Viewfinder: Golf Course Looks Greener, Though Times Are Leaner

For those who play at the Encino Municipal Golf Course, there's an attractive upside to a sour economy—fewer players to mess up the grounds.

Robert Cavanaugh, supervisor at the public course in the Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area, explains that with less traffic, the course has fewer ball marks on the green and divots in the fairway.

Like other city facilities, Encino's public golf course has been a victim of L.A.'s budget crunch. Added to that, hard times make people think twice before spending money on frills like a round of golf.

But unlike golf courses around the country that have shut down—more than 700 during the last 10 years, according to the National Golf Foundation—Encino Municipal survives. Designed by William P. Bell & Son more than 50 years ago, the golf course has retained its beauty.

Open daily from dawn to dusk, the course has 18 holes, a lighted driving range, chipping greens, cart rental, lessons, a restaurant, a banquet room and a lounge.

It also has the largest junior golf program in the city, according to Cavanaugh.

"We had 120 kids sign up last summer," he said. "For around $50...they get to play the course for eight weeks of the summer."

For Los Angeles residents, 18 holes costs $30. A golf cart for one person is $16 and for two people it's $24.

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