Welcome to the Two Down Press golf newsletter!

About 12 hours from sending this email, future-Me is going to be flipping on the Sony Open and watching the pros tee it up in Hawaii - what better time to dream about warmer weather and planning a golf trip!

Our Q&A series returns this week, as we recently connected with Jason and Josh Bryan for a wide-ranging chat about all things golf travel. We also have news from the local golf scene, as several prominent players were recognized this week for their 2025 accomplishments. That and more in this week’s newsletter, so let’s get to it…

P.S. - last call to complete our subscriber survey, which closes at the end of the week…

TWO DOWN PRESS Q&A

Jason Bryan is the founder of Avalon Journeys, a golf travel agency based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. With the support of his family, including son Josh, Bryan has been planning trips to leading golf destinations around the globe for over 20 years.

If you’re like me, you probably have a New Year’s resolution about visiting some new golf courses or planning that buddies trip you’ve been talking about for years. With the 2026 golf season fast approaching, I recently connected with Jason and Josh to discuss the world of golf travel, trends they’ve seen in recent years, their advice for trip planners, and destinations they are still hoping to see. This conversation has been edited for brevity and readability.

2DP: Let's start with the big picture. What's your take on the state of golf travel right now?

Josh: From a macro level, the golf travel industry has never seen more demand - it's in an extremely healthy place. The supply of destinations is also growing, with golf course construction continuing to see high levels of activity. While growth on the supply side won’t last forever, I think that the strong demand for trips we’re seeing today will continue.

In terms of where we’re seeing demand, there has been significant growth in interest in travelling to the UK. With more and more people making the trip across the pond, we’re seeing a lot of the "quirky" or “hidden” courses becoming more and more popular, primarily driven by social media and the sheer number of visitors.

2DP: How much has the booking timeline changed? When did that shift happen?

Jason: It’s probably shifted a good 6 months in terms of overall lead time - if you are sitting there today thinking about wanting to play Bandon Dunes next summer (2027), it’s too late. Things really changed post-COVID with all the pent-up travel demand that exploded.

Another big change in recent times is that there are so many lotteries for the top courses that used to be easier to access, both domestically and overseas. It's become a standard part of the booking process at the very top courses.

Josh: You used to need to book a year out for the really top courses, but you could book most others 6 months out and still be messing with your itinerary up until your trip. Nowadays, even courses like Crail and Elie - quirkier, less well-known courses - are slammed. They've got a 4:30 tee time on a Tuesday afternoon next August and that's it. It's all just moving down market with demand piling up.

Courses like North Berwick used to be pretty easy to book and cost $150. You now need to book them a year-and-a-half out and they’ll cost you $300-$500. It’s a totally different ballgame.

2DP: What are people prioritizing when it comes to trips these days? What types of trips are rising or falling in popularity?

Jason: There are so many new interesting destinations out there that have opened in the last 5 to 10 years. A lot of traditional venues that may have been on someone's list a couple decades ago have really fallen off in interest - they're just not as trendy.

The demand overseas continues to be super strong. These used to be once-in-a-lifetime, bucket list trips, but now I think people are coming back for more. People are doing 2, 3, 4 trips to Scotland - once they do it once, it whets the appetite. It's such a memorable golf experience that you want to get home and plan the next one.

Josh: I agree - more people are talking about going to the UK as opposed to the big destinations domestically. It’s the combination of ease of travel, increased flights, and social media - there's just a lot more content around these places available to potential visitors today. Also, some of the top U.S. destinations have become absurdly priced. You can almost do a UK trip for the cost of a 4-5 day trip to Pebble Beach or Whistling Straits, and the culture and off-course experience is so much more interesting.

2DP: If someone is planning a trip in today's market - especially using a travel agent - what advice would you give them?

Josh: Besides booking early, I'd say pick a region or area and go deep instead of trying to play every top course. For the UK in particular, sticking with one area means you get to see the unique and quirky courses that really make the region what it is - not just what you see on TV when the Open comes around.

You also don't have to change hotels as much, which is a real plus. When you're seeing all these amazing courses and moving hotels every night, it's sensory overload. You get to the end of the week and you're like, "Wow, that was all a blur and I'm exhausted." If you stay in an area, it becomes more familiar as the week goes on, and you can really relax, meet some people in the area, and maybe go to the same coffee shop or pub a couple times. You get to unwind and feel at home while you're there.

Jason: If you are going on a first time trip and have a list in your mind of places you definitely don't want to miss, just realize that takes more effort and logistics. In that case, I’d recommend making the trip as turnkey as possible - let us handle your drivers, hotels, caddies, dinner reservations, and any curveballs that come up. That way you can simply enjoy the experience and focus on spending time with the people on your trip.

Josh: My other tip - if you’re considering planning a trip, just book it. It's gotten so hard and you have to plan so far in advance that if you've got buddies who are interested, you just need to act quickly and decisively. If you don’t, your trip will never make it out of the group chat.

It's hard to wrap your head around planning a trip 18-24 months out, and obviously life can change during that time period, but more times than not you end up being happy you planned it as opposed to wishing you were there in the middle of a brutal August in North Carolina.

2DP: Looking ahead, what destinations are you most excited about visiting that you haven't been to yet?

Josh: Number 1 internationally is Australia and New Zealand. That's been at the top of my bucket list for the last 5+ years since watching Tiger captain the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne. On top of that, there's been a ton of interesting new development in New Zealand and Tasmania, like Seven Mile Beach and Te Arai. My wife and I are loosely planning to go in January 2027 - we keep pushing it back, but I’m trying to speak it into existence.

Domestically, I really want to go to the Cascades course at the Omni Homestead in Virginia. It's the furthest south William Flynn-designed golf course and I've heard it's wildly underrated. With the U.S. Open coming up at Shinnecock - the more well-known William Flynn design - 2026 might be the year to go.

Jason: 2 things on my radar are the new Bandon Dunes-owned projects - Rodeo Dunes just outside of Denver and Wild Spring Dunes in Texas. Everything [the Keisers] touch turns to gold. There's also a new Tom Doak called Old Petty opening this summer at Cabot Highlands (fka Castle Stuart) and a course up in Northern Ireland called St. Patrick's Links that opened 2-3 years ago. There's no limit to the number of interesting experiences out there.

PRESENTED BY AVALON JOURNEYS

Avalon Journeys is a Chapel Hill-based golf travel agency with 20+ years of experience planning trips both domestically and abroad. Founder Jason Bryan is passionate about helping bring people together and making each journey seamless, memorable, and uniquely yours.

Ready to plan your next trip with a partner based here in North Carolina? Reach out today to start the process.

LOCAL BEAT

3 Charlotte-area players were honored earlier this week by the CGA as Player of the Year in their respective categories - Emilia Doran, Joe Jaspers, and Dr. James Pearson.

Emilia Doran, former Wake Forest standout and 2DP Q&A guest, successfully managed to balance a full-time broadcasting career with competitive golf, registering strong performances at both the national and local level. She made match play at both the U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, won the Donna Andrews Invitational, and finished 2nd in the Carolinas Women’s Four-Ball with partner Colleen Shepard.

6-time Charlotte City Amateur champion Joe Jaspers took home Senior Player of the Year honors, having made match play at the U.S. Senior Amateur, qualified for the U.S. Senior Open, and logged several strong performance in CGA events, including winning the North Carolina Senior Four-Ball with partner Jim Aughtry.

In the Men’s Super Senior category (65+), Dr. James Pearson ended the year with a significant lead in the points standings. Pearson finished top 10 in both the Carolinas and North Carolina Senior Amateur championships, qualified for the U.S. Senior Amateur, and won the South Carolina Senior Open.

Congratulations to all the winners and check out the CGA rankings page for more details.

STORIES TO TRACK

Inaugural Junior Development Program Teams Announced for North and South Carolina: Team North Carolina and Team South Carolina are among 30 state teams recently launched as part of the expanding U.S. National Development Program. These teams ladder up to the National Junior Team, which was created in 2024 as the USGA looked to emulate successful development programs in other counties.

Carolinas Mid-Am Registration Opens Next Week: The 2026 Carolinas Mid-Amateur will take place April 16th-18th at Broomsedge Golf Club. Registration opens next Tuesday, January 20th at 8 PM, with Charlotte-area qualifiers taking place March 17th at Carolina Lakes and April 8th at Highland Creek.

HOUSEKEEPING

Last call to participate in our annual subscriber survey. The survey will close by Monday, January 19th, so please take this chance to share your feedback if you haven’t already! Thanks to the 35+ subscribers who have participated so far. Can we get to 50?!

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