I played a couple of courses around the area this one is definitely the best so far. The course is on mountain so you get some awesome elevation and the fairways are pretty good. A couple of the greens are little bouncy but then you can't really ask for more. I will definitely be playing here a lot more. read more

Love Tilden! I moved here from Northern Ohio, where there are lots of good golf courses with all kinds of variety to them. I, personally, prefer the challenging ones with good height changes and difficult shots stances - below/above your feet, downhill. uphill- use of all the clubs in the bag. Of course, the course needs to be well maintained. Tilden offers all of this. The first four holes test all your clubs and it gets even better as you go on. The greens make you wish there was a bar cart on the course; they will drive you to drink as they are almost impossible to read. But, that's the fun of it, isn't it? Nice driving range, putting green and even a bunker for sand shot practice. The views are great and the beer selection is admirable. Everyone I've encountered has been very friendly, both the staff and the players. You can join their club for a very nominaly monthly fee and play for $10 - $19 a round with cart and a beverage included. Great value! I would caution that they have youth leagues and, while I haven't been behind one of them, I can see where that would be challenging if you end up behind them. I'll report back after school starts. Now, why did I not give Tilden 5 stars. There's no bar cart! Provision yourself well at the start and the turn so that you can properly battle those greens. read more

warning!..extremely poor drainage....muddy mess even days of sunshine after a rainy day....patience is virtue...turtle pace golfin'....challenging uphill battle right off the first tee.....criss cross of cement walking paths through holes..no surprise....walkin' bit of a challenge....trek through hills and messy fairways... read more

Awesome golf course located in one of the bay areas most beautiful parks can get a little crowded at times but is worth the wait if u have patience uphill drives downhill drives and some pretty tough greens did I mention the natural beauty of the place check it out read more

The course is in pretty good shape but it takes over 6 hours to play a freakin round here. The first time I came it took 2 hours to play 5 holes so I left. Freakin dumb. I won't be back. read more

Was here yesterday morning at the practice range facility. Reasonable prices for range balls. They have a small, medium, and jumbo sized containers. A big plus is that there are probably 50 or so practice bays so it is fairly easy to get a spot. Space heaters in the bottom levels are a plus for those chilly morning practices. The synthetic AstroTurf rubber mat to hit the balls off of is ok but I'm personally a fan of natural grass. In conclusion, reasonable in cost, clean and friendly course. I'll be back next time for their super twilight specials. read more

A beautiful setting and very interesting course layout ... made absolutely awful by the greedy sob's at American Golf Management. We had a 10:33 am tee-time. Didn't get called to the tee until 11:05 and then we were called back so another group that they forgot could go off before us!! How do you lose and entire foursome? They send groups off the 1st tee at 7 minute intervals ... no way that can work. At the 3rd hole there were FIVE groups on the hole (i on the green, 1 waiting to hit up, 1 in the tee waiting to hit and 2 queued up waiting to get to the tee)!! It was like that the entire 6 hour round and never once did we see a marshal. And that's Tilden under American Golf Management ... sell as many tee times as you possible can, jam as many people off the 1st as you can and then don't even bother to invest in (free) marshals to try to keep up pace of play. This beautiful course used to be a lot of fun to play. Now it's a joke. I'll never be back. read more

Part of the American Golf company's chain of courses, Tilden is a challenging and unique parkland course. It offers interesting holes, well landscaped terrain, and even the occasional wildlife. Several times I have had to wait for deer or foxes to cross the fairway before taking my shot. I have hit a person with a pitch shot before, but I would feel really bad if I hit an animal. The course can be challenging, but many beginners play here so do not feel discouraged if you are a newbie. And if you are starting out, Tilden has several golf pros available for lessons or classes. Nik Dang and Nate Birnbaum are two I have worked with and I really recommend them. Nate is especially good with individual swing lessons. Their signature hole is the very intimidating hole #1. It is a 400 yard par 4 that is entirely uphill to the green. It slopes to the right into a forest and really punishes slices. Once you get past this monster, you can relax a bit and enjoy your time in the park. The holes are set up well, however, occasionally greenskeeping does not keep up with the natural beauty of the park. Due to water shortages and increased costs, the occasional fairway will have brown or even bare spots and sometimes the greens will have patches of dead grass. However these defects are relatively minor and not severe enough to affect your scores. They offer discounted rates at both twilight and sunset, but these times tend to really fill up so call for a tee time early to beat the crowd. If you ask nicely, they may let you start on the (usually) less populated back 9 if you want to minimize waiting for other players. Finally, the range is serviceable with 3 levels and typical prices for buckets. The mats could be in better shape, but they do their job OK. If you haven't guessed by now, Tilden is my home course and I have played here close to 50 times over the last 3 years. And it is good enough that I look forward to playing there again. read more

Played this course for first time. Read the many reviews about slow play. Figured it wouldn't be bad on a Friday at 1230. I was wrong. Pace was slow. The pair of ladies we were paired up with weren't very friendly despite our attempts to be cordial. Maybe it was because they didn't speak great English. The a**holes behind us kept hitting in. On a couple of holes, we even helped them find their wayward balls. Not even a thank you in return. They could also use a major lesson in golf etiquette. Totally rude and clueless. I don't know why this course is so damn crowded. Maybe because it's cheap. So you end up with a course full of rude, selfish, cheap golfers. Great. The holes are all the same. You're either teeing off on elevated tee. Or you are hitting approach shot to an elevated green. It gets very repetitive. They need to allow more time between groups. This course is overrated and was a crap experience. Will not be back. read more

Very poorly managed. We're Sunday Feb 1st 2015, 4 pm, and the machines are all out of balls. I find it hard to believe that they're too lazy to collect the balls on the driving range during the day, but that's only one example among others. The practice range looks like Tchernobyl: grass is removed on 50% of the field and there are craters in the ground. Most employees are not friendly at all and the service at the club house is incredibly slow. read more

2 hours to play 3 holes. Marshals no where to be seen even after reporting problem. This is not a first occurrence.

At Tilden Park for a 6am tee time and it's now 6:15am and the gates are not open. Cart workers are moving carts around, but no one letting the line of cars in or communicating whatsoever. Someone over slept, sucks to get all the way up here for golf and not be able to play. read more

Stunning views, but American Golf does an absolutely ABYSMAL job of running the place. If you like slogging through muddy fairways on the way to slow, bumpy greens for five and a half hours, you'll love Tilden. Driving range is mats only. The course itself is pretty challenging for a Par 70, but a lot of that is because you'll rarely make anything outside of two and a half feet. read more

Played here in the fall of 2008. Gorgeous location - in the trees of the Berkeley Hills - smells like Eucalyptus trees. Terrible shape - the greens were shaggy, the fairways were very soft. Normally I'm forgiving with muni courses, but this was really bad and affected my enjoyment significant. Very slow - we got paired with a couple great guys, but spending 10 minutes on each tee chatting with them was too much. We finished 14 holes in 4.5-5 hours before we left. Overall, not a bad casual experience - if you get a deal on the tee time might be worth it - but be aware of the waits and the course condition. read more

Before I break down the praise and criticism for Tilden Park, I'd like to bring some balance to the recent hate related to (1) pace of play and (2) customer service. I have played at Tilden 6-8 times over the last few years, and have never had a significant issue with either of these. Golfers who get chided by a ranger are apt to leave a negative review for emotional reasons, but in my opinion these stories are a credit to Tilden management. PRAISE: -SETTING: Tilden is on a beautiful, peaceful piece of land - far removed from any busy thoroughfares or neighborhoods. In fact, only the first two holes provide any view of a road. The rest of the course meanders through the Berkeley Hills, providing great views of Tilden Regional Park and frequent deer sightings. -BALANCE: I think the design of this course truly strikes the balance between difficulty and ease. Tilden is shorter than average (even from the back tees), but almost every hole is tree-lined. Bunkers are few and far between, but water will come into play on 5-6 holes. A good score can be had here if you are straight off the tee and can handle uneven lies. -CONDITIONS: Overall I think Tilden is slightly better maintained than the average muni. Tee boxes are flat and watered, the fairways are green, and the bunkers play true. Green are nothing special but acceptable. I wouldn't recommend playing here after a rainfall, as the course retains water and will get extremely soggy in some places. CRITICISM -DRIVING RANGE: For me, the test of a driving range is a one-question, pass/fail exam: Is it real grass? As the Tilden range is astroturf mats, they fail here. I will note they have two nice practice putting greens and a third free practice pitching green with a bunker! -PRICE: I do agree that Tilden is a bit pricey for the quality delivered. I typically play for $29, but this is for weekdays without a cart. If I were playing on the weekend and paying for a cart, I might leave feeling a little ripped off. For the budget conscious in Oakland/Berkeley, you might want to look at Lake Chabot or Franklin Canyon -PAR-70: A somewhat annoying quirk about Tilden is the fact that it plays to a par-70, with only one par-5 on each side. This does reduce my enjoyment of the course, as it's always fun to chase birdies on par-5's. In summary - Tilden Park is a course that is good in most every aspect and great in none. If you set your expectations to a level appropriate to a municipal course in an urban area, you will have a great round. read more

Great course and setting. Experience spoiled by slow play. Five hours during the week. Many really bad golfers read more

Tilden is for those who want a serious workout. You feel like you're one with nature at the course because of all the beautiful trees. It's quite relaxing even though you're struggling to catch your breath as you walk to your ball on the fareway. The course is hilly and no matter how well you hit the ball, you most always have to hit it off a slope. The driving range isn't anything special, but if you're up for a challenge then Tilden Park is where it's at. read more

Just wanted to throw in that when the weather is good, the outside patio overlooking the back nine is one of the great spots to sit and drink a beer. Came here today with the dog after a hike, nice spot. read more

Lovely old course. Took forever to play 18; supposed to "start" early afternoon. We did not finish with our third until after 8 p.m. Quite a bit of waiting around and slow play which really did not dissipate until after the 9th hole, when it was about 6 p.m. The waiting is not much of a bother considering this place is utterly beautiful and you get to play golf in it! Be prepared, however: weather forecast of 68-78 was completely off (it was well over 80 until after 5) so bring something to keep your water, etc., cold and be sure to have enough to get through nine holes. There is a drink cart, but we did not see it after a tournament had played through much earlier in the day. All in all, this is a truly great Bay Area experience, the likes of which cannot be duplicated at newer clubs. read more

Great course with great, GREAT Scenery! In the woods type of deal. This course is very difficult front nine, with a pretty basic straight back and forth back nine. The complexity of the front will keep your golfing on it's hinges unless you play every day! Moderate prices but can get ridiculous on weekends or morning games. Great greens and like i already stated, GREAT VIEWS! read more

Like the layout and the variance from hole to hole. In regards to terrain, it can be hilly, not an easy course to walk, so cart it. Definitely the best course I have played so far in the East Bay, which to be truthful is not saying much. Been fairly disappointed with the golf in this area overall but this is a decent course. Biggest criticism is that they let it get too crowded, virtually always overbooked. This is not abnormal for a Muni but don't expect to get a round in under five and a half hours per foursome on the weekend. Also make sure you wear layers because it can get really cold and foggy even when it's sunny elsewhere in Berkeley. read more

Tilden is my new "go to" course for mid-week golf (in the summer at least). It's pretty, well maintained and a good value. My only grip is the pace of play. But, I'll take slow golf over work anytime! read more

Good driving range but way too many golf balls that are almost dimpleless and like cue balls. Very good course but don't play early if there is heavy fog. Also, avoid the course if there is any rain. It becomes a real slog and really messy read more

Cheap golf ranges here. I always came and borrowed some drivers from the golf shop, but not they are getting a little shady about it! Get some fries at the snack bar; they are actually good! And if you are doing it on the top tier, please use protection (dirty minds): the sun can be very piercing! -Matt read more

A very nice public course. I used to play it every now and then when I lived in Berkeley. The scenery is quite gorgeous. It is nestled within the Berkeley Hills, so it is surrounded by hills/mountains. This also means that a number of holes feature dramatic shifts in elevation. I have played the course when it was really wet, and I agree with Phil B.: avoid it. Because the course is nestled within the hills, parts of it (especially the valleys) can get really muddy. read more

there's a lot to love about this course: - wooded, nestled in the berkeley hills, - well maintained grass, true greens, - challenging, but not crazy. but GOD DAMN is the course poorly designed or what? all the fairways are jammed together. on 10, which is a great shot off a cliff down to the fairway, some moron took three strokes to get off the 10th fairway and back onto his own, which was about 200 yards to my right. so we waited and waited and made the party of 4 asswipe college kids behind me more agitated, which most likely lead to them hitting into us 4 times on the back nine. i love the course but i really don't want to die on it. read more

One of the worst golf courses in the bay area. If you want at least a 30 min delay on your tee time and then a 6-7 hour round on top of that, then this is the perfect course for you. No marshalls manage the course -- they are pretty much useless. read more

Man this course is tough for a hacker like my self. I don't think hitting a ball in a flat stance exists here. VERY hilly and lotsa trees. The first hole is brutal. Your basically staring at a long par 4 straight up a steep hill. BLEH. I have however hit the longest drive of my life on hole number 3. I pretty much swung out of my shoes and uncorked a 300+ yard moonshot. The hole is all downhill and I happen to get a good bounce off the cart path adding an additional 40-50 yards. w00t w00t. Yeah, I meant to do that. I also saw some deer run across the fairway which I thought was neat. read more

Great value for money. Course is in great shape. Nice scenery. Cheap tee times on golfnow.com. Very hilly course. We walked and were exhausted at the end. Would definitely recommend a cart. The only negative was that it was kind of hard to find (even with printed directions). Also, there is ZERO cell phone reception up there (AT&T) read more

Poorly managed course. Losing balls to patches of shrubs mid-fairway aside, I booked for 3 through Golf Now. Added a 4th by phone, separately from Golf Now the day of, and had to cancel that 4th the same day - got "don't worry about it, tee off whenever you want" from the pro shop. Didn't seem like I ruined anyone's day with my cancellation given a 30 minute window to tee off.. Tilden then had Golf Now charge me for the 4th no show (again, my online reservation was for 3). Asked Taylor, Assistant GM for a refund and was offered a raincheck because they "are contractually obligated to charge any missing players in a GolfNow reservation (even those added the day-of) so I cannot issue a refund for the charge." Clever way to get paid for a no show while putting the blame elsewhere, but maybe I'm crazy... Either way, won't be playing there again. read more

Very slow play. For some reason things were backed up from the beginning and it wasn't until the 12th hole that we didn't have to wait for the group ahead of us. Never saw a marshall the entire time. 3 hours to play the front 9, mid-week, awful Won't be going back here for a long tiime. read more

Was a member of the Men's club, started with 250 members when I joined...had about 40 members when I left after winning their Club Championship, I had had enough of drunk guys yelling and screaming at meetings / sand baggers cheating and the basic lack of organization as a Men's club....so I joined one of the best run clubs in Pleasanton, Callippe Golf Club. Do yourself a favor and avoid this group the second Thursday evening of each month...and of course in the mornings on Sundays. Course is muddy when it rains...overall not the place to play golf in the SF Bay area. read more

Ok, so this isn't 5 stars when compared to, say, Pebble Beach, but honestly the value is incredible for what you pay and the scenery is gorgeous. Moving back to So Cal after graduating from Berkeley I've yearned for the rolling hills and forests of Tilden. Playing golf in Los Angeles make you painfully aware that you are playing in an artificially maintained landscape in the middle of a polluted urban environment. Playing in Tilden feels like you're making a trek into the evergreens of Yosemite...in a golf cart. Game play can be slow (I know because more likely than not, I'm the one slowing everyone down), but coming in at twilight you'll get a mostly empty course at a great rate. The greens are well maintained and the course is definitely challenging at times. Oh, and rounding the third hole, I've found that 2 out of 3 times after walking down I have to share the green with an unexpected party: a deer or two. Definitely a surprise you won't find in LA. +1 star just for that. read more

Very cool golf course, specially for a muni. Reminds me a lot of the Lake Chabot golf course in the Oakland hills, except on steroids. The views are spectacular and the course is maintained really well. The driving range, which has 3 levels, was pretty cool too. Of course, we had to hit from the top level (see pics). The course layout is very unique and it's very impressive how all the holes fit together. The course presents many challenges (water hazzards, sand bunkers, dog legs, elevation changes, etc.) to test your course management skills. Really the only downside was the pace of play, which was close to 6 hours but not exactly a surprise considering we played on a Sunday with a late morning tee time. The fees are a bit on the high side for a muni course ($72 green + cart fees) but I think you get what you pay for. Tilden is definitely one of my new favorite courses to play in the Bay Area. read more

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I am an avid local golfer who NEVER plays at Tilden....NEVER. Here is my email to the golf course manager....the alleged manager anyway: Good day, I'm taking the time to let you know that today I had a replay of my usual experience at Tilden Park that was oh so sadly familiar. At 5:00 pm on a Wednesday 2 of us tried to get on. We asked if we could play the back, the front, whatever... As usual, there was a teenager of less than average communications skills (much less golf course administrative skills) who said "Uhm,...We're really full. There's no room anywhere....uhm,....no." We kindly asked him to let us know when we could go out....we would wait and chip/putt some balls a few feet away. He has a PA system! I left my name. Within 20 minutes people were teeing off. No word. This went on for some time as we just gave up and shrugged our shoulders. This is oh so typical....the last time I went to Tilden Park to play, of course I had a tee time, and as usual, a poorly trained teenager was in charge and as usual our tee time was ignored and we didn't tee off until well after 30 minutes past our scheduled time. Same as it ever was...... I always say I'll never go back, but 5 or 6 months go by and I try again. Same old sh*t.... when I do, it's a disappointment. Oh,....The course is a gem! So, never again. LAME! read more

Growing up in Pebble Beach I was taught to treat golf with respect. Golf is a gentleman's game and etiquette is a must. The course and practice facilities at Tilden are actually not that bad but it is the players here that make the course absolutely unbearable at times. The players here treat golf as a joke, have absolutely 0 etiquette and hack around destroying the course. Few weeks back when I was playing the course the group in front of me was playing ridiculously slow hitting 3-4 balls. When I asked if I could play through they said no because I had no where to go. When I reached the green I saw that the group in front of them has cleared the green on the next hole ??? Afterwards while hitting on the fairway the group on the fairway next to me was blasting music on their phone on the course disrupting the whole atmosphere. As I approached the 9th hole I saw another group drunk out of their minds tearing up the tee box on the back 9. I couldn't take it anymore and left after 9 holes. Even though I vowed never to play at Tilden anymore I still come here to practice since its the closest to my house in Claremont Hills. But today something outrageous happened that spurred me to write this review on Yelp. I was putting on the green doing a 3ft putting drill on a hole in the corner when all of a sudden some hacker starts chipping to my hole. I almost blew up and smacked his balls across the green. I'm glad that Tilden is a public course and offers people of lower social class to enjoy the game that I love so much but when the people who represent the racial majority of Oakland at Metro Golf Links have more etiquette and respect than the so called higher class white people at Tilden there is definitely something wrong with the people who come to play at this course. I will still come here since its the most convenient for me to practice but I don't see why I should treat my practice sessions with the same etiquette I do at other courses. I might as well just show up in a sleeveless shirt and basketball pants like the rest who come to Tilden read more

three level driving range is amazing. everybody can shoot their ranges without worrying if there are spaces left.

beautiful course, well-maintained, challenging but not death-defying... and a tasty cafe lunch, to boot. kudos for the electric golf carts! couple of negs -- some of the fairways on the back 9 are literally right next to each other, so that it's not uncommon to find someone else hitting your ball by mistake.... towards the other green. the marshall could also be a leetle more proactive, as there were too many 2s and 3s on a busy afternoon where we ended up waiting 3 groups deep to tee off. read more

The golf course is very scenic but not rangered (not sure if that's a word) well. I'm not really going to believe that the 40-something year-old guy with the Phil Mickelson look-alike thing going didn't mean to hit his second shot that was a worm-burner into us when we were on the green. Then have the balls to say to me that he thought we were letting him play through!!! Seriously! It was cool, though, seeing deer run across the course. Snack shop is good, which is a bonus for me, they get a star back there. read more

Even if you hit the ball in the fairway, youre usually at some hideous 40 degree slope half the time which makes for a lot of whiffing. Its a fun place to golf if youre not that good cause the people in front of you and behind you appear to suck way harder than you. Play twilight for the gorgeous sunset, cheap green fees, and of course, to see me out there, Tiger Woods style. Tiga-Tiga-Woods, y'all. read more