Welcome to the Two Down Press golf newsletter!

We’ve officially entered the post-Ryder Cup lull, but I think everyone - players and fans - needs a break after last weekend’s action. Watching golf can go on the back burner for a bit - it’s fall in the Carolinas after all, so go out and play some golf!

In this week’s newsletter, we’re launching a new series where we break down some of the best holes in the region to hone in on what makes them great. For our first installment, we’re taking a look at a beast of a par 3 that is equal parts visually stunning and fun to play despite a scoring average pushing 4.

We also have news from college golf, CGA and USGA events, and more reinstated Am drama (!) in this week’s newsletter, so enjoy the read and have a great weekend.

GREAT GOLF HOLES

Carolina Golf Club, Hole #3, 229/200 Yards

Why CGC’s 3rd is Among NC’s Best Par 3s

It’s hard not to notice - whether you’re walking to the range to warm up for your round or simply enjoying a drink on the soon-to-be-demolished patio, your eye is drawn to the brawny 1-shotter on your left. The 3rd hole at Carolina Golf Club, which serves as the entry point to the core section of the Donald Ross-designed course, is notable not only for its striking visual appeal, but for it’s endlessly interesting playing characteristics.

Memorability

You won’t have trouble remembering this hole when you get home. After exiting the isolated corner occupied by the 1st and 2nd holes, players are treated to a panoramic view of the property when they arrive at the 3rd tee. Here they come face to face with the scale of the CGC property, with the large green appearing small amidst the vast landscape.

The tee shot launches players down into a wide-open section of the course, but this wasn’t always the case! The old 3rd (pictured below) was certainly less beautiful than the current iteration - trees blocked the sweeping views, and the attractive fine fescue native areas, added during Kris Spence’s 2007 restoration project, weren’t there to provide visual contrast (not to mention the exposed power lines!).

In addition to opening up the area around the 3rd green, Spence’s work on the hole focused on recapturing the unique green complex and reinstating the original Ross bunkers, including the 40-yard long trench bunker cutting across the approach. The green can be categorized as a “volcano” template, a relatively rare Ross design trope that he also used at courses like Roaring Gap Club (#6) and Wilmington Municipal Golf Course (#4).

Simply put, from the setting to the design, you won’t find many other holes that look like the 3rd.

Challenge

Featuring a tilted green and playing over 200 yards from the most common tee markers, it may sound obvious to say this is a difficult golf hole, but it’s the type of challenge that makes it great.

The 3rd asks a lot of players, but it is not hard for hard’s sake. You probably aren’t going to lose a ball, and humble players content with making bogey can typically do so without too much fuss. The wide-open nature of the hole allows all players to employ their preferred shot shape and gives plenty of room to bail out, but makes picking a target difficult for those looking to play a precise approach.

This type of assessment - one that is stern for skilled players but accommodating for all skill levels, is one that all golf course architects strive to present.

Variety

…On a long par 3?! The tee shot is always a long iron or lumber, but the length of the shot and associated dispersion patterns provide for a wide array of potential recovery shots. Rough, tightly mown chipping areas, bunkers, and both the 4th and 16th tee boxes are all realistic locations for someone to be seen playing their 2nd shot.

The skills required to get up-and-down vary widely based on where you miss and the day’s pin location. High flops, low runners, bunker shots long and short, and putts from off the green are all commonly needed around the tricky green complex. The proper miss is also difficult to define - sometimes you want green to work with, others you’d actually prefer to be short-sided.

Short is commonly considered one of the worst places to be, as balls failing to reach the surface will roll back down into the large bunker, leaving players a blind, uphill bunker shot of ~25 yards. The greenside rough just over the bunker, however, is a bit more manageable.

Missing left is a lottery - depending on the pin and the lie you get in the rough or bunker, the resulting shot can seem doable or impossible.

Long is almost never the play on a Donald Ross course, but hitting it over the green leaves a friendly chip or putt to a back-left pin. A similar dynamic exists on the right, where landing in the chipping swale isn’t actually the worse result to a right pin, where you benefit from a marginal backstop.

It’s amazing how much fun a hole can be where almost everyone misses the green! It’s a testament to the unique and varied short game test the hole provides, which provides endless interest that only grows with repeat play.

TOURNAMENTS

LSU Clips Charlotte at Bryan Bros Collegiate

The 49ers put up a strong early-season showing against some top 25 competition and jumped out to a lead after round 1, but the SEC powerhouse eventually prevailed shooting double-digits under par in each round. The tournament, hosted by University of South Carolina and named after Gamecock alums George and Wesley Bryan, took place at Solina Golf Club earlier this week.

Host with the most: The Bryan Bros, along with a group of investors, purchased Indian River Golf Club outside of Columbia in 2023. Since completing a renovation and rebranding the facility to Solina Golf Club, the course has become a frequent host for USGA, Carolinas PGA, and now college golf events. Between Solina and Broomsedge up the road in Rembert, the Midlands of South Carolina now has multiple exciting tournament venues that seem eager to welcome competitive golf.

Final leaderboard: View full scoring

STORIES TO TRACK

Eli Kennedy and Brett Barry Lead After Day 1 at North Carolina Four-Ball: The Winston-Salem duo fired a 61 (-11) in round 1 at Forest Oaks Country Club to race out to a 2-shot lead. Barry won the Forsyth Championship earlier this year, while Kennedy finished 7th in the same event.

• Live scoring: Follow along

U.S. Four-Ball Qualifying Wraps Across Carolinas: 2 qualifiers for next May’s event at Desert Mountain Club in Arizona took place in September, and let’s just say the scoring was… pretty good. 63 (-9) got through at Dataw Island Club, while the cutline fell at 61 (-9) at Wilson Country Club. Sorry fellas - 8-under just isn’t going to cut it!

Former Alabama Phenom, PGA Tour Player Bobby Wyatt Wins 100th Crump Cup: Wyatt, who shot 57 in his high school state championship, played on the 2013 Walker Cup team, and was dubbed the can’t miss tour pro coming out of Alabama, regained his amateur status in 2021. After all the reinstatement discussion following the recent U.S. Mid-Amateur, this is another result in high-level Mid-Am golf that just doesn’t quite seem right!

• Our guys: Winston-Salem’s Dan Walters qualified for the Championship flight as the 7 seed, but lost his round of 16 match to eventual runner-up Bobby Massa. Former Charlotte City Am champ Chad Wilfong also qualified for match play.

• View full scoring

U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Begins Saturday at Monterey Peninsula Country Club: Awesome venue for the final USGA championship of the 2025 season. 9 Carolinians in the field, including former 2DP guests Emilia Doran and Colleen Shepard. Looking forward to tracking the scores this weekend!

HOUSEKEEPING

No 2DP next week - getting ahead of some travel plans that will almost certainly throw off the writing schedule. We’ll be back the week of 10/13 with another newsletter.

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