Wow, I haven't played at Balboa Park in years and was really impressed with the condition of the course. We played on 3/6. It's actually the best conditioned course that I have played this winter (usu... Continue »

Wow, I haven't played at Balboa Park in years and was really impressed with the condition of the course. We played on 3/6. It's actually the best conditioned course that I have played this winter (usually play 2X/week in the SD area). Green lush fairways, excellent greens; smooth and void of ball marks, and lots of sand in the traps. A real pleasure to see a Muni in such good shape! Pace of play was just over 4 hours BUT yesterday was cool, cloudy and windy so there were not a lot of golfers. Also, a good lunch at the 19th Hole Cafe with some great homemade soup after a cool day on the course.

Balboa Park Golf Course Review
San Diego California Golf Course Reviews

Pretty busy here today. Started a little after our tee time. But wow all the work they put into the course has really paid off. Its good to see attention being put into the course because it is a g... Continue »

Pretty busy here today. Started a little after our tee time. But wow all the work they put into the course has really paid off. Its good to see attention being put into the course because it is a good layout and really a shot makers course. The greens were great. The first couple of holes still had some morning dew and were not as fast as the rest of the course. Looks like they had added/renovated some tee boxes but these were not open but it doesn't look like they are far from being ready. A couple of tee boxes weren't level and pretty beat up but the majority were pretty good. There were some damp spots out there in the fairways but I think this was only on the first couple of holes. For the most part the fairways were pretty lush. I did find one trap and while the sand was good there were some pretty big stones in there. I'm not sure if this was just my trap because some of the other traps had that white sand where the one I was in was more of that tan color. Marshal was out doing his job keeping an eye on slow movers. Considering it is only $40 for residents I will be adding this to my rotation, that is if I can improve my ball striking.

Balboa Park Golf Course Review
San Diego California Golf Course Reviews

This course is in the best condition that I have seen in over twenty years. It has unique challenges with elevated greens. It has the hardest par 5 in San Diego county. For me it is the best value cou... Continue »

This course is in the best condition that I have seen in over twenty years. It has unique challenges with elevated greens. It has the hardest par 5 in San Diego county. For me it is the best value course to play. Lots of fun and terrific views of Downtown San Diego and the ocean. It will give you a real good workout when you walk it.

Balboa Park Golf Course Review
San Diego California Golf Course Reviews

Having heard good reviews of Balboa, I decided to give it a try. It was definitely better than it used to be. They have obviously been working on it.

The greens were soft and looked good, but the... Continue »

Having heard good reviews of Balboa, I decided to give it a try. It was definitely better than it used to be. They have obviously been working on it.

The greens were soft and looked good, but they were lightly sanded, bumpy and slow.

I wish that they could do something about #4. I know that it had to be contorted for the neighbors, but it hurts the course, as is. Also, both the tees and flag were back on the #6 par three. It played about 230 and we all had double bogeys. Maybe #4 should be a par 3, and #6 could be the par 4. in any event, the run of holes 4, 5 and 6 hurt the course.

On the other hand, the back nine opens up and I enjoyed it.

Since the course is hilly, I took a cart. But unlike Coronado GC, they don't offer 1/2 carts, so for a City resident, the cart was more than the greens fees.

But I hope that they keep working on it. It now has potential!

Balboa Park Golf Course Review
San Diego California Golf Course Reviews

I love this course - Play this and Torrey Pines regularly. Just recently renovated alot of the grounds so it is playing really nice right now - greens are very smooth and they are finally restricting ... Continue »

I love this course - Play this and Torrey Pines regularly. Just recently renovated alot of the grounds so it is playing really nice right now - greens are very smooth and they are finally restricting carts in certain areas. If you're a San Diego resident, its a good deal. Very challenging course. I've heard more players say they are never coming back as it can really eat you up. Definitely requires smart club management and the ability to work the ball on certain holes. For a Municipal course, it is a great track. Short at under 6000 yards (blue) but doesn't feel long by the time you finish.

Balboa Park Golf Course Review
San Diego California Golf Course Reviews

I played on 11/5 and the course was in really good condition. There were a few areas having standing water due to the previous day's rainfall but it wasn't a major issue. The fairways and greens wer... Continue »

I played on 11/5 and the course was in really good condition. There were a few areas having standing water due to the previous day's rainfall but it wasn't a major issue. The fairways and greens were in very good condition but the tee boxes and some of the bunkers needed help. Many of the tee boxes were unlevel and chewed up and I found some large rocks and thin coverage in some bunkers. The course can be quite challenging if you're not hitting them straight. There are some holes with no bailout and since the course isn't very long, use an appropriate club to avoid the hazards.

Balboa Park Golf Course Review
San Diego Golf Course Reviews

I was joking around with a couple guys in my group that we needed to keep the condition of the course hush-hush from other golfers... However I feel that the GKers of San Diego deserve to know that Ba... Continue »

I was joking around with a couple guys in my group that we needed to keep the condition of the course hush-hush from other golfers... However I feel that the GKers of San Diego deserve to know that Balboa is back up and in the best condition I have ever seen it in. Rumor has it that they brought the Head Greenskeeper over from Torrey to do a sprucing up of the property and well- he did one hell of a job. The fairways are Torrey quality. I should say they border on Tour Quality (if it wasn't for some interesting ground features that have always existed). The new sprinkler system seems to be doing the course a lot of good considering the fairways are only made better by the great rough they have been able to procure. Not crazy punishing like Torrey but still lush and abundant. Not many bare spots currently on the course. For me the real prize are the greens. Fresh off of an impeccably thorough over-seeding the greens are free of major ball marks, and smooth as can be. They played slow the day that I wen't because it's evident they are keeping them wet and healthy. Still the balled rolled beautifully. Even the traps are in great condition. Pace of play was great on a friday afternoon, but I can only imagine that will change as people start hearing the news.

For the first timer- This course is quirky. That's a nice word. I live next to it and have had the pleasure playing it many times but it still drives me crazy most days. Granted the conditions are prime and I recommend it right now- just don't come down expecting top notch service or the amenities of a nicer club. The course can play very hard or amazingly easy; It's narrow, and one hell of a walk... but the view from 12th green is fantastic.

Balboa Park Golf Course Review
San Diego Golf Course Reviews

Went out this past weekend early in the morning. There is some maintenance going on, I was told they are putting in a new drainage system. My overall comment would be they need to cut everything. M... Continue »

Went out this past weekend early in the morning. There is some maintenance going on, I was told they are putting in a new drainage system. My overall comment would be they need to cut everything. Mow the greens and the fairways and they would be in really good shape. They probably are not going to be doing that since they are punching this week. I wish there was a ranger out there because the group in front of us was way behind and we teed off around 7:15. On the 17th green they even rode their cart over the green. Rough is more lush around the greens compared to the fairways. Course itself is not very long and you really don't need driver. You do need to be able to put the ball in play and hit small greens.

Played on the 7th of Oct. and the greens are a mess. Thank god for the airaition that they have scheduled, the course is in severe need. Greens are bumpy and infected with something, not a true roll... Continue »

Played on the 7th of Oct. and the greens are a mess. Thank god for the airaition that they have scheduled, the course is in severe need. Greens are bumpy and infected with something, not a true roll on them. Course is very overpriced if your not a SD resident, go somewhere else to play because this place is not worth the money-15 bucks to ride and 40 week days. You can play Riverwalk down the street for less and way better conditions.