Pros:
- Clean, lightly crowded park
- Lots of lights for night play, although there are baseball fields right there so sometimes it is crowded at night
- Makes good use of very slight elevation change
- People using park are aware that disc golfers play here and watch out for you while you are throwing
- Good mixture of long and short holes
- Makes good use of obstacles
- Restrooms and mudslides onsite
- Free (city sponsored)!
- Beautiful gardens
Cons:
- Not much elevation change
- No Pro shop
- Some pins don't have baskets (big drawback for me)
- A Few very short (<200 foot) holes. Good for aces!
- Multi use park can be very crowded when baseball and soccer are in season
Other Thoughts:
Of the 2 pitch and putts in Irvine (the other being Deerfield) Uni Park offers a few longer holes than its sister course that offer a surprising challenge when you least expect it. Deerfield taps out at about 300 feet, while Uni offers a 414 foot and 345 foot hole, both of which are quite tough to par.
I got my only Career ACE on Hole # 1 here a few years back. It's a gentle hyzer 144 footer with a showcase green and pin right in front of the community center.
Hole # 2 is also pretty short at 234 feet but offers a great tee off under trees and by a utility box. The other holes are only semi memorable, the uphill shot near the end of the course next to the baseball field always surprised me.
Overall, a very pretty, clean park that makes very good use of space and is hardly ever crowded with people, DG'ers or not.
I have to knock it for the fact that it has some targets that don't have baskets still. The City of Irvine redesigned Deerfield and put in a 9 hole all-basket course, they should do the same for Uni even if it has to remain at 7 holes. It is currently closed for renovation with a reopen date of "Spring 2010". We will see if any changes are made when the reopening happens. With all baskets for the targets, this course will definitely be a rival with Deerfield for best course in Irvine. For now, Deerfield is the superior course.
After that's done, we just need an 18 hole course at the Great Park and Irvine will be SET with 3 courses!