Welcome to the Two Down Press golf newsletter!

2DP is back after a brief hiatus! It feels good to be back in the regular Thursday morning routine.

We have a jam-packed and wide-ranging agenda this week, as we’re bringing you a slate of golf course, business, and tournament news that you won’t find anywhere else. We have updates on another wave of renovations at the Charlotte municipal courses, a profile on a new golf newsletter with a unique angle, and a smattering of other stories from the local golf scene. Catch up on 2(!) week’s worth of Carolinas golf news and notes in our latest newsletter, and when you drop these kernels of knowledge on your buddies during your round this weekend, be sure to tell them you read it in 2DP.

THIS WEEK’S HEADLINE

As has become an annual tradition, local news outlets last week picked up the story of a County vote to fund $1.6MM in golf course enhancements across Charlotte’s city-owned properties. This fueled a wide array of responses from the online peanut gallery desperate to make their voices heard in the comment section.

It is no surprise that the headline achieved the news outlet’s goal of grabbing attention - the title is clearly meant to draw eyeballs toward the dollar amount and elicit a click from a passing viewer. Readers that take this headline at face value will probably launch into a heated online debate about the relative merits of golf in society, but those willing to do a little digging will find that the story is all a bit of bluster.

When we talked to Troon Golf’s Josh Anderson last year for our Improving Municipal Golf Series, we specifically discussed the topic of how golf course projects actually get funded in Mecklenburg County. Much to the dismay of those looking to stir things up online, these are not tax payer dollars being allocated away from other causes - these are funds directly generated from golf course operations that are stored away for capital improvements. Each year, Troon Golf presents a list of desired golf course projects and makes a formal request to the County to have the funding approved and released.

The bottom line: OK - so this context takes some of the sting out of the headline. This isn’t a major swing or a new development from our local course leaseholders - it’s simply part of a measured, long-term strategy where Troon continually puts money back into our munis.

My two cents: Investment is investment, even if it’s slow and steady. I think many Charlotte golfers are clamoring for a multi-million dollar overhaul at Harry Jones or Charles T. Myers, but don’t underestimate the impact incremental improvement can have over a series of years. Troon has already completed a long list of projects since taking hold of the lease a few years back, including bunker renovations across the portfolio, miles of cart path repairs, and clubhouse updates. We finally seem to have an operator that truly views our local courses as an asset worth supporting - it may not be groundbreaking change, but we’re heading in the right direction.

PRESENTED BY TWILIGHT GOLF CLUB

The 2026 Twilight Invitational was a huge success, with the team of Mark Lathan, Parker Haynes, Aaron Taylor, and Chris Bernitt taking home the team title and a set of handmade custom trophies from Five Wood Furniture Company.

Statesville Country Club played host to the 6th annual edition of TGC’s premier spring event. Huge thanks to the staff at SCC for putting on a great event and for sharing your fantastic golf course!

The TGC event calendar rolls on next month with the annual Masters Par 3 Contest, which will be held at Old Field in Mocksville, NC. The Matchplay Madness Final Four and Twilight Summer League are also right around the corner, so check out the full TGC event schedule on the website and get involved.

GOLF BIZ

We live in a digital world where seemingly everyone and everything is fighting for your screen time. More posts, more takes, and more notifications seem to be the way of the world, which is precisely Dear Pards, a new golf media endeavor from friends-of-the-program Garrett Andersson and Dave Baysden, caught our attention.

Andersson, a Winston-Salem-based real estate agent and entrepreneur, spent almost a decade deeply entrenched in the game as a caddie, working for players on various tours and looping at several prominent clubs. Life and career choices gradually pulled him away from the passion of his younger years, but the desire to keep a foot in the golf world kept simmering beneath the surface. As a self-described “avid writer,” a golf column seemed like a logical way to bridge the gap, but he knew a unique format would be necessary to stand out in a crowded landscape. "I didn't really want to report on golf because enough people do that," he said of his thought process.

Andersson eventually landed on a format likely more familiar to your parents’ generation - the advice letter. It's modeled on the classic “Dear Abby” structure - readers submit anonymous questions and the columnist responds in a letter format. The tone of the newsletter oscillates between profound and absurd, with every post designed to make readers "smirk, chuckle, think, or cry."

Submitters are treated with responses not from Andersson himself, but from the character “Pards,” which is something between a pen name and an alter-ego. Rocking a killer mustache and an aesthetic that is a mashup of Mike Strantz and Arnold Palmer, Pards is a complex yet familiar character. “He’s the guy at your club who everyone likes, but who everyone refers to as ‘Pards’ because they don’t know his real name.”

While the newsletter is fun and unique, the crown jewel of what Andersson is building doesn’t come via email - it arrives in your physical mailbox every month.

Members of the Postage Club, Andersson’s premium offering, will receive a monthly mail piece that looks and feels like a wedding invitation - wax seal, embossed envelope, and high-quality cardstock. Each piece will include 3 components - a 5x7 art print with a short letter on the back, a stamped postcard ready to send to whoever in your life needs it, and a handwritten note from Andersson himself.

The prints and postcard art come from the hand of Dave Baysden, a High Point resident and one of the most recognized artists in golf. Baysden's work gives the physical pieces weight, turning the letters into something subscribers will actually want to keep and collect. Andersson is giving Baysden creative freedom on style and subject, with the letter content shaping the visual direction each month. The first issue, dropping in April around the Masters, will feature a caricature of Pards himself - an introduction to the character and the brand.

Dear Pards is still a nascent project, and Andersson acknowledges that it will take some time to find his unique angle on golf. "I'm trying to create something between Kyle Porter’s Normal Sport and The Golfer’s Journal with a Trap Draw-style irreverence - visually cool and something with a unique voice.” For now, his primary goal is to get reps and show up consistently, honing his craft and building a product that readers can’t wait to open. "If you're not writing what people want to read, you're only going to be as big as you can advertise.”

Interested in learning more? Head to dearpards.com and use code PARDS to get your first month of the Postage Club free. After you get the first shipment, you can stay subscribed for $5 a month or cancel any time. Premium subscribers ($100 a year) can access further perks, including an annual member gift.

STORIES TO TRACK

Jerell Fields Takes Medalist Honors at Carolina Lakes Mid-Am Qualifier: “The CharLit Golfer” shot a 71 (-1) on a cold, windy day earlier this month to lock up his spot in April’s championship at Broomsedge. The cut line fell at 74 (+2), with 8 total players punching their tickets to one of the biggest events on the CGA calendar. View full scoring

Broomsedge Set to Establish “Welcoming Private Club”: According to a report from Fried Egg Golf, the new model will be similar to that of the Lido at Sand Valley. Members will continue to have access to designated tee times while public access will be available on select days of the week. The South Carolina club, which has already demonstrated an admirable openness to outside play, will continue expanding it’s hospitality offerings under the guidance of Baker Thompson and Michael Keiser, Jr., who have been instrumental in building Sand Valley over the past decade.

Cedarwood Announced as Round 2 Host for Charlotte City Am: These quiet website updates don’t slip past us! Cedarwood will host Saturday’s round on August 15th for those making the Day 1 cut. No word yet on qualifying dates, but registration is set to open on May 11th.

Colin McLeod Wins HV3 Junior: A final round 64 lifted the 15-year-old to a 3-shot margin of victory in last weekend’s event. The tournament is hosted annually at Gaston Country Club and Cramer Mountain Club and has become a standout event on the Junior circuit. View full scoring.

Mooresville Golf Club Completes Bunker Renovation: The best public golf course in the Charlotte area keeps getting better. MGC is an amazing example of what investing in the product can do for a municipal golf facility. I’m glad to see that they continue to make smart investments to position the course for long-term success.

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