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Rating Index Rating
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3.7
431 Reviews (431)
5 Stars
97
4 Stars
188
3 Stars
91
2 Stars
31
1 Stars
24
Conditions
3.5
Value
3.7
Layout
3.7
Friendliness
4.1
Pace
3.7
Amenities
3.4
77.9%
Recommend this course
351 out of 431 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.5
24 Reviews (24)
5 Stars
3
4 Stars
13
3 Stars
3
2 Stars
2
1 Stars
3
Conditions
3.4
Value
3.5
Layout
3.5
Pace
3.5
Amenities
3.3
StaffFriendliness
4.1
75.0%
Recommend this course
18 out of 24 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.6
45 Reviews (45)
5 Stars
11
4 Stars
20
3 Stars
5
2 Stars
4
1 Stars
5
Conditions
3.5
Value
3.6
Layout
3.7
Pace
3.7
Amenities
3.4
StaffFriendliness
4.2
77.8%
Recommend this course
35 out of 45 reviews
Read Reviews
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AI summaries based on real golfer reviews
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Course Highlights
Balboa Golf Course delivers outstanding value as a municipal course, with well-groomed fairways and consistently maintained greens that reward returning players. Friendly pro shop staff and a smooth pace of play make each round an enjoyable experience.

About

Holes 18
Type Public/Municipal
Par 72
Length 6628 yards
Slope 116
Rating 70.5
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Balboa Golf Course
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Course Details

Year Built 1954
Fairways Bermuda Grass
Greens Bermuda Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Steve Timm (2008) William P. Bell (1954)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - $11 - $18
Pull-carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes
Dress code Proper attire is required.

Food & Beverage

Food & Beverage

Available Facilities

Banquet Facilities
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Reviews

3.7
431 Reviews (431)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 10
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 6
This course/club is great for:
Locals 13
Walkers 13
Seniors 9
This Course's Location is:
Convenient to the City 14

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 2
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Good Muni Vourse

It is what it is, a good old school Muni course with lots of amenities for a reasonable price. The depressed greens with collars around them were something new and made some approaches to the green weird, but greens were in good condition. It's not fancy, but it is fun.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 105
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 217
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Top 50 Contributor
Previously Played

90% Mud, 10% Puddles. LOL

You know you’ve seen those lakes and ponds, when they drain the water out of them and then you get that layer of mud at the bottom of the lake? That’s what it’s like today.

Basically, the entire golf course is unplayable, except for the greens.

Literally playing on soupy mud, and puddles everywhere!

They really ought to tell people how muddy it is out there, that it’s practically unbelievable.

And then on the back nine, after the player in my group dropped out at nine, I get to an old guy playing by himself on 12. He tells me to go ahead which is great, but he told me he’s only playing nine holes yet he’s on 12.?!?! at 12 o’clock! I think he snuck on by himself when he saw there was nobody out on the golf course.

Anyway, the course will take at least three days more to dry out enough to be able to play as close to normal

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 217
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Top 50 Contributor
Previously Played

Why carts when it’s muddy still

Course was not ready for the carts to be driving on it.

So many muddy areas and still plenty of ponded water puddles. Many areas were hidden muddy and you can tell because cart tracks are all over them. Why do they let the course get destroyed like this? People have no respect for the course, don’t they get that?

They sent out carts purely because they want to make money off them. But the course was not ready. It’s truly depressing to see people just drive all over the course leaving gouging cart tracks where they shouldn’t even be driving. Not that the course takes care of the place with roping off those areas, only some.

Greens were pockmarked with pitch marks. Nobody fixes them!!!

Look we know it’s still holiday week and there’s been a lot of rain and people are hungry to play, but all it takes is the check in counter people to tell people it’s still muddy and to please avoid driving through the mud and to fix as many hallmarks as they can. So many groups played ahead of ours but we were fixing numerous ball marks all day long on every green! It shouldn’t be like that.

Yes it was windy today and gusted quite a lot so I forgive people for not being able to play that fast, as it took 4 hours and 40 minutes, but they can at least fix ball marks, right???

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Fair
Friendliness Average
Pace Fair
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 217
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Top 50 Contributor
Previously Played

Greens are trashed

Nobody fixes pitch marks.

The holiday week of irresponsible players destroyed the greens.

Pock marked, bumpy and slow. A week before they were decent.

POP was bad as we got stuck behind two of the worst players you’ve ever seen in your life, taking 6 shots to get on a Par 3.

Give it another week for the greens to come back a bit

Conditions Fair
Value Poor
Layout Fair
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 217
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Top 50 Contributor
Previously Played

Greens are bad after the holiday week

Nobody fixes pitch marks on greens I guess.

with all the holiday players having gone through, they are horrible.

Got stuck behind a couple of absolute hacker groups. Both of them nowhere to be found in the fairway on every tee shot, and then taking 6 shots just to get to the Par 3 green. Just killed it for everybody stuck behind them. They should not be allowed to play on a full sized golf course, as they are clearly not ready, but the industry doesn’t care, it’s a money-making scheme.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Fair
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 271
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 11
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing

Very open and fun course

I have been looking for a course that meets all my requirements and the Balboa course is that course. You can have fun here while still allowing yourself to stay focused to play well. I will definitely be coming back.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 217
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Top 50 Contributor
Previously Played

They’re working to get the course in better shape.

Front 9 is better than the back, currently. But clearly the place is working to make the course conditions better.

Back 9 the bunkers need sand and grass removed from many of the remaining bunkers. I’m sure they’ll get round to it.

The greens are hit or miss. Every 3rd green is different to the previous. Some firmer than others, some more spongy and grass-ier than others. Used to be more consistent, so hopefully they get this back in shape too.

There’s lots of grass everywhere now which is nice to see and play off. Obviously there are some bare spots that need work, and I wish people wouldn’t just drive the carts nilly willy everywhere. More sighs and ropes would help.

They should also put back the bunkers they removed, especially now that they are charging the same as Encino, when Balboa used to be cheaper of the two. So they’re now charging you more for them to have less things to maintain!!! They’re robbing you.

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Great time out

Grabbed a hot deals for the balboa course ~ nice conditions. Good pace of play. 3 carts between 4 players. Great day

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 105
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 105
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 105
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Beginner
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Twice a year
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Course is really in very good condition for a public course.

It would benefit from better signs indicating the directions to ‘Next hole’ as this is sometimes not obvious!

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 17
Handicap Don't know
Skill Beginner
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 17
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Fairly Easy
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