r... Continue »

Winter conditions does not even begin to describe the condition this course is in. Absolutely abysmal. Played on 1/29/13.

Greens: Bumpy. Pitch marks all over the place. Impossible to get a true roll.
Fairways: Mostly muddy. Different types of grass. Very thin and almost bare.
Rough: Very muddy. Different types of grass of varying lengths. Some bare areas, some overgrown areas.
Tees: Muddy. Not level. Several were severely damaged. Several were almost completely bare.
Sand: Was not in any bunkers, but the two guys I was paired with were in several and all were hard packed or wet with very little sand.

Teed off a little before 9 AM and finished a little before 1 PM. 4 hours POP wasn't too bad, but we played as a threesome and were stuck behind a very slow threesome that forced us to wait at least once on almost every hole. No marshal to be seen.

$30 to walk on a Tuesday morning. Definitely not worth it considering what terrible conditions this course was in. I always give courses the benefit of the doubt during the winter, and especially after the rains we had the previous weekend, but there was no excuse for the horrid greens and the tremendous amount of mud and standing water on the course. It was 3 days since it had rained...a little mud was to be expected considering the course's location in the Sepulveda basin. However, the course was completely overtaken by it. They were repaving some of the concrete around the putting green and pro shop, work that looked to be almost completely aesthetic in nature. Maybe if the city put that money into the actual golf course, the course would be in at least decent condition.

Played 10/29/12. Course was in pretty good shape. Fairways and greens were good, fluffy sand in the 1 bunker that I was in. Tee boxes were uneven and had some fair damage on the par 3's. Course wa... Continue »

Played 10/29/12. Course was in pretty good shape. Fairways and greens were good, fluffy sand in the 1 bunker that I was in. Tee boxes were uneven and had some fair damage on the par 3's. Course was a little slow, as some people who were playing from the blacks should've played from the whites. Haven't played here in a while, but had a good time and would definitely play again.

Encino Golf Course Review
Encino California Golf Course Reviews

I have played Encino since moving to California in 1970, however since relocating to South Orange County, I rarely get up that way to play, in fact had not played here since 9/06. Two things are very ... Continue »

I have played Encino since moving to California in 1970, however since relocating to South Orange County, I rarely get up that way to play, in fact had not played here since 9/06. Two things are very different from what I remember:
1. The cost to walk ($35.00) is a lot of money for this place!
2. The condition of the course was far and away the best I have ever seen it! Never has Encino looked so good, everything except the greenside bunkers was in great shape. Maybe they are using the high green fees and putting the money back in the course?

I would have been impressed with these conditions in the spring or fall, but in the dead of summer - very well done! Always enjoyed playing here, though now at my advanced age, 6933 is all the golf course I can handle and more. I get the chance to hit a lot a fairway woods into these long par 4's, whereas years ago it was long irons. Probably the next time I play here, I won't even be able to reach those holes??

Encino Golf Course Review
Encino California Golf Course Reviews

Played Encino on Thur Aug 16. The course has survived the summer heat better than some of the other local muni's. Pace was just under 4 hours, but this was teeing off at 2pm. This seems to be the m... Continue »

Played Encino on Thur Aug 16. The course has survived the summer heat better than some of the other local muni's. Pace was just under 4 hours, but this was teeing off at 2pm. This seems to be the magic time to play the muni's and not suffer to much waiting.

The tee boxes here were in decent shape, you can tell they are rotating them frequently. The unevenness continues to be an issue. I swear they must place those markers on a slope every time I play. The par 3's continue to suffer the worst damage.

The fairways here are mostly good, several of them had some serious dried out patches, but I noticed that they were never in play, and generally in areas that were easily carried. The fairway just short of several of the greens were quite dried out and almost bare on some of the holes. The foot traffic is probably contributing to this problem.

The rough was mostly good on many of the holes, you can tell they are watering regularly. Some do have the severe dried out areas that can definitely affect your shot if you end up there.

Greens were in okay shape. Running fairly slow with some bumpiness. As noted by several others a lot of courses are keeping the greens shaggy so as not to lose them to the heat. Just hit it firm, and play less break than it looks.

Overall the course is in better shape than some of the other local muni's. They seem to be giving it more water, so the conditions are much more playable.

Encino Golf Course Review
Encino California Golf Course Reviews

Played Fri 6-15-12. Similar conditions to my last review which was about 2 weeks ago. The tee boxes do not seem to be getting any love lately. They are rather torn up, and the unevenness is very no... Continue »

Played Fri 6-15-12. Similar conditions to my last review which was about 2 weeks ago. The tee boxes do not seem to be getting any love lately. They are rather torn up, and the unevenness is very noticeable on several of the holes. The fairways are in mostly excellent shape, and did not notice any large brown patches or thinness. The rough continues to be lush and thick in some spots, but thin and almost hardpan in others. You never know what you are going to find.
The most disappointing aspect of the course is the bunkers, the sand is almost non-existent and continues to be hard packed. Especially the fairway bunkers. The greens run average speed, and I repaired about 3 divots per hole.
I enjoy this layout, and if you play during the week in the afternoon it is absolutely worth the green fee.

Encino Golf Course Review
Encino California Golf Course Reviews

Late review. Played on 6/1/12. Still wanted to write a review, since they made some small changes to the course (look at PDF below). Hole 2 tee box for the back tee was shifted to a area that is about... Continue »

Late review. Played on 6/1/12. Still wanted to write a review, since they made some small changes to the course (look at PDF below). Hole 2 tee box for the back tee was shifted to a area that is about 300 yards on the first hole. The hole is a dog leg left from those tees, which makes it a bit challenging. Hole 10 you are hitting from the end of the tee box. Course condition is ok, greens were in good condition, fairway was mostly lush but thin on certain area, rough was lush, and the sand was little heavy as usual.

Walked the course in under 4 hours. A quick round with a course to work on the game is always needed.

http://www.golf.lacity.org/pdf/scorecard_encino_front_w.pdf
http://www.golf.lacity.org/pdf/scorecard_balboa_front_w.pdf

Encino Golf Course Review
Encino California Golf Course Reviews

Played Encino on Tuesday June 5th. The course has greened up considerably since the last visit about a month ago. I continue to enjoy this course, as it seems more than a simple up and back muni.
... Continue »

Played Encino on Tuesday June 5th. The course has greened up considerably since the last visit about a month ago. I continue to enjoy this course, as it seems more than a simple up and back muni.

The tee boxes in were mostly good shape, some tee markers were on unlevel ground which always bothers me. The condition of the grass was fine though.

The fairways and rough have gotten much greener over the past month. The rough being in much better shape. With lots of lushness on many holes. The fairways were a bit patchy on some holes, with plenty of clover growing in. The length of the grass was level throughout, and the patchiness never really bothered any of my shots.

The bunkers on the course are in very poor shape. I am glad to have only visited one, but the others I viewed throughout the round were very thin, and compact. Especially the fairway bunkers.

The greens ran medium speed and were fairly smooth on the whole. Lots of leaves and debris on the greens though, which was a hassle to clear prior to any putt.

Overall the course is in decent shape, and as always you get what you pay for. The pace of play was excellent at just about 4 hours, we never had to wait on anyone. But it was a Tuesday afternoon, not exactly prime hours. Will be going back again soon, as I enjoy this layout, and it serves as a good confidence boosting course.

Encino Golf Course Review
Encino California Golf Course Reviews

Played Encino for the very first time today March 23rd. Went out at 248, and was in the car at 7, so just about 4 hours. The pacing on this course seemed to be much better than my prior experience a... Continue »

Played Encino for the very first time today March 23rd. Went out at 248, and was in the car at 7, so just about 4 hours. The pacing on this course seemed to be much better than my prior experience at Balboa. Having said that, I enjoyed this course much more than Balboa. I thought the holes were much more varied, and made me think a bit more than Balboa. I found myself enjoying it much more than my past round at Balboa.

The tee boxes on the course were pretty good overall. As usual the par 3s were a bit beat up, but I was still able to find a decent spot to tee up from. They were all fairly level, and fair.

The rough on the course was much better than I expected, it was fairly lush on most of the holes. It was not nearly as spotty as the sister course. You could definitely tell where the fairway ended and the rough began. I think it was definitely helped out by last weekends rain. The fairways were rather thin though, and patchy on some holes. They were really a mixed bag, some were very nice, especially the approach on several holes, I even considered putting a few times.

The greens were not the best, they ran rather bumpy. Essentially every single one, you could watch your ball jump and bounce on its way to the hole. The speed would be considered medium to slow. Did not notice un-repaired ball marks though, so that's always a good sign.

Overall the experience was pleasant, I enjoyed this routing and layout more than the Balboa course, and will find myself returning here soon.

Encino Golf Course Review
Encino California Golf Course Reviews

Late review. Played on Christmas day. Got there early 30 min early, and no one was on the course. Just went and teed off, and no one said anything! What a way to celebrate Christmas!

Course is in f... Continue »

Late review. Played on Christmas day. Got there early 30 min early, and no one was on the course. Just went and teed off, and no one said anything! What a way to celebrate Christmas!

Course is in fair condition. Fairway is mostly dry and yellow grass, with some areas green. Same for the rough. Greens were in great condition, rolled true at medium speed. Got in the sand once, and it was in ok condition.

Finished the round in just over 3.5 hours walking. We took plenty of time on the green to enjoy the empty course!

Encino Golf Course Review
Los Angeles California Golf Course Reviews