Fairways were dry as a bone, and often times you hit the fairway your ball is resting on hard cracked dirt. The greens were in okay condition as well as the tee boxes, but overall the entire course was in D- condition. This course needs a lot of TLC to be worth the $50 it costs to play. I would rather play my local municipal 9 hole course than this place. read more

About two weeks ago there was a string of car break ins....again. During this my sons car along with 8 others had their windows smashed and all the belongings taken. My son plays on the golf team at Alhambra High School and it was a match day. So needless to say, the thieves got away with a total of 7 laptops. Stolen from high school kids. Yes the course has a security guard who happened to be off at 4 o clock. The match was over at 630pm. No help. I reached out to the General Manager of the course who is never in his office and left a message. I had a few questions as someone might after their sons car was broken into in the parking lot of the golf course. Still waiting to hear back. What a joke. I understand the course is closing soon but it doesn't take away the responsibility of the management to at least call back and answer a few questions of a concerned parent. These break ins have been happening at this course for years it is not the first time it has happened to a member of my family at Franklin Canyon. My honest impression is that it is an inside job. These crimes may not be committed by the employee personally, but they are feeding the information to their "friends" about when these kids are golfing. Everyone knows high schoolers carry laptops and these boys are coming straight from school. Shame on Franklin Canyon Golf Course and their inept General Manager whom I still will not hear from because he has no spine. Good luck in your job hunt. read more

Loved it. Little expensive at $70 on the weekend for a what it is, but the greens are pure! They are true and nice. Who cares about anything else. Very fun track. Would come back read more

Wasn't sure what to expect but got a good deal on a tee time through Golf Now App ($38/person) and glad I went. The best part was the golf cart service. It can be a crap shoot at some courses with individual carts, even if you prepay, but they not only had our carts, they had our names on them so we knew they were ours. A service that is rarely seen at public courses any more. Pretty open course, some woods to deal with OB. Fairways weren't pristine and some of the tee boxes got a little ugly but feel like I got what I paid for. Has a small driving range by the club house to warm up. I'm sure I'll play here again as long as the price is right. read more

Went with my friends yesterday to the driving range there. Not bad for 90 balls for 10 bucks. My friend lost the club on the roof and the lady told us they couldn't get it. But please, DONT LEAVE BELONGINGS IN YOUR CAR. My car got broken into not even 30 min the time we were there. Should have expected this when there is a lot of glass all over the parking lot. Please be careful with that other than that not that bad read more

Franklin Canyon GC is not the greatest of golf courses, but when I can play there for cheap...I'm there! A few holes really have great potential to attract the serious golfer, but unfortunately a lack of maintenance just allows the course to just meet it's good enough to play standards. What's most disappointing about this course is the pace of play from the people golfing here...it's slow. When you can golf here just above 4 hours then you are dang lucky. I felt lucky in my last round here, birdieing two of the first three holes. I was rolling well...then my round got trampled all over because a greens keeper decided to do some maintenance on the green in front of my group. It was terribly distracting. I don't really blame the greens keeper, I blame the superintendent of the course since he should be on those guys to be on it earlier in the morning. It was well past noon and you're just finishing up the green on the 4th hole...c'mon. On second thought, I change my mind...I'll blame the greens keeper a bit. He lacked common golf etiquette skills for a guy working at a golf course. He should have let us hit up and allow us to hit without any distractions. Boo!...to the guys who caused me to go on a bogey streak. The level of service is pretty lax here. The golf shop/starter forgot to announce me with a group, so I had to walk back to the pro shop and ask him "what the ....?". Everything worked out. Birdied the first hole; shot a low 40 on the front (could have been better without the disturbance); and was looking forward to my third or fourth birdie. It never came because the back 9 always gets slow and it ruined my rhythm. Damn you back 9 Franklin Canyon golfers... :-P I didn't hit my target number, but did hit a massive 300+ drive on the 18th (I had a little downwind, just a little I tell you, just a little)...feels good, even when a potentially good round is destroyed by circumstances beyond your control. read more

See all

American Golf should be ashame of the way they run this golf course. The managers Jake and Kyle are the worst people they can find to manage this course. This place is not people friendly. Service is something this course knows nothing about. The golf pro, Adam is completely incompetent. If you don't believe me go take a lesson with him and you'll find out the hard way. I really wish I have more positive things to say about Franklin Canyon golf course. Yelpers, I know what I am talking about. I have played golf all over the world. I know what good service feels like. Driving range: Absolutely a joke, tore up mats and no tees Range balls machine: Broken Pace play: Extremely slow Marshall: Rude Course: Lots of dry patches. Bumpy greens. Pro shop: Very limited golf supplies Grade: D- read more

This is one of those golf courses that is sooooo far from civilization except for rapid flashbacks to escape scenes from the movie Deliverance, that I have never gone back. Add in the typical heat and somewhat muggy temps set for these hills, and I doubt any of you will make the trip here. (Only speaking of my experience here during the summer) So, we had just finished lunch in Pinole at a bbq joint and seriously needed to work off at least an ounce of all that meat/fat/gristle within an hour or two, so my friend suggested the golf course in nearby Hercule and away we went. And away we went for a bit, into some winding hills with yellow dried grass. And did I mention warm? I had to flip on my air conditioning in my car, something I rarely do in the Bay Area. Parking is strange here....in fact, I had to park in a strange derelict lot far away from the course. I felt like a bum dragging my golf bag with me as I trudged up the hill. Once there, my friend took care of the fees while I ran to the driving range. Hm. The driving range was exactly like my drive here........wide open spaces with yellow dried weeds and spiny looking trees along the back. My drives were pretty bad, but I blame it on my incessant sweating, it was so hot that day. Plus, my black hair attracted the heat like a magnet. Since I am a wimp in the sun, I should have worn a white baseball cap that day to the course. The fees here are reasonable, around $70 on weekends and cheaper if you catch the twilight fee of $42 including a cart if available. The greens here have bit of a rough feel, but I think its because the grass chosen needs to stand up to the climate and hotter temps here. The yardage here is pretty long, so with my pathetic drives, it took forever for us to finish the 18 holes. My advice, is for practice and grueling coordination with the summer elements against you, this is a great course. But if you like cooler temps, stick with Tilden. The overall greening effect is much more of a welcome and stands as a stiffer encouragement to hackers such as myself. read more

I've had good experiences playing at his golf course. The staff has been accommodating, it's close to my home and the membership fees are are a great value. I love seeing the Deer and it's always good to see friends out playing which occurs frequently since its in my neighborhood. read more

If you enjoy a 6 hour round, this is the place to go! After going for about the 5th or 6th time, I've decided that I will no longer play here anymore. I have played here on different days and times and have experienced some of the slowest golf ever, each time. This course is clearly just money hungry. They want to see how many sardines they can pack in, too increase their revenue. It really is a shame when you are paying $50+ , and you can't even enjoy a smooth round. As far as the course goes, we'll its ok. I feel that it's a little overpriced for what it has to offer. There are much nicer courses in the area for the same price if not cheaper. I golf all over the Bay Area, and this is one of my least favorite courses. When people are overpaying as it is, you should at least be courteous enough to not overbook the course everyday. read more

I play with the Men's Group here and it is my home course now. The Good: Fast greens with mostly true roll. Good layout - requires variety of shots to score. Shot placement is a must on majority of holes off the tee. Also, many holes require some slopes to deal with. Location/scenery - one excellent location - no houses and buildings in sight - though there is freeway to deal with on the 16th and 17th holes. You'll see more wild turkeys than civilization. Cows and horses next to the 7th hole tee box. It's a short drive to the course from the City or Oakland. Price - one of the lesser expensive courses around. The Bad: Inconsistent fairways - most of fairways are too hard. if you compress the ball, you'll have sore wrist after a round. Also, some fairways don't get sun and can be wet. Fast greens - if you're above the pin in certainly holes, you will 3 (or 4) putt minimum. Terrible food - and usually no food service on the course. The Ugly: a round can take 5 to 6 hours (on average) on weekend. too many beginner golfers - and this course is not for beginners. too many holes with OBs, hazards, and fences. I've played with 10 handicap who lost over 6 balls in a round. I played with a scratch player who lost 4 balls recently. Maybe the reason for the slow pace. read more

If you don't mind spending 6 hours to complete 18 holes, this is the place for you. We (a threesome) had a 11 am tee time on a Thursday morning and reached the 10th hole at 2 pm. It was dreadfully slow and there was no way we were going to finish before dark. We played a couple more holes (this took 45 minutes) and then headed back to the clubhouse. Not sure if the tee times are bunched too closely together or if the course eliminated the marshall, but groups seemed to be wandering around for a long time looking for lost balls and not realizing that there were multiple groups waiting to tee off. The staff is great, but the pace of play is unbearable. Franklin Canyon used to be a great place to golf with the pace moving quite well. Not sure what happened here in the last few years, but I wonder how they stay in business with such a slow pace. Must be lots of people with extra time to waste? read more

Had a great time putting. Went there for the driving range, but Tuesdays is range maintenance day. We grabbed a drink and went over to the putting area. read more

I played this course today. I think you will not have any issue with pace of play for early morning tee times. However, this course is very known for over booking tee times. I feel management does not consider our experience vs. making the old mighty $$$. It doesn't appear they put the money back into the course. The majority of the tee boxes are uneven, course has a lot of dry spots and the bunkers are clay. This is not worthy of the green fees being charged. I sure hope they read the current reviews being posted to make the necessary changes. This course was a great course many years ago and I hope it redeems it's esteem. read more

I'm not sure what everyone is complaining about here- This is a VERY reasonbly priced course(especially if you get a online deal) that is well taken care of. The hills are a great back drop and the employees do a great job here! Randy in the pro shop is awesome! We played here in the beginning of July and we had a great time. Greens and fairways were in great condition. The bar staff and kitchen also does a great job- cheap beer too. I would highly recommend read more

Played here yesterday... This course has potential but suffers from what everyone else already said, THEY OVERBOOK THE STUPID COURSE SO THAT ITS JAMMED AND ANNOYING TO PLAY HERE! Our Tee Time was 30 Minutes late, and we had to be paired up with 2 strangers. I should have asked for a refund and spent my day off doing something more enjoyable. Overall the course itself is in decent shape, I love the greens, nice layout - fairways are tough and need some help. read more

No bad for a public course, tee box fairway and greens in good shape. $44 round tee time at 7:30am, took 4 hour and 30 minute round. A bit long for early tee time and takes 45 minutes to get to the course from Fremont. Pros. Lay out and course in good shape. Con. Play early still 4 hours and 30minute round. read more

I have a hard time waking up early on the weekends, and the weather can quickly turn cloudy and foggy in the city later in the day so I try to golf as much as I can in the east and south bay. I tried out Franklin Canyon for the first time and had a fairly good time. The weather was relatively great with the exception of some strong gusts of wind here and there, but considering the city didn't see a ray of sunlight this day I'm not going to complain about a little wind. I thought the course itself was a bit tricky to find, so make sure you have detailed directions. The staff was very friendly and helpful despite me being a little late for my tee time. The tee boxes were average, nothing special but not too bad either. With the exception of the green on the first hole that I found to be thick and bumpy, the other greens were fun and slightly challenging. On this particular day, the fairways and sand traps were extremely firm. I'm not proud to say, but the ground was firm enough that I rolled the ball for 30 yards, saw it go in the bunker, then it rolled out of the bunker, and continued to rolled for another 10 yards. I thought the overall course was very playable, fun, and best of all fast paced on a Saturday afternoon. The rolling yellow hills and the random groups of turkeys also made for unique scenery. read more

See all

I played this course is past sunday with my brother and cousin, I have to admit, I am fan contrary to what other reviewers have said. We tee'd off at 5:40am, and the course was starting to get packed. Booked 3 tee times on Golfnow.com for $34, a good price for a Sunday morning round. Highlights of the course: -Fast pace of play-played in the course in 4 hours. The course can get backed up, but its the weekend, regardless wherever you play courses are gonna be packed and rounds could longer than what your use to -Challenging layout-Yes the greens are small, but that's what makes is challenging. The course layout is a very traditional but the mixture of elevated greens and the position of the tee boxes makes you respect the course. -Greens-the greens are good shape This course is a little older than most of the courses in the Bay Area, but despite its ownership reputation this course is in good shape and will definitely play the course again. read more

I was skeptical about this place due to the negative reviews here on yelp, but I'm happy to say I was pleasantly surprised. Being a foursome on a sunday at primetime, I was expecting a slow day. However, pace was consistent and we didn't wait too long at each hole. The marshals did a great job keeping pace up. Course conditions were fine. Greens had a good pace and were in good but not perfect shape. The course was somewhat interesting as it winds you through the wooded hills. Franklin is not a canyon monster course like Roddy Ranch or the Bridges... so don't be fooled by the name. Not much water but OB is deadly on most holes. I do have to say that $65 was a bit steep for the quality of the course. $50 - $55 would be more like it for this place on a weekend. I would have given 4 stars if it was cheaper. The driving range is good enough to warm up before a round. The large chipping/putting green next to the 1st tee is perfect for a little short game practice. The bartender was great. kept us rolling @ the 19th. I would say you have to try this place, if only once to check it off the Bay Area golf list. read more

DO NOT GOLF HERE!! 5 cars were broken into on 1/25/2019. All cars were parked in the courses parking lot. Mine was one of them. Responding police officer said that car break ins happen frequently at this location. Parking lot not monitored and next to busy road. When telling the story to a friend, he said his car was broken into last year while playing a round of golf. Course ownership group clearly knows this is a problem because there are signs saying don't leave valuables in sight. I guess they think that posting signs is good enough and legally absolves them from responsibility. Although that may be true, it hasn't stopped the crimes from occurring. My vehicle had 2 broken windows. A cheap round of golf cost me $500. read more

I'm stopping by here whenever I'm on the road in this area. Fun little place right off of the highway. Service is great and very friendly. I was in a hurry and the pro just came over and gave me a free 20 minute lesson. Helped my grip a lot and I've been hitting my irons pretty solidly ever since then. Next time I'm stopping by I'm gonna buy a lesson from him. The course is pretty well taken care of. Driving range is nice, too. It's fun to see how far up the hill you can hit the balls. It's not the best place, but for the price and the pleasant service, I give it 4 stars. read more

We had the worst experience today, July 17th, 2020. The course was in horrendous shape. Brown grass/dirt all throughout the course. 2 of our carts went dead on hole 13 and when we went to the clubhouse to complain after the round, the attendant said, "Oh, you should have called on your cell and we would have brought you out new ones, sorry." He then walked away. Well, we are now walking away from your course. Here's some advice - water makes grass green. read more

I have been playing this course a couple times a year for the past 6 years mainly because a couple guys I golf with have been playing here their whole life and it's in their rotation of courses they play. Course conditions are never that great. Played here friday July 3rd 2020 and it was in the worst condition I have ever seen it. Dry as all hell. Lots of burned out areas and just plain dirt/dry packed sections everywhere. I saw at least 6 spots where irrigation was leaking causing soaked marshy pools in fairways and in the rough. Lots of burned out cup spots on the greens due to setting the cup plugs too high and a poor job of mending them when moving cups. Trees being cut down everywhere due to disease. Greens were also furry and played really slow. They are obviously having maintenance personnel issues or lack of maintenance personnel period. Dont think I will be returning to play here ever again unless I hear through the grapevine that somehow they got their crap together and turned the whole course around. It is not worth any amount of money to play here currently. Would have given it 0 stars if I could have. Sorry for the bad review but I'm just being dead honest. read more

located in Hercules off of highway 4. golf course is on the right of the highway coming from s.f.. Course 9 Front has two holes that are hilly. then opens up going away from the club house. Is a pond on the front 9 that protects holes 5 abd 9 Wind can be a challenge. Back 9 is much harder with more trees, bunkers, and wind play involved. Holes 8: HOle 1 is crazy long par 5 up hill. number 2 is a challenge. favorite hole is number 4 a downhill par 3. Bunkers guard the front but the wind can be difficult to read. Also the green is a challenge. Hole 9 is a tough tee shot with o.b. on the right.. the 2nd shot must be hit over the pond with a bunker on the left. if the wind is in your face watch out... Holes 12 is a shot par 4 dogleg right.. Number 16 is a cool par 3 over a ravine .. small green .. Hole 18 is a reachable par 5 .. blind tee shot through the trees ... with a empty pond on the right..cool hole to finsh greens: 7 I would say the greens are pretty average size. they roll all right but you can tell the maintenance takes care of them. Most putts roll away from the mountain . Hole 2 is a fast green and has many breaks.. in fact you could putt off it. Service..: 6 Old clubhouse.. didnt see a beverage kart or marshall.. still nice people. Fun factor 8.. good course for a average golfer. Has man tough shots .. Only problem is average golfers play out here oh and it can have some wind.......Recommand for golfer who shots 80's-95s.. read more

Some good, some bad about this place. A few bad points: 1) There was no beverage cart out and about. Yet, we were told no food and drink were suppose to be out there by the marshal. Sorry, but when it was in the high 80's I am going to be bringing my own water and such to stay hydrated. 2) It was our first tournament of the year for our club. Half of each green and been aerated and was full of sand. They didn't tell us until a few days before. We should have paid a discount, but didn't. 3) The tee boxes need a lot of work done. Not many flat areas on the tee boxes and are chewed up. I don't know how often they move the tee boxes, but it doesn't look like they move them very often. 4) The sand traps were mostly gravel. They are in very poor condition and it is almost like hitting off cement. A few positives: 1) A great lay out. Not a very long course. A long hitter doesn't need driver on majority of the holes. You can hit a long iron off the tee to a short to mid coming in. Par 5's are reachable as well. 2) The fairways were in outstanding shape. Cut to a great length and got good roll off them. 3) The half of the greens that were not full of sand from aeration were in great shape. Rolled good, consistent, and not to firm. Overall a decent course. Wouldn't pay more than $40 to play here. read more

3 stars for layout, greens, etc. 1 star for the greedy a$$hole$ of American Golf. Day after Thanksgiving they decide to start players on 1st AND 10th tee all day! Who does that? Finished the front 9 in 2.5 hours and all of the sudden there is 2 new groups in front of us on 10th tee! Thanks, I really felt like playing a 6 hour round! Debating whether to quit if we can get a refund we go back to the shop. Wannabe Anthony Kim says 'OK'. Our 4some comes back in and this pretty boy says 'here is your 9 hole rain check". Wait wtf? rain check? No refund, no pro shop store credit, a 9 hole rain check! Then this ahole gives us a rain check with an expiration date of 12/31/09! Oh whoops, my bad, I didn't see that" They obviously enjoy kicking you when your down. American golf and their greed can burn in hell for all I care. Avoid the greedy bastards of American Golf: Monarch Bay, Tilden and a few other courses. Once they have your $$ they could care less if your miserable round is 5, 6, or 7 hours. read more

Great people and nice golf course. A bit windy, but enjoyed the place. Food was pretty good also.

beautiful day for golf. Facilities are very nice. Almost found all the balls I lost. Nice reasonable prices in the bar!

We tee'd off early morning on Sunday. The course was not crowded at all, with 2-somes and 3-somes teeing off, and a single every now and then. It was a very comfortable and enjoyable round of golf with friends. Some of the fairways showed signs of this horrible drought. This made some of the fairway shots very difficult (if you do not normally practice on bone-dry conditions). However, the GREENS were in superb condition. And overall, the course was still playable (from tee to green), read more

Layout - Nice with enough hills and hole character to make it fun. I kinda liked the front 9 the best, I liked the first 3 holes and the hills there a lot. Greens - Medium speed, pretty well kept up. Fairways/Off Fairway Grass - Not all kept up that great, but decent condition. Most plenty wide for the normal hacker. A few tight Tee boxes on the Back 9. Difficulty - Expected a much tougher course from the slope rating 127 for middle tees, are you kidding me. Played much more like a 115 - 118 slope for me. Maybe I just had a very good day, but there was not nearly the trouble I would find on a course with that slope rating. I would say that if you want to bump your handicap down, play this course a lot. Price- very fair for the course. We got a great rate for mid-day via golf now. Speed of Play - On the Tues we played, we went full speed ahead for the front 9, then got bogged down bad for 3 or 4 holes after making the turn. read more

Used to be one of my favorite places to play. But for $55 it should be a bit better. The layout and staff are awesome. Just the greens keeper is off his game. 4-5 years ago this place was beautiful. Now the "grass" in between holes is dirt and rocks. Hard to keep it honest when you refuse to hit your clubs off the shit terrain. Don't come here to bet on the game or expect a 4 Star course. If your under a 10 handicap you probably won't notice. The money spots where well taken care of. But for us average guys. I moved my ball 7 times because I refused to hit off hard pack with rocks worked in for a fun game. But if this was a tourney I would have been very!!!! Disappointed read more

Not sure what all the complaining is about. Played Monday @ 10am and was done by 2:30 and that's with a few minutes used for bathroom and snack at the turn. Staff was friendly and very helpful. Not sure if other reviewers were expecting country club service but I had no problems with the staff. Course was in good shape. They punched the greens about two weeks ago and it's come back nicely. Fairways were well maintained. Driving range was your typical range. Balls were mixed and old but that's what you get at most muni courses. read more