Pros:
Auburn Regional Park is situated at the north edge of "Historic Auburn" (as the road signs testify...I was there for the DGC). This course has a good reputation in the region, and there have been some big tournaments here. so I expected a lot. Anyways, I got a lot out of the experience, and I'll definitely be back again. The facilities are pretty nice, and there are relatively clean bathrooms available. The locals we ran into were friendly, and helpful when we said it was our first time to the course.
There are some really nice creeks with swiftly running water (fed in part by the dammed lake). Not so swift that you would have to say goodbye to a disc that went in, but good enough that it is aesthetically very pleasing (also nice background noise).
This course demands a balanced game. My flick was in the shop for much needed repairs and a rebuild and I wasn't in the mood to use it much, but sure as hell I ended up throwing forehand on about 30% of the drives.
Unlike the courses further west that I play regularly, there is a fair amount of topography on this course (it is more into the Sierra foothills). Uphill, downhill, across hill fairways, etc., make this a fun place to let rip. There is a good mix of long-ish and short holes, most of them with some degree of challenge even when it isn't far from tee to basket. Some slightly downhill holes, like #2, offer dense vegetation and maybe a route over the top of the trees if you can manage it...this requires a bit of a specialty shot, and practice at this course.
My favorite holes: 1,7,11,15,16,17 (don't miss these back holes!)
Cons:
It is very difficult to navigate the course by yourself. Get a map before you play, or try to follow a group of locals on the course. We tried to keep up with a local group in this manner, but lost them after hole 4 (and after hitting every tree from 1 to 4), walked around the park awhile, and then heard some chains on the other side of the river...walking across the bridge and up the hill, we found the tee for hole 5, and thought we knew the basket, but that ended up being 7, which we discovered when we got to the basket and the group we had been trying to follow was trying to play to 7 themselves. They set us back on course. They warned us ahead of time about hole 14...you need to walk all around the lake to the duck "island" (actually, a fenced off little peninsula), and you'll is a tee pad there...the sidewalk is the fairway and the basket is below the dam (15-17 play below the dam). Anyways, the signage could be dramatically improved to make this course far easier to play. Some tees are missing markers and there are cement pads that are just hanging out here and there that actually don't belong to any hole (but how would you know?).
There is a high school across the street and at lunch time the entire student body comes into the park to hang out...maybe plan around this time if that will be a bother for you. There is not a lot of people traffic, but you'll see a lot of older ladies walking their poodles and such. Be careful not to knock them out, as the fairways play across the main walkways many times.
There are a lot of geese in the winter, with the attendant abundance in goose poo. Be resigned to the fact that you will be stepping in it if you're around during this part of the season.
Other Thoughts:
There are all sorts of fun challenges on this course that you won't see how to conquer the first time through. Play it again, and try out some of the fun routes you dream up after the first pass.