Welcome to the Two Down Press golf newsletter!

We’re back with another 2DP! Charlotte City Amateur qualifying wrapped up this week and yours truly was in the field, so you KNOW we’re going to be recapping the event and looking forward to our favorite tournament of the year.

We also have a couple local golf business stories in this week’s newsletter, as investment in the sport continues to be at an all-time high. Throw in a busy week on the CGA calendar with both the Women’s and Men’s North Carolina Amateur Championships taking place, and we have a full slate for this Friday newsletter. Read it all below and have a great weekend!

THIS WEEK’S HEADLINE

The field is set for the 2026 Charlotte City Amateur after Tuesday’s qualifier! 34 players earned spots in the field with scores of 75 (+4) or better and will be teeing it up at Pine Lake Country Club for the opening round of the tournament on August 14th.

The story of the day was former University of Cincinnati golfer Paul Huber, who blitzed the field with a 65 (-6) to earn medalist honors. I was fortunate to be paired with him and to have a front row seat for this ball striking exhibition.

Huber, a former member at Pine Island Country Club, made 7 birdies and only a single bogey on the day as he effortlessly dissected the familiar layout. He had his driver on a string, frequently cutting corners on doglegs and taking aggressive routes to the hole to set up wedge-length approaches. Every tee shot came out of the same window - perfect trajectory, tight draw, center cut. It was simply one of the best ball striking rounds I’ve ever witnessed up close, and it was paired with solid putting and some great short game shots when required.

Finishing closely behind Huber were Nick Karageorgos (67, -4) and Christian Cichan (68, -3). View full scoring here (GGID KFN25K).

Conditions, or lack thereof: Having played in this event and talked to several folks who competed in the first Pine Island qualifier a couple weeks ago, I’m pretty confident in saying that the conditions this week were significantly easier. The scoring would agree with me, as the cutline fell a shot lower in qualifier #2 and looked like it could get to 74 (+3) for a minute there. Slightly slower green speeds (attributed to bent grass in the early June heat) and friendlier pins combined with very light wind and comfortable temperatures led to a much more gettable PICC.

Announcement time: Long-time readers will know that my personal golf rarely gets a mention in this publication, but I’m excited to say that I successfully qualified for the Charlotte City Amateur earlier this week! It was a bit nervy down the stretch, but I’m thrilled to have gotten through and to have the opportunity to compete in my favorite event.

Better still, Two Down Press is partnering with the Charlotte City Amateur to provide expanded coverage of this year’s tournament. We will be onsite each day bringing you photography, video content, and, of course, a daily newsletter recapping the action. If you’re already subscribed to 2DP, you’ll find more information here as we get closer to the tournament but make sure you follow the Charlotte City Am account on Instagram for the full experience!

PRESENTED BY TWILIGHT GOLF CLUB

TGC is a CGA member club that supports equitable access to golf in North Carolina. With an active chapter in Charlotte, it’s a great way to meet other passionate golfers in town and play some competitive golf in a casual setting. Annual dues are $60 per year giving members access to:

Want to get involved? Visit the website for more details.

GOLF BIZ

Palisades Country Club, which sits on Lake Wylie on the South Carolina border, was acquired by Virginia-based Heritage Golf Group, a golf management company that owns 48 private clubs across the United States. "We are excited to welcome The Palisades Country Club into the Heritage Golf Group family and to establish our presence in the Charlotte market," Heritage Golf Group executive vice president of operations Mark Gore said. Other clubs owned by Heritage in the Carolinas include Cape Fear National, Brunswick Plantation, and Grande Dunes Members Club.

No word yet on what Heritage intends to do with the club or its Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, but the company’s website advertises its willingness to invest in capital projects and provide members with reciprocal privileges across its network.

Wheeling and dealing: Private club M&A is actually kind of hot right now, as Invited Clubs, the largest private golf course operator in the U.S., just sold to PE firm KSL Capital Partners in a $3 billion deal. While I don’t love the concept of a country club run for a profit, I can see why investors are interested if I put on my cynical capitalist hat. Predictable revenue, massive market tailwinds, yada yada…

STORIES TO TRACK

Gleezy Dog Closes Seed Funding Round Led by Old Tom Capital: The Charlotte-based hot dog brand announced a $2 million funding round on LinkedIn earlier this week. Initially founded by Bryce Rech to solve the problem of mediocre hot dogs at high-end golf courses, Gleezy has now sold 1.5 million double-smoked brisket dogs across 45 states. Old Tom Capital, a golf-focused investment fund that also has investments in companies like Grass League and Blue Jeans Golf, led the round.

North Carolina Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships Make for Busy CGA Week: On the Women’s side, Jenna Kim of Raleigh made birdie at the last to cap off a final round 70 (-2) to secure a 3-shot victory at Statesville Country Club. The Men’s event concludes Saturday at Bermuda Run Country Club outside of Winston-Salem, with Stephen Eastman holding a 2-shot lead heading into round 3 over Charlotte Catholic alum Will Guthrie.

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