Pros:
<span class="underline">NOTE:</span> You have to understand that on O'ahu there are almost insurmountable roadblocks that prohibit any permanent courses from being installed, therefore, the island players can only do the best that they can under these conditions. With this in mind, my review criteria are much different than they normally are. Because of the unique circumstances on O'ahu I gave this course lots of grace, and my rating was also higher than a comparable course on the mainland would rate. Hey, just being in Hawaii bumps it up!
To me, the greatest feature was the vast variety of tropical trees, flowers, and bushes. Many of the trees have identification signs, so here are some that I saw-- banyan, breadfruit, tamarind, false olive, palms, kumoni, Cuban royal palm, date palm...
The island players are very friendly and helpful in showing you around.
There are good fairway lines to the targets with manicured grass and scattered trees and foliage. There aren't too many wide open shots, nor are there any technical tunnel shots.
There's a pretty good balance of fairways with 8 Straight/ 6 to the left/ 4 to the right.
There are a pretty good variety of elevation changes with 4 Flat/ 6 Up/ 8 Down, but the elevation differential isn't too large. The greatest change was a drop of ~15 ft.
The tees are a mixture of sidewalks and grass and they're quite adequate.
There are restrooms available inside some of the university buildings.
You can play in shorts and sandals year round.
Cons:
There are no baskets, no tee signs, and no marked tees. The tees aren't allowed to be marked and if the target marking is too obvious then if gets vandalized or removed. That makes them all the harder to find, though. The targets are usually marked by green wire with a zone that you have to hit within. There is a map, but many of the holes are different from the map, as well as the numbering, so it would be impossible to navigate the course without a guide.
-The course plays through the middle of the campus, so there are TONS of potential safety issues. To me this is the greatest drawback of the course. Always use spotters, be careful, and be patient when necessary. Please make sure to carefully read the notes in the DGCR "Course Description" section before you go there.
-The course can only be played on Sunday mornings. Please DO NOT play there at any other time because there are too many people that you might hit!