Built on the remnants of Winthrop University's old 9 hole golf course, Winthrop Meadows is a primarily open course. As with all Winthrop courses, it utilizes DISCatcher baskets and nice, turf tee pads. When I played, the holes had colorful tee signs for each hole. A lot of thought was put into the course design to make efficient use of the trees around the track to create the necessity to shape shots and create gaps to hit. The rolling terrain was utilized incredibly well too, in order to create risk/reward opportunities.

Despite being an open course, big distance is not a prerequisite for scoring well here. Outside of Hole 17, even the par 4s felt like they required more of a placement or well shaped shot off the tee in order to set up for a birdie look. At less than 700 feet, Hole 17 will give plenty of players an eagle opportunity as long as they have 2 well thrown shots - but it still feels rewarding (in part because the second shot is uphill).

The course does a decent job of challenging a variety of shots from the tee, while still giving players options. With three par 4s, a par 5, an island hole, an elevated basket, and a sunken basket - Winthrop Meadows really has a lot of variety going for it. There are also a number of holes that play through tree rows to imitate short wooded, tunnel shots.

Like other Winthrop courses, the course is beautiful. It may lack the scenery of the Lakeside/Gold course, but that doesn't make it any less pretty.

Signage Issues/Potential Signage Issues - I worry about the tee signs on the course. I know the University won't allow permanent tee signs for the Lakeside course. Hopefully the tee signs on the Meadows Course are permissible, but I worry about their longevity. They are just staked into the ground at the moment. If new tee signs were ever built, an arrow pointing in the direction of the next tee pad would be beneficial. Or a small arrow somewhere on the basket.

Despite the amount of variety, the course had a few things that, at least to me, felt over done. The tight, low ceiling gap right at the tee to hamper big drives was utilized a lot. Which led to very few places on an open course to actually be able to open up (Holes 8 & 17). I think if there were one more hole where a Distance Driver was the play from the tee, it would help break up the midrange usage a bit more.

Some players will find Holes 13 & 15 a bit gimmicky. Hole 13 is a low, low ceiling through a tight gap to start a par 4 that has a very tight window for birdie. Hole 15 will be accused by some of being a putt putt style hole, with a flick roller style gap at the tee to a sunken basket. I personally liked them individually, but could understand the frustrations some players may have with either one. I do wish they had been further apart in the round.

There are limited amenities at the course, so keep this in mind when planning a round - and please be sure to pack out your trash. I did notice a few benches around the course in places, but not near the tee pads, and not often in the shade.

Winthrop Meadows is a wonderful addition to the local disc golf scene. It is a well thought out, open style disc golf course, that doesn't feel like monotonous field work throwing 18 holes in a wide open field. With enough variety in hole design, elevation usage, and unique features, to make for a fun and memorable round.

The course feels like the short tees for the OG 18 holes at Rolling Pines, with a bit more nuance in how the drives are set up, but with worse maintenance (at least as of me writing this review).

I was initially torn on what score to give Winthrop Meadows. I was torn between two different ratings, but decided to go with the higher score for now. I think it deserves somewhere between a 3.0 and a 3.5 rating. For now I am going to give it the bump because of the variety the course brings despite being such an open course and its proximity to the other Winthrop courses. If Next Tee signs were added to the baskets, the tee signs at each tee felt more permanent, or if there were a couple of holes on the course were multi-par wooded holes, I would feel more solidified in that rating.

Favorite Holes: 6, 8, 10, & 15