Balboa, Encino Courses Face Long Closures

Balboa and Encino golf courses in the Sepulveda Basin will be closed for at least two weeks after this week’s storms. With more rain expected, the courses will likely be closed for months.

The storms have deposited hundreds of thousands of gallons of water on the two city-operated public courses, which are among the busiest in the nation. The storms also covered many of the greens, fairways and tees with several inches of mud and silt.

The total damage estimate for the courses was put at more than $500,000 on Thursday. More than 107,000 rounds of golf were played on the Encino course in 1991 and 92,000 were played on the Balboa course.