Pros:
I'm not usually that out of whack with the rest of the crowd, but on this course, I am. It's a decent enough course, but no way would I say it's a high 3's, almost 4.0 course. There have not been many reviews in the last 2 years, so I'm wondering if the course has fallen on hard times. Regardless, as I played the course on March 3, 2016, I thought it was average, a 2.5 level course, and here's why:
PROS
1. Most of the course is very open. If you like this style of course, and being able to watch the flight of the disc on every hole, you will like West Meadowbrook.
2. Navigation was very simple with good signage and short walks from basket to the next tee.
3. The white and blue tees plus alt basket placements make for numerous approaches to each hole.
4. The man-made tunnel mando, where you have to throw through a square made of 2'x4's on your approach to a raised basket, is very unique.
5. No risk of disc loss here. It's very open and the rough didn't appear to be that bad.
Cons:
1. I played the white tees and they were way too small. No way to do your approach on the pad only. You have to start several feet back and finish on the pad, which I hate. The blue tees didn't appear to be any better.
2. Again, I played the white tees. In my opinion, these should be red tees. I shot under par and it was my first and only time playing the course. That NEVER happens for me on a white-level course. It's kind of a nitpick, but I think a more accurate assessment of this course would be to change the white tees to red and change the blue tees to white. If you're looking for an exceptionally challenging course, West Meadowbrook isn't that. It's a fun course, don't get me wrong, but not one that's going to really test the limits of your ability.
3. Hole 8 was completely under standing water: the tee, the fairway, and the basket. Totally unplayable. And the #9 tee was also under water.
4. I do enjoy open courses, so I thought I would like this one more, but there isn't a signature hole that really stood out to me. It's pretty repetitive.
5. The course and the area were not aesthetically pleasing. One of the things I like most about open style courses, at least the good ones, is that the grass is manicured, the scenery is nice, and it feels like you're on a ball golf course. West Meadowbrook is well maintained, but it's not much to look at.
Other Thoughts:
I don't mean to be overly critical of this course. I'm probably coming across that way because I'm saying it's average while others have rated it "very good" to "excellent." It's not that, but it's definitely worth playing if you're in Greenville. It's convenient to downtown and ECU, it's well-maintained, it's easy to navigate, even if you've never played it before. But is it a "destination course" worthy of a 3.9 rating? Not in my book.