Charlotte Public Golf Top 10 with Chris Beeman

Welcome to the Two Down Press golf newsletter!  

After last week’s jaunt down to Pinehurst, we’re back this week with another Charlotte-focused newsletter. Public golf in the Queen City has long been a hobbyhorse of this publication, and who has spent more time thinking about the subject than our latest Q&A guest? Today’s conversation is with Chris Beeman - enjoy the read and have a great 4th of July weekend!

TWO DOWN PRESS Q&A

Chris Beeman on his Public Golf Top 10 and Charlotte’s Evolving Golf Landscape

Chris Beeman is the OG of Charlotte golf content, having started is popular website B-Man’s Guide to Golf back in 2002. In addition to his work with the site, Chris runs the North Carolina chapter of the TheGrint Tour, which hosts competitive amateur events for players of all skill levels, and plans/hosts golf trips to the world’s best golf resorts for TripCaddie.com.

I recently chatted with Chris to discuss the history of his website, his recently updated Charlotte public golf top 10 list, and his perspectives on the evolving golf landscape in the Queen City. This conversation has been edited for brevity and readability.

2DP: Tell me about you, your background, and how you started documenting Charlotte golf courses on your website.

CB: I’ve lived and played golf in Charlotte for about 25 years. I started playing before social media and Google really existed. Yahoo and Alta Vista were the best search engines, and golf courses didn't have websites. When I wanted to find information about local courses, all you could find was an address and a phone number - maybe the course rating and the name of the architect.

I was working as a web developer, so building websites was my thing. When I started playing golf and found there was no information online, I started keeping my own notes - how hard courses were, how much they cost, where they were located, etc. After I had notes on five or ten courses, I put it in a database and made it accessible online.

For the first 10 years, it was really just me posting information, adding courses, and sharing regular updates and reviews. About 15 years ago, I made it so people could register and post their own reviews, and since then the site has grown quite a bit. It wasn't until COVID that I really started looking at whether I could do this as a career. I connected with a guy who runs a golf travel company called TripCaddie, and a couple years ago I left the corporate world. I've been doing golf travel, golf reviews, and running golf tournaments for the last three years.

2DP: When did you start publishing your top 10 rankings?

CB: The top 10 rankings started because people would frequently ask me what my favorite courses were, and I thought I should put an official list together. I started putting it out on my website and social media probably 10 years ago. In 2019, I made it official and published it with Axios Charlotte. It has become an annual thing where I update the list each year.

2DP: What criteria do you use for ranking public golf courses?

CB: I use five factors for my rankings.

1. The "wow factor" - There has to be something about the golf course that stands out, that's unique, and makes you want to come back and tell your friends they need to play it.

2. Conditions - You've got to have consistently good conditions, especially on the greens.

3. Layout - You want a fun layout with challenges average golfers as well as expert golfers can enjoy.

4. Amenities - Is it just the golf course or does it have a big clubhouse with a restaurant, bar, and nice practice facilities?

5. Value - How much does it cost? Most of the top 10 courses are within $5-10 of each other in price. It's almost like there's collusion - golf courses are very sensitive to changing prices.

2DP: You recently released an updated top 10 list for 2025. What were the biggest changes from last year’s list?

CB: There were two significant moves. Warrior Golf Club jumped from 4 to 2, which isn't a huge jump but it's significant - I seriously considered it for number 1. The greens are in immaculate shape, and it's got a beautiful lake as the centerpiece with several holes bordering it. It's very scenic in addition to being fun to play and having great conditions.

The other big change was that Deer Brook in Shelby dropped out of the top 10. The conditions last year weren't quite as good as they had been, and I know the course was up for sale. There's uncertainty about what new owners might do with it.

Springfield Golf Club in Fort Mill jumped into the top 10. It's always been in my honorable mention list, and I got a lot of feedback that people thought it should be in the top 10. Interestingly, from the championship tees, it ranks in the top five most difficult public golf courses in South Carolina with a slope rating of 145.

2DP: How have you seen Charlotte’s golf scene evolve in the last 25 years?

CB: The biggest change has been course closures. I've heard people say that golf courses are the most expensive use of land in Charlotte - that land is very valuable for residential, commercial, and retail development. We've lost several courses over the last 10-15 years. Ballantyne Resort’s course closed in 2021 - that was a big loss because it was our nicest course in terms of amenities. Charlotte Golf Links closed about 11 years ago, which was very popular and had a lighted driving range. We also lost Regent Park and Larkhaven. You have to drive much further now to find nice golf courses.

RAPID FIRE WITH CHRIS BEEMAN

B-Man’s Charlotte Public Golf Superlatives

Best Hole: Rock Barn Country Club & Spa (Jackson Course) #10

Most Fun to Play: Eagle Chase Golf Club

Best Greens: Warrior Golf Club

Best Value: Mooresville Golf Club

Best Post-Round Atmosphere: The 500 Club

STORIES TO TRACK

2 UNC Charlotte Golfers Qualify for 2025 Open Championship: Sophomores Seb Cave and Frazer Jones both qualified for the upcoming major championship at Royal Portrush via Final Qualifying earlier this week. Jones qualified with a 36-hole score of -7 at Burnham & Berrow, while Cave shot -5 across two rounds at Royal Cinque Ports to snag a spot.

Samantha Whateley Secures CGA Double with Win at Carolinas Women’s Am: After winning last month’s North Carolina Women’s Amateur, Whateley continued her heater by winning her second major CGA title of the summer. Tied with Sydney Roberts at -3 after 54 holes at The Cliffs at Keowee Falls, Whateley birdied the first playoff hole to take home one of the biggest amateur events in the Carolinas. View full scoring.

Rising Star Takes Home North & South Amateur Title: I admit I wasn’t familiar with Carlos Astiazaran before his breakout victory in Pinehurst last week, but some quick research reveals another young player on the rise. He won the Mexican National Amateur earlier this summer, and his freshman-year performance at University of the Pacific earned him an opportunity to transfer to Vanderbilt, one of the nation’s top collegiate programs.

HOUSEKEEPING

Quick plug for two upcoming events in the Charlotte area, brought to you by friends of 2DP (including this week’s featured guest).

The First Tee Young Professionals of Greater Charlotte are hosting a breakfast at Intown Golf Club on Friday, July 18th. Great chance to connect and enjoy breakfast, simulator time, and the second round of the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush. 7:30-9:30 AM. $25. Register here.

Chris Beeman is hosting the Longview Challenge Presented by NeoGenix at his home club on Monday, July 21st. Open to amateur players of all skill levels. Registration for non-TheGrint Tour members is $359. 18 holes at the Club at Longview plus dinner, gifts, and prizes. Register here.

QUICK LINKS

Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe for free below for news and perspectives on golf in Charlotte and across the Carolinas.

New to 2DP? Check out the full newsletter archive on our website.

Do you have recommendations for future newsletter content? Send them our way.