Some of these negative reviews are so off the mark, it's laughable. This course is beautiful and challenging. There are majestic hills, tricky holes, and natural water hazards. Some people complain that it's too hard for beginners. Well... it is. BUT... this is where I learned to play and now when I play other courses they seem flat and ugly. So If you want to fluff your ego, go somewhere else. Tilden is a tremendous muni course. The hills are indeed mammoth so do get a cart. There are lots deals such as twilight, super twilight, early-bird etc. The atmosphere is very casual. I like that. Can it lead to slow rounds? Yes. I would rather a leisure day of golf than dealing with hotdogs burning through holes, hitting up on you. It IS golf, after all. Let's chill out, hang out in nature, enjoy a fun game and drink some beers. read more

Everything was great except for the pace of play. There were several groups in front of us that did not understand basic golf etiquette which drastically slowed down the game. We ended up not finishing our game and just drove through because we were approaching 6 hours of play time due to having to wait an additional twenty minutes on average just to tee off. Please add marshals on the course the instruct groups to let quicker groups play through. The course does great at this with hole 1 asking people to tee off in a timely manner but there desperately needs to be more enforcement on pace throughout the course. The course is absolutely beautiful but if this continues to happen, I can't keep playing here since a 6 Hour golf game is way too long read more

Tee Box: 4 Fairway: 5 Greens: 5 Pace: 2 Pro Shop: 5 Marshalls: 1 Tilden is one of a very challenging golf course in the Bay Area. My friends and i were havig a great time until this rude Marshall comes along and guarded us for the whole front nine. His friends who were playing behind us told him that we were playing slow. By him(marshall)being so bias to the situation and didn't bother paying attention to the 4 foursome in front of us which there were a high school golf team who were all walking didn't matter to him. Like i said, it's a challenging course, but what other reviews or testimonials left was the marshall was the biggest challenge of all. Would i play here again or even recommend to others? Definately, NOT! Just because of their Marshall. The worst Marshall ever. read more

Cheap golf course. $18 twillight.and it is usually wide open for twillight. I was told by the marshal that it is actually ultra slow on weekends. Very Hilly course - Lots of hills to walk up and down and lots of slopes to read. Moderately maintained. Design - There are a few holes where the design is a little chaotic cause everyone is pretty much hitting at each other. don't remember which set of holes, but you'll know when you play. Scenery -You are in a valley so the views are only of trees and the mountains surrounding you. No views of the city below even though you are so high up the mountain. There are deer and wildlife roaming the course which is pretty cool. read more

DO NOT SIGN UP FOR PLAYERS CLUB. I was part of the players club for over a year-- when I canceled I allowed for the 30-day window for cancelation per the contract but continued to be charged. When I called they said that they would not reverse the charges and said that it can be up to 60 days before they deactivate their billing processes (so essentially despite the contract saying 30 days-- they will continue to bill you for 60 days). Just dont give these guys your credit card number. read more

Glad I joined the membership. What a great deal, 240 balls a day, discounted rates daily with a free beverage when you play...and last but not least good friendly people with a smile like Billy at the bar and grill. It's what brings business back I guarantee it, coming from a business man like myself I know I enjoy spending my time with people like Billy. Make sure you stop in and join the club... read more

Tilden Park Golf Course - Peace of mind.. - Golf Near Me - Berkeley, California

Dont want to come here at all in my life time. Service was very poor. Unfriendly, but good corse. Still. The people work here has no idea what they are doing. read more

So far I've just made it to the range and putting greens. Nice way to practice. Always open tees with 3 levels to choose from. Reasonable prices. read more

Alright, one more star for the scenery. When I played here this morning, it was really foggy so you just pray that your ball goes forward or don't hit anyone else out there. It cleared up around 3rd hall. The surrounding is quite beautiful, yet it's so muddy. This is probably the dirtiest I got both myself and all my clubs. For a beginner like myself, this course holds a lot of challenges because it's so hilly, but overall a decent course with a good price. We played 18-hole with cart @ $45 per person. BTW, AT&T has no receptions here but Verizon does. read more

Tilden is definitely a challenge for beginners. However, for my first 18 holes ever, this was a great experience. The course is beautiful (although some of the grass could use some watering) and driving golf carts up and down steep hills is a lot of fun. You get a good mix of beginners and more seasoned golfers, so it'll take you about 5 hours to get out. Also, for the price, you can't beat this place! Their regular rates are steep like most of the golf courses in the East Bay, but the key to playing cheap golf here is to visit their website. If you click on their tee time specials, you can usually get rounds for up to half off (the cheapest ones are $19 and $25 for 18 holes and a cart). If you're up for making the drive up to this place, I'd recommend it! read more

Something about Tilden, it just doesn't pass my smell test. Sitting high in the Berkeley hills is Tilden Park, a golf course managed by American Golf. Tilden is very, very hilly. It can also be quite windy up on top of Mt Olympus. It is beat up, think of a full sized Boulder Creek. I always play like horse crap here. I get bullied into playing the blues by my usual peer pressuring friend Derek... and the slope of the course is malarkey (like a 118), even though there are like 5 holes with the blues 50+ yards longer than the whites. I also have serious issues with courses that have greens that the ball rolls back at you NO MATTER WHAT. The greens are like Summitpointe in Milpitas (aka bull ca-ca). You can get a good deal on golfnow.com. I have scored early morning weekend times for $49. I guess it's an ok track, maybe I'm biased. I do love the logo though! read more

Went to hit balls at the range and found the Driving range in poor shape. The ball dispenser machine was broken and no one was telling us what was happening. Also most mats missing tees. read more

So, I am writing this after playing a 5 hour and 45 minute round. No joke!!! I was waiting on every hole of the first 9 for 15 - 20 minutes...completely ridiculous. Talked to the marshals about it and they said there were two tournaments going on and they pretty much overbooked the course. Did not know that golf courses were turning into airlines. The course is okay...some memorable holes, but a few not impressive at all. Fairways on the back 9 are in much better shape than the first nine. I paid about $70 including cart for the round and that was a lot of money for the condition of the course and the never ending wait. Would I play, again, yes, but I will definitely manage my expectations. I really wanted to be a fan, it just didn't happen for me. read more

Eh. Now, I should say that I played this after tons of rain, so the course was a big muddy mess and there wasn't any difference between the rough and fairways. No mowing on account of all the water. Still...this course isn't anything special. It's hilly. At least the setting is nice. But the play is slow. Very slow. Did I mention it's slow. I am all for muni-golf -- but not at this pace. Oh well at least I tried it out and it was a nice day outside. read more

Tilden is hands down the best public golf course I have ever played at. Awesome views, very well kept, challenging, and friendly staff at an UNBEATABLE PRICE. $7 for as many holes as you can get in after 7 PM. And, if you're friendly, they'll usually let you get on for that rate any time after 6:15. read more

Cue music... camera pans in... "The hills are alive... with my screaming calf muscles!" No, I was not quite prepared to walk Tilden. Up, down, up, down, up, down. Damn pretty course, though. Front 9 was fun, hell of a workout, but fun. Back 9 got a bit dodgy. Golf balls ricocheting in the trees above your head. Screaming at duffers not to play your ball (or at least not to pocket it). Drunken idiots playing bumper cars with their carts. I imagine it is less harrowing on a weekday. Still, a nice layout and fairly forgiving. Big problem, like others have mentioned, is that while the course is very scenic and in good condition, I can't quite stomach the $75 green fee. When I played, we got a discounted rate, which are sporadically available when you book and with seemingly random rate reductions (I've seen rates from high $20s to high $60s... no idea why or how they figure in the price break). Play was also quite slow, but you get that at every muni course. read more

I've played here a few times since my first review, and it hasn't gotten better. There is mud in the fairways most of the year, pace can be very slow and the course is just unforgiving. Overpriced as well. I'm just not a fan of the layout, trees and hills. The teeboxes are just too close to the greens. For example my last round I dodged 2 flying balls while teeing up. It seems that people either love it or hate it. There are many other beautiful & scenic courses in the bay area that are simply more fun to play for the $$. read more

Granted the last time I played here it almost took 6 hours to finish the round, but beyond that one horrible experience, I've found this course is the best bang for your buck, challenging for all levels of players, and a pretty beautiful layout. Can get on for anywhere from 45-60 depending on the time (note, if you play earlier in the morning, first few holes you'll be driving blind before the fog rolls off). This is the type of course where you'll use every club in the bag. Could go 4 holes without pulling driver out of the bag. Great elevation changes on a number of holes which makes it fun, enough hazards to make it interesting but the back 9 opens up so those big drives that hook or slice may still be playable. Staff is super friendly, would be nice if they had a beverage cart going around but they've got a phone on the 9th tee so you can call ahead for a back 9 order. And the tee box at 10 offers an awesome view driving downhill. Just be prepared for it to be a bit of a slow 18 if you play on the weekends, and have fun taking all the slow side roads up the hills above Berkeley. My favorite course in the area even though I hack more than I actually play. read more

Great course! Affordable prices on GolfNow. There's a two tier driving range that seems to be fairly busy. Pace of play and course conditions were outstanding. There are a couple narrow tee shots but there are also some forgiving fairways. I will definitely be back. read more

Tilden Park Golf Course - Golf Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

Excellent public golf course. As an out of towner I was very pleased to be treated as a local. Played twice and joined nice people both times. Friendly clubhouse. Warning: Slippery when wet read more

I played Tilden for the first time this past Saturday, beautiful course nice people good staff. Narrow fairways but well kept and the greens were as good as they can be for a public course. Only complaint is price but you get what you pay for. All in all I'd play this course time and time again. Check it out read more

Finally played the course with a couple of friends and it is a fun and frustrating course, frustrating for those of us that don't golf much :) you cannot beat their price of $19 with a cart for twilight golf. We had a 5:04 tee time and was able to get in 14 holes. We should have stopped at 13 cause on the way off the 14th green the comedy hit...sprinklers came on! Laughed our asses off dodging water back to the club house. We will absolutely return here. read more

How does a MT car make it up this hill?? My AT Honda kept chugging along, like it was gonna die any second, and I had to keep reminding it that there was a light at the end of the road - the light from the driving range! I hit a bucket of balls here today. You need exact change - either $3, $7 or $11 (or one of those card things). It was a little drizzly so I hit off the second tier (I don't like rain). I think it's weird that there's a knoll off to the left side. I guess I'm used to the flat driving range at McInnis in San Rafael. I came here because a) it's close to my office and b) the McInnis driving range is closed for renovation. I'm making my rounds to driving ranges around the bay. Hmm... sounds like a list is a brewing.... read more

Tilden always disappoints. Too many tee times booked, always a long round of golf. Two times in the last month I've tried to use their range only to have to turn around and head home. First instance I was told they had no balls to use because two days after rain they said it was too slippery to collect the balls on their range??? Second instance I show up at 645pm and was told they are closing the range at 7pm. All the lights were already off and they were ready to close shop! Yelp or Tilden please correct the hours of operation, you're wasting people's time! read more

Tilden Park has a gorgeous golf course, but it will surely prove a challenge for beginners, such as myself. I really should have worn hiking boots instead of golf shoes. But despite the cardio workout, playing at Tilden was fantastic. Each of the fairways, although long, were very open and relatively straight. On a beautiful day, the views of each fairway are priceless. On colder days, the cardio workout is welcome because at least the blood gets going. The Driving Range is great. There are a ton of spaces across three tiers. I've never experienced any golf-nazi assholes there, so it's a great place to meet friends and hit a few basket of balls. And it's fun rooting on the deer that wander across the driving range, hoping that that they can figure out a way through the driving range netting. The bar and grill is great after a day on the course or hitting a few bucket of balls. The bar is well stocked and is very comfortable. The restaurant is more a glorified concession shack but the food is good, especially on a cold day. The only negative thing I have to say about my experience at Tilden, is that the assholes behind the counter at the pro shop were rude but I guess dickheads are cheaper to employ. read more

A traditional course that would be much better served if it was located out in the country. You could enjoy the tree-lined fairways and the sense of getting out of the city, instead of covering your head every time you hear 'Fore!', which on the back 9 seems to be at least once a hole. The course offers a promising start. The first 5 holes offer variety in their length, direction and elevation. After that, except for the two long par 3's on the back 9 and the par 4 12th, I didn't enjoy it as much. The main problem is that from 8-18 (with the exception of 11 & 12) it feels like you are playing through the landing area of a driving range. There are balls, players, and golf carts going in every direction and I can see how 6 hr rounds can occur. The course is not long, you can get away with 3Ws and hybrids on most of the driving holes; however, the small greens have some decent breaks to them and serve as the course's main protection against par. It's a decent enough course, in an excellent setting, but not one I will return to often. read more

Can only speak to the bar/grill they have inside, but the place looks pretty legit. It's close to my work, so we all went during a lunch break from interviews. Nice outdoor spot with a top and heat lamps and really fast service. The Reuben is pretty legit, comes out hot and the meat is really fresh. I'd definitely be back to try the bar out, they sell 24 oz cans and have a full bar inside. And totally want to do the driving range too ($4 and $7 for small and medium buckets sounds pretty great). read more

Its been a while since I came here regularly... okay... a long while... yelp was nothing more then a glint in Jeremy's eye. So maybe things have changed. Ignore my nostalgic rambling and move on to the next one if you know whats good for you. When I started golfing I used to head up the hill in my beat up 82 ford escort, bumping keith sweat through my "after market" cd player / car stereo and piece meal sub woofers in the hatchback. If I lied and said I was on the Berkeley High School golf team I got in free after 4pm or something like that. I think I bu,ped them 1 star just for letting me pilfer free knuckle numbing cold golf evenings... DO NOT do drugs before the first hole (you reading this John Daly)... you will freak and think you are never going to get out of it alive. Its like golfing up a 5.10 rock climbing wall. Its straight up. DO bring some extra balls. Anything off the fairway is half way to terabithia. You'll never find it. After you loop around the hill following the first hill you get to a hole that gives back all that altitude. Starlight down. DO just kick the ball softly with your foot and watch it just roll to the bottom. It is actually possible to kick a 350 yard hole in one. DO drugs on the back nine... they are a bit plain, you'll need a pick me up. read more

Really a 2 Star rating, but I gave an extra star because the guys in the pro-shop were so helpful...let me explain. Monday morning, 10 a.m. tee time. Delayed 40 mins due to late start of a women's league tournament. 3 hours later, we had just finished 9 holes. Had we continued playing, there were at least two groups on the tee box @ #10 which would have delayed us 30+ mins for teeing off, and probably would have backed up again at the next hole, par 3 #11. I'm pretty sure if we had elected to play 18 holes, it would have been the longest round of my life, easily approaching 6 1/2 hours. Pace of play needs to be encouraged, and marshals need to be on top of the groups that are playing slowly. read more

"Rollercoaster" of a Golf Course. The old-timers would call it a billy-goat course due to it running up and down the Berkeley hills. Renting the cart is worth the extra bucks. This is not the normal flat golf course. The first hole is a drive straight up hill which challenges the lift of your drive. Compare that to the tenth hole which launches off the top of a hill and hangs for a while before dropping. The boundries of the fairways are like the deep woods but eats up stray balls in a single gulp. I ended up losing a couple balls and didn't even try looking when I really sliced it good. Bring extras if you're a hack like me. It's a challenging and fun course compared to the normally flat greens of other courses. Prices are ok but golf isn't cheap anywhere you go. read more

This was the first (and only) golf range I've ever been on, but it looked great to me! Disclaimer: I have zero golf skills. The driving range was kind of fun. There's this vending machine where you can get a ton of golf balls, and then you pick a station and just try hitting the ball as far as you can. I don't think I really improved my golf swing at all, but I'm happy with the 80-90 yards (feet???) that I hit! The golf course looked more challenging, so we only tried some of the holes. It was difficult, and I don't think I ever hit the ball in, but a lot of fun! Actually, we might have been on the putting range, because there wasn't a lot of long-distance golf ball hitting.. I think Tilden is great for people who are here to golf for fun - I think it might be more frustrating if you were actually trying to get better at the sport. read more

One of my favorite places to golf at. Very peaceful and quite. Will get cold I'm the early mornings and nights during fall and winter. During the summer it's warm but not super hot. When it is sunny out golfing on the 2nd or 1st level is best to avoid sunlight in your view. There are three levels to golf on with 30-40 slots to golf on. It never gets crowded but it doesn't look that way from the parking lot. The gold course itself is large which doesn't make it seem crowded. You pay for your golf balls at the office. At the office they also have golf bags, golf balls, golf cubs, shirts, sunglasses, hats etc pretty expensive so only buy here if you need to. You can so rent a gold cart if you are on the gold course. The place also had a restaurant , bathrooms and a bar. You can also sign up for golf lessons or golf camp here as well. Not sure what they prices are but you can imagine. There is also a putty range to practice on - which typically gets crowded but practice at the right time and you will be fine :) read more

What a beautiful and challenging course! The staff were as nice as can be! The resturant patio has a gorgeous viewof the back nine and nice food too! The very best part was the fog coming down over the hills in the afternoon. The course is well maintained and has a compact layout. You will have fun! read more

Picture it... drop in for 0645 as a single looking to join a group or tee off solo. 10-20 minutes later you're set, looking off the first tee into a deep wall of fog. Pay attention the direction your ball goes as you may have to take a gander for it's final resting point off the first two tees. Yes, the course is hilly, especially on the first hole which must rise up a good 40 yards or so in vertical difference (before teeing off into another bowl off the second tee). If you can walk it, you should to get a fantastic work out all around on top of the stretching you'll get from the swinging through 18 holes. Depending on how thick the fog was, it'll burn up by the time you reach the 6th-8th hole presenting glorious sun for the remainder of the round which you will finish in 3.5-4.25 hours. When you step off the course by 1100, you'll feel great and have the rest of the day ahead of you. Can't go wrong with that. Now there are many conditionals in this such as: you won't get the morning fog during certain times of year. Also, if you can go on a weekday in the morning, you'll get a better bet on green fees to make it truly worthwhile. If you decide to go later in the day on a weekend, you are guaranteed a slower pace of play and a more expensive round coupled with golf balls cris-crossing fairways and hitting trees. All in all, great public course for what you pay as long as you tee off at the right time of day. read more

I love the smell of this place - the redwoods scent the air and it is magical looking out over the course and seeing those magnificent trees. Not so much when you slice your drive and land right behind one, that is not a good view. All in all they did a pretty good job with the layout given the hilly terrain, be ready for some + or - two club shots as you are heading up or downhill. Big driving range, multiple tiers. Staff uniformly pleasant and cheerful. I was put to shame by a couple of guys older than me walking the course as I chose to use a cart. read more

Home away from home...felt like I was in Tahoe. Up in the hills & trees that it doesn't get too windy. Gorgeous views, maintained pretty well, and reasonable green fees. read more

Driving range isn't anything special however because it's so large it's always easy to find a stall even on the most crowded days. I recommend the players club membership where for 35$ a month you get a large bucket of balls daily read more

The new personal there doesn't yet kn ow how to operate the computer well So if you're doing twilight golf expect a precious ten minutes to be wasted. Plus they give you one price over the phone and when you arrive they try and charge a higher price. Incompetence. The beginning of fairways 2, 3, 5 , 6 , 7, 8 and 9 have not been mowed. read more

Green luscious valleys in majestic hills. This golf course is absolutely beautiful, this is one of my favorite courses in the bay area!1 The layout of this course is very unique, most of the tees are elevated and a lot of the fairways are kind of narrow, so play smart. You will find that you wont use your driver very often, this is more of a course where you will use lower clubs because you wont want to go OB. This course can get rather chilly, so bring a jacket, even during the Summer time. The course can play kind of slow on the weekends, so prepare for about a five hour round. I can not stress this enough, look on gofnow.com you will find weekend rates for about $40, this is a lot cheaper then the regular price of about $80. I recommend playing this course, you will love it, i haven't found anything i dislike about this course. read more

Tilden Park Golf Course is located behind UC Berkley. Course: Hilly .. 1st hole straight uphill . Par four not an easy hole to start with.. Most of the greens are elevated. Most puts are hard to read. You may think your putting up hill but you are not.. Fun Holes: Hole 3, Downhill par 4 .. Straight with Bunker on left.. Hole Hole 5.. Second Shot over a stream.. Pros: Very pretty course.. Located in a Vally on top of UC Berkely ... Lots of trees , deer, and clean air.. the drive is pretty when you go up.. Cons: weekends I hear you play 5 hrs.. When i played on weekdays it took me 4.5 hrs .. No marshall really. Back nine has parallel fairways so watch outout. Scenery: 9 greens: 6 Marshall Service: 3 Fun Factor: 7 Food: 9 Cost 7 read more