These courses (Balboa Encino) are just close enough to my parents house that I don't quite go crazy sitting in traffic going to or from them. I have really enjoyed playing here on and off for the last several years. The greens, like now are in good shape. They are not fast. Balboa right now may be slightly faster than Encino. I rarely hit a bump on the green or find a bad lie in the fairway. It is easy to get out as a single. They have replay rates. The driving range is much much improved compared to about 2 years ago. They have an extensive chipping area and nice putting green. Even though both courses boast easy layouts you still have to golf your ball to score well.

Rode the Blues (6751/72.7/138) in 4.5H mid day on a GN Hot Deal. Matched up with Dave, Nick and Greg, very fun group to play with! Partly cloudy, windy and around 75 made for some challenging conditions.

The tees were semi lush, but some could use leveling. Every par 3 needed divot attention.

The fairways have a few brown spots but play better than they look. Mostly lush poa annua, nice to play from.

The rough was mostly lush close to the fairway, thinner the farther you got from the fairway. Very playable, no longer is there the calf deep clover and wild grass from several months ago.

The sand traps had nice quality sand and were excellently maintained.

The large, undulating greens were firm, smooth, medium fast and putted great. Best greens I have putted on in awhile.

The fairways are generous in size, the rough is mostly mowed down and if you get off in the oaks it is hardpan. Hilly layout with fairways framed by oak trees. Few level lies anywhere on this course. Nice all grass driving range. Good restaurant on site. The customer service was good, right out on #1 tee at my tee time. Challenging layout in very nice condition. Highly Recommended.

Played the Champions course today as part of a tournament. This was my first time playing the champions course which is supposedly the premier track of the two. Course was in very nice condition but I have to say that it's about the same as the legends course. Both are in nice shape.

The champions course has a number of water features which make the track fun, challenging and appealing to the eyes on what otherwise would be a boring layout. Condition wise the course was in very nice shape tee to green. Greens rolled smooth at a medium-slow pace. Greens were very receptive to holding approach shots and getting pitch shots to check up.

Fairways were rated at an 8. Not super lush like Maderas but certainly enjoyable to hit off of.
Tee boxes were level and lush. No issues. Sand in the bunkers in the morning was damp but other than that bunkers were fine.

La Costa Champions track is another quality San Diego course worth playing.

Part two of my review of the Boulders. This review is for the front nine of the south.
Very different fairway conditions. The grass in the fairway was a light green and the rough dark green. The fairways were not as nice as the north. They are starting to thin out. Still good but not as lush as the north. The greens are good. Soft and semi slow. I wasn’t in any bunkers but they looked ok. Tee boxes are good. I find that this nine is quite a bit more difficult than the north. Very challenging.
Customer service was great. Staff very friendly

Played 6-25-19 early morning as a single on a TeeOff deal for $18 including cart and getting around the course in 1 hour and 40 minutes. Tee boxes were in good shape, good coverage and level. Fairways were also in good shape, lush with nice lies and decent roll out. They were punching the 14 fairway as I was playing and 15, 16, and 18 had also been punched recently but it did not effect play. Rough was very lush but not long and fairly easy to hit from. Was not in any bunkers but they looked in good shape and well groomed. Greens were very nice, rolling medium/fast and smooth, holding shoots very well, maybe the best shape I have seen them in in a while. Overall course in very good condition and worth a trip out to play.

Played 06/25. Played the back nine of the north and then front nine of the south.
This review is just for the north back nine. The course looked like winter conditions for a desert course. The fairways were a very dark green and the rough was a very light green.
Tee boxes were in great shape. Fairways were in good condition. Not dry and hard. Rough was very minimal. Sand traps were good but they are getting a little crusty. Greens were very good. Soft and putted semi slow

Playing Cross Creek this morning only reinforced my recollection of what a wonderful golf course this is. I've played here a number of times over the years, and believe it is in the best condition I have seen it. Greens rolled true, held the shots, fairways and rough excellent. Bunkers were too wet, probably from overnight sprinklers?

Let me say that when your game is "off" as mine has been and was today, this can be one tough golf course. I mean the course just beat the crap out of me, and yet I can say I walked off and thoroughly enjoyed playing the course. Now that speaks volumes.

Used the Greenskeeper certificate for $39, which included a very nice breakfast off the menu. A great deal ! Thanks Johnny !

My only complaint was that our threesome made the turn being first off in about 1 hour 20 minutes only to find two groups stacked up Then we had a foursome drive by on #13 I guess because they didn't want to wait? Very poor management by the course. I did not get up at 3:30am and drive for 80+ miles so I could wait on people who decided they did not wish to wait. Called the pro shop and was told " some members think they own the course" Sorry, but the responsibility falls on the staff to insure this does not happen. I have played here many times and LOVE the course, but will not return if this becomes standard practice.

Welcome to my semi-private thread reviewing the conditions at Altadena. Ran over late yesterday, 6/24, and got out for super twilight around 6:30 as a single. Short story is that I've probably never seen the conditions at Altadena as nice as they were yesterday. The Winter and Spring weather we've had have been extremely kind to our local courses. With the exception of a couple of tee boxes that have some less level sections to them, most teeing grounds were nicely level and all had good grass coverage of appropriate length. Fairways were green, well grown in, and consistently groomed — generally nice lies and they looked good. Rough was also generally well groomed and consistent — usually playable but lush enough to have a little grab to it, occasionally a little deeper. I avoided the bunkers but they are usually OK here, a little on the firm side, sometimes with some pebbles. Greens had a nice, healthy covering that ran at a medium pace. There were occasional, small, peripheral blemishes, but nothing significant. The greens especially looked as healthy as I can recall. For a course that typically is a mixed bag of verdant and burnt out areas, it is the overall impression of consistent green that struck me. I got around briskly with no waiting and enjoyed it very much. As always, probably not a course that merits any kind of pilgrimage, but if you are in the area, it will currently put its best face forward for you and it's worth a look for a casual, local vibe. Natural forces notwithstanding, the current management should get some props for the current state of affairs.

Played with my usual threesome on Sunday the 23rd of June for a hot deal of $10 per player off GolfNow. Pulling up as I stated in my review of this course last year, you're presented with a course that seems below average. However once you're on the grounds, the club house (recently renovated last year or so), the bar and grille, the ample putting greens, private instruction area near the 10th hole and the medium sized practice tee, you realize that's not the case. The service was great. We walked up and were offered to tee off whenever we were ready. So, we did.

The tee boxes were manicured well, with the mow patterns visible in the fairways and greens from the tee boxes. The boxes were all lush with no severe damage nor visible need of leveling. The fairways were firm but not rock hard and often presented your fairway finding drive sitting up in the grass. The rough was noticeably different in the way it was mowed height wise, but did not present any difficulty in finding the ball nor with your club selection to accurately hit the green. It was kinda just, different than the fairway. Not bad though. The greens were very pristine, no severe pitchmark damage and the roll on putts was fair and true. What I was most impressed with, was the definition of the mowing pattern on the fairways and greens. You usually don't see that at a cheap, retirement community golf course.

This course is fun, and worth the summer rates. I know, from what I've heard , that this course is impossible to get on when the snowbirds are in town and it's always packed when the weather is below that certain temperature that I can't quite figure out, probably 75. My preferred golfing temperature is 100 plus, so it's always empty and a great day out here. It's a good test for all your clubs, a chance to shoot a low score and fun to have a course to yourself during the summer. Worth the green fee for sure.

What a joy to play. Everything was perfect. Mr Mackenzie was a d%#k at times but that is the appeal of pasatiempo. Out of the billion bunkers, one was a little thin. A must play, easy walk a couple hills but if you walk while playing not a problem. Look on web site for deals.

Walked the Blacks (6360/70.8/119) in around 3.5H super twilight. Overcast, breezy and around 65 in what ended up being a nice late afternoon round.

Arrived around 3pm, super busy as there were about two dozen people waiting for the super twilight rate. A family of six on vacation had the first two super twilight tee times. Grandpa, grandma, dad, mom and two kids. Several looked and acted like they had never played on a regulation course before. The Marshall allowed them to combine their two 3somes into a 6some? One guy asked why the 6some, and I listened to the Marshall's explanation that he wanted them to have a good time on vacation?

Nice thought, but I would presume the roughly 20 other people teeing off directly behind them were as unamused as I was? Did the Marshall really think anyone playing behind Ma and Pa Kettle and their clan were going to have a good time? After it took around 40 minutes to play the first 2 holes, I dropped out of my group and shifted over to the wide open back 9, then finished the front 9 later with no one around. So 40 minutes for 2 holes, then around 2H, 45M for the other 16 made for one of the longest sub 3.5H rounds I have ever played.

The course? Good overall.

Tees were mediocre. Decent coverage, but most of the par 3's were chewed up with divots.

Kikuyu fairways had good coverage and were lush. Not much roll on these fairways.

Rough was lush, not high but very thick. Very little roll in the kikuyu.

There are only a few sand traps on this course. Was not in any, but they looked decent.

The smallish poa annua greens putted medium fast. They held shots extremely well, balls would consistently back up on these greens. No GPS on the carts, small driving range that is shorter clubs only. Customer service was excellent @ check in, quick and efficient. Marshall was highly ??? No starter or drink cart today. Recommended.

Played Mon. 06/24. Course is drying out. The tee boxes are in good shape. The fairways are thin and very dry. Lots of roll. The greens are in the summer transition period. They are very hard, but the speed is semi slow. Was in 2 bunkers and the sand was ok but starting to get crusty.