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Rating Index Rating
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3.8
419 Reviews (419)
5 Stars
96
4 Stars
182
3 Stars
90
2 Stars
30
1 Stars
21
Conditions
3.6
Value
3.9
Layout
3.8
Friendliness
4.1
Pace
3.8
Amenities
3.5
82.3%
Recommend this course
343 out of 419 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.3
18 Reviews (18)
5 Stars
2
4 Stars
8
3 Stars
3
2 Stars
3
1 Stars
2
Conditions
3.3
Value
3.1
Layout
3.6
Pace
3.2
Amenities
3.2
StaffFriendliness
3.7
66.7%
Recommend this course
12 out of 18 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.9
55 Reviews (55)
5 Stars
21
4 Stars
19
3 Stars
8
2 Stars
4
1 Stars
3
Conditions
3.8
Value
3.8
Layout
3.9
Pace
3.8
Amenities
3.5
StaffFriendliness
4.1
83.6%
Recommend this course
46 out of 55 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

3.8
419 Reviews (419)

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 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

1st time at Balboa GC was fun

Pro shop personnel were friendly, efficient and professional.

Cart lady was very nice.

The course was in pretty nice condition as were the greens. Although I feel the holes on the greens must have been a little too small as my ball didn't fall often enough on the first putt. I'm sure it wasn't my putting

Yes, we will go back soon .

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Well, manicured and maintained

For the price point of a city municipal course

It doesn’t get much better than this

Fairways are trimmed and groomed as well as the greens are very well-maintained

Thank you for the maintenance and upkeep. It is a pleasure to play Encino/Balboa.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Average
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 3
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Poor
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Golfcart

Golf cart charged by person for $13.00

So two person $26.00

They have not charged by person before. I think a staff ripped off be careful

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Fair
Friendliness Fair
Pace Good
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Twice a year
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 62
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 62
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 34
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Good Course Layout

Course was in great shape definitely a confidence booster to play well excellent course for the cost to play

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 158
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 23
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Slow Play

They have Tees Times every 10 minutes … Meaning 12 minutes a Hole … Need Marshals Out There To Put These Skow Pokes On Notice .. Means No Slacking No Trying To Find Your Ball Out Of Bounds for more than :30 seconds… Drop Another Ball and Move On… !! also Need To Make a Rule. NO WALKERS over 50 years Old .. All Need a Cart ..

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 20
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Sand!

Didn’t know there was gonna be more sand on the greens than a SoCal beach.

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
Previously Played
Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Fair
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Great course but unfriendly staff

We had a tee time booked at 2:50, entered the clubhouse at 2:45 to find that our tee time had been forfeited with no prior warning, aside from an intercom announcement that we had not heard since we were walking up. The staff was very condescending and rude when we inquired about why we had lost our tee time. Eventually we got on a wait list and ended up playing. The course is beautiful and golf was great, but an unnecessarily hostile atmosphere made for a less than great experience.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Poor
Pace Excellent
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 23
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Pace of Play

Better this week but still has to be a rule that no one over 50 years old Walking… I understand these People are Cheap when it comes to Renting a Cart or they want their Steps Count (Exercise) but do that somewhere else.. you get behind slow players and your game along with your day drags on ..

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 210
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
3.0
Top 50 Contributor
Previously Played

Thunderstorm! Who would’ve thought. Course is meh.

We got caught in the thunderstorm that rumbled through in the afternoon. Who would’ve thought it would actually pass through here and RAIN!?!??? Yeah it rained!! Some heavy droplets. Anyways…….

Let’s hope the rain helps to grow back the place even more. At least they left a lot of the rough growing thicker today, which was actually good.

Some of the tee boxes just need some sand and levelling. They can’t even do that???? Just cover up some of the patches!!! It’s so simple. Same goes for some of the well-trafficked areas behind some of the bunkers on the green fringes. Just sand it!! And put Keep Off signs!!! It’s so simple!!! People pay to play a normal Muni that is making money hand over fist due to the minimal work being done, and then they raised prices on range balls again!!!! Why?????? Absolute greed. For limited-flight balls, no less!!!! Absurd!!!

Greens were hit and miss as usual. Par 3 4th Hole was particularly bumpy compared to all the rest. Some greens were firm and rolled nicely like 9, but most of the others were kinda mush and not very good.

Look we all know it’s just a Muni, but again, I played Whittier Narrows a week ago and those greens were fabulous. Soft, but rolled beautifully. I’ll keep saying it over and over. LA CITY golf courses need to revamp its employees. They are slacking, and are doing minimal work and taking home the money. It’s such an embarrassment, it represents everything typically wrong with LA, and the whole world sees it

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Fair
Friendliness Average
Pace Fair
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Windy weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
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