Welcome to the Two Down Press golf newsletter!

Packed agenda this week - we’re trying to help prep you with discussion topics for your family gatherings next week! Remember - if you hit a lull in the conversation, seize the opportunity to pitch your relatives on your favorite local golf publication…

Today’s 2DP features the return of both our Great Golf Holes and Golf Biz series. We have a profile on Quail Hollow’s best hole, a story about a local business looking to shake up the golf course coffee scene, and a smörgåsbord of other stories from across the Carolinas. Enjoy this week’s newsletter and go play some golf with your loved ones this holiday season!

GREAT GOLF HOLES

Quail Hollow Club, Hole #14, 343/333 Yards

Most holes at Quail Hollow don’t afford players the luxury of making decisions off the tee - long and straight is the strategy, and avoiding the rough is the primary objective. The 14th, however, is a hole that makes players pause before mindlessly pulling driver. The location, position in the routing, and strategy of this drivable par 4 make it one of the most though-provoking holes at Charlotte’s major championship venue.

Setting

The 14th benefits from its “location” in multiple ways. The first is its physical setting, as the hole enjoys some prime real estate and provides awesome views across the water to holes 16 and 17. It serves as a transition point in the routing where players exit the mostly treelined section of the course and come in contact with the lake for the first time.

The hole also fits perfectly in Quail’s routing - well-positioned in the heart of the back 9. QHC is full of give-and-take, as scorable stretches are often bookended by challenging ones. This is certainly the case at 14, as the lake stretch of 14/15 offer players one last scoring opportunity before launching into the ruthless Green Mile.

For tournament spectators, this is one of the best locations on the course to watch golf. You can see play on multiple holes, enjoy some respite from the sun under the trees right of the fairway, and watch competitors go for broke to grab one last birdie before the brutal closing stretch.

Strategy

Tour players often reduce strategy on a short par 4 to a nice-to-have with their driving prowess, but a little thought off the tee goes a long way for the average amateur on the 14th. It all starts with the position of the green and the use of the lake as a hazard. As seen above, the long, narrow green is positioned parallel to the waterline, meaning players who veer right to avoid a splash will have a worse angle for their second shot.

Simple geometry dictates that laying up will naturally yield a better angle and view up the green, as you’ll always be hitting your approach from short of the putting surface. The tradeoff is obviously a longer shot in, but that prospect isn’t as daunting on a <350 yard hole. The left fairway bunker comes in to play for those opting to lay back, guarding the line of charm and pulling your attention further left.

The real interest of the hole comes when players go for it - at 310 yards to the front, sending driver is an almost unavoidable temptation for most pros. As you take more club from the tee, however, flirting with the water up the left side becomes more critical, as approaches missing pin-high right will end up short-sided to a narrow target with water long.

Despite the risk, everything about this hole makes you want to bomb it at the green. It’s one of the few standout “birdie holes” on the course, and the shape of the fairway, banking down and left to kick balls toward the green, invites you to produce the correct shape and trajectory required to find the dance floor. It’s a hole that produces a wide range of scoring outcomes - a characteristic that implies shot value and separates good shots from great - making it a thrilling one to play in a match or watch on Sunday.

GOLF BIZ

Brewing a Better Experience with Tempo Coffee

Tired of the same old boring, bitter golf course coffee fresh off the back of a Sysco truck? It’s a common site at facilities across the country - pristine course conditions, carefully curated pro shops, branded everything, and boring coffee sitting in some generic dispenser like an afterthought.

Daniel Davidson noticed this gap everywhere he looked. After spending over 8 years in the coffee business as owner of Union Coffee in Greensboro and picking up golf post-COVID, his 2 worlds started to overlap. "I started seeing that everything [at golf clubs] was pristine, branded, thought of - except for the coffee." Davidson said. "Clubs are spending so much money on brand identity and on delivering an excellent product, so it seemed like something that fell through the cracks."

That observation was the impetus for Tempo Coffee, Davidson's new venture creating bespoke coffee brands and experiences for golf clubs, tournaments, resorts, and more.

Go-to-market: Davidson knew he needed credibility before pitching clubs directly, so he spent nearly a year building a relationship with the Carolinas PGA, which is headquartered in Greensboro. After working to provide coffee experiences for several events, Tempo recently became the official coffee solutions partner of the Carolinas PGA - a relationship that both validates the company’s approach and opens doors across the region.

Core offerings: B2B coffee solutions for golf clubs - think Quail Hollow or Myers Park Country Club having their own blend, complete with club branding and served or sold in the clubhouse/pro shop. Clubs can go simple with one signature blend or build out an entire coffee program with multiple offerings.

Davidson, who was trained in coffee by two national barista champions, will personally consult with clients to help craft a coffee solution that reflects the unique character and brand of the club. "There's multiple layers to how you create identity through coffee,” he said.

Tempo will also do tournament activations, such as custom tee gifts or mobile coffee units serving specialty drinks on the range before the Member-Guest. "Instead of giving somebody their 10th hat or 4th black polo, it’s a really neat way to keep it branded and unique, but also new and exciting," Davidson said.

The beans: Tempo partners with Charlotte's Night Swim Coffee for roasting, leveraging relationships Davidson has built during his eight years in the industry. "They’re giving me a lot of creative control to source directly from farms or taste multiple blends to be able to deliver something with a flavor profile that matches a club’s look and feel," he said.

My two cents: I think Daniel and team are on to something - both the private label/branded club coffees and the pre-tournament lattes seem like slam dunks. You’re telling me places like Pinehurst or Bandon Dunes wouldn’t love serving you their own coffee?! It just makes too much sense.

If you’re interested in seeing what Tempo Coffee can do for your course or club, hit up Daniel and team via their website or Instagram.

STORIES TO TRACK

Truist Championship Hospitality Sales Off to Strong Start: Many of the tournament’s high-end hospitality areas, including the open-air suites at 17/18 and the Green Mile Club at 16/17, are already sold out according to Sales Director Will Bardaglio. Encouraging signs for the event’s new sponsor, who swooped in when Wells Fargo balked at the $25MM a year price tag.

Boone Golf Club Redevelopment Faces Pushback: BGC’s ownership is angling for a rezoning and redevelopment of the existing facility that would see housing added to a portion of the property while retaining 9 holes, a short course, and an expanded driving range. The local community is voicing concerns, with one Boone City Council member saying this has been “far and away the most number of emails that I’ve received … on a single topic.”

• Fight the good fight: I get what ownership is doing here - trying to take some chips off the table while retaining some degree of access to public golf on the property - but I’m against this one on principle. The Boone area is already strapped for public golf options, and having a quality course this close to a thriving college town is an asset to precious to flush away for a few bucks.

• Get involved: Sign the petition

The Tree Farm Releases 2026 Masters Week Pricing: Like many Aiken-area clubs, The Tree Farm opens its doors to guest play in April. Rates for 2026 are $850 per player for golf and lunch, plus $140 caddie fee.

• Whoa!: That escalated quickly… Looks like they were charging $650 a head this past year and $550 in 2024. Good reminder of why so much golf is being built in Aiken right now, as Masters week provides a healthy subsidy for club operations the rest of the year.

Downbonnie is Now Candyroot Lodge, Shares Constructions Updates: News of an ambitious public golf project near the NC/SC border dropped earlier this year, but it appears the facility has a new name! Construction is underway on the Bluestem course, which will be the first built at the recently rebranded Candyroot Lodge. The course will be designed by Mike Koprowski, who has risen to prominence in recent years following his magnificent work co-designing Broomsedge Golf Club with Kyle Franz.

HOUSEKEEPING

No 2DP next week - we’re thankful for all our subscribers! We’ll be back with another newsletter the first week of December.

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