Franklin Canyon Golf Course

FC is a good layout golf wise. The greens were pretty decent so overall playable. The tee boxes and fairways are not pristine at all so we occasionally bumped the ball. Not in country club condition but playable and enjoyable. Pace was slow at first but picked up and we finished in 4:20. Nice staff, old carts, old run down grill and shop but it’s a working man’s type place and I like value $55 golf.

Franklin Canyon is a great place for golf. It’s peaceful. The staff is great. It is a great place to play golf. I tell you that.

I lived in CA from 1998-2008, and played this course often. The layout and design remain good, but it’s in rough shape. The course needs more water. Many of the fairways are so dry it’s like hitting on dirt and the bunkers are not maintained at all. For comparison, I also played Boundary Oaks in Walnut Creek and it was in much better condition.

The greens especially were garbage. The fairways have dried out, and have rock hard tight lies throughout. Zero pace of play, we were backed up on 6 holes. Theres a security guard in the parking lot with a sign reading " dont leave valuables in car "....Needless to say...we won't come back

I’ve always liked the Franklin Canyon layout, but the resurrected course has a lot of rough patches. Thin grass, with many dirt patches scattered throughout.

Otoh, I think I scored well because my flubbed shots would still run forever, and I wasn’t that far out of position.

Anyway, because of its uncertain future, there used to be great deals to be had here. I don’t think $65 is a great deal, for the shape it’s in. My 2 cents.

It’s usually really hot in Hercules so the course could be really dry. When playing 18, the golf cart batteries tend to run out of life once you get to the back 9. They have a small driving range and a couple putting greens. One of the putting greens has a sand bunker where you can practice green side bunker shots which is cool. They have good food and drinks so don’t forget to order something when you get to hole 9 and pick it up on the way to 10. This course can be tough for beginners but a nice challenge for those who are looking to play a cheap round. Pause of play is fairly quick as long as you don’t have groups of people walking because it could get long and hilly. On a good day you can play a round in like 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

I keep waiting for this course to close but so far so good! It's fairly good value and the bar/food service is bare bones but excellent -- no waiting. The driving range is adequate but not well maintained; the carts are adequate but also not well maintained, but the staff generally are friendly and easy-going.

I retired September 2024 and hadn't golfed in 20 years. I have played this course 4 times so far. My game is coming back the more I play. My Medicare plan gives me $60 dollar credit per month for anything exercise related, so I use it for golf.

Pace of play was horrible. No marshal, no starter. Course was in horrible condition. Don’t waste your time or money!