Welcome to the Two Down Press golf newsletter!

My favorite major championship tends to be whichever event took place most recently (OK, maybe that doesn’t happen for the PGA…), but you just can’t beat Open Championship week. Today’s newsletter has been fueled by early morning coverage and a fresh cup of Counter Culture - tough combo to top!

In today’s 2DP, we have news from the Queen City Golf Club, a fast-growing group of local golfers looking to make the game fun and accessible for all comers. We also have a local story developing at the U.S. Junior Girls’ Championship in Durham, a quick recap of last week’s Carolinas Amateur, and updates on aeration schedules at local courses.

Don’t forget to register for the Twilight Open on Tuesday, August 4th! More information below.

THIS WEEK’S HEADLINE

David Kalwarovski wasn't trying to build a golf club. He was just trying to play more golf.

4 years ago, he'd picked up the game after his knees told him basketball was no longer an option. "What can I do that's athletic that I can play into my old age," he asked himself as he looked for a new sporting pursuit. After deciding on golf, he quickly ran into the same wall a lot of us hit in our late 20s and 30s: all of his friends were married, had kids, or had schedules that made planning golf feel impossible. He wasn't playing as much as he wanted to, and when he did get out, it was often with strangers on a random tee time, which came with its own beginner anxiety. So, he posted on Reddit.

"I'm looking for people to golf with. I'm going to start a little Discord," he told the r/Charlotte subreddit. From there, things just started happening.

The first year didn't exactly scream future golf empire. Only 20 to 30 people showed up and participated. but the energy was real - friendships were forming and the group kept expanding. Then, as Kalwarovski describes it, it "broke containment."

Today, Queen City Golf Club is a 700-person Discord community that sees near-constant activity. When one of the OG members of QCGC threw out the idea of a group trip to Tot Hill Farm last year, 28 spots filled in under 30 minutes. The group’s main value proposition - its approach to making it easier to get a tee time - is refreshingly simple: someone books a tee time, posts it in the announcements channel with however many open spots they have, and other members RSVP. No group texts, no polling people's schedules, no coordinating.

"You don't have to go searching or coordinate schedules," he said. "Just call the pro shop, book the tee time you want, post in the Discord, and people will join."

The results have gone well beyond golf. Members of QCGC have developed lifelong friendships with folks they met through the club. Members have attended each other’s weddings, joined up for a 40th birthday trip to Arcadia Bluffs, planned day trips to places like Pinehurst, and, this past June, filled the field for a 144-player scramble that took over all of Rocky River Golf Club.

QCGC is an extremely diverse set of golfers, but the group focuses on being accessible and catering to those newer to the game. By Kalwarovski’s rough breakdown, about 15% carry a handicap between 0 and 10, roughly 40% fall in the 10-to-19 range, and another sizable chunk sits at 20-plus - a fairly even split across the board. Members can tag themselves with a handicap role in the Discord, partly so advice in the club's "Help my Swing" channel comes with some context.

Membership and access to the Discord are, and will remain, completely free. "We're never, ever going to charge for access," he said. "That is the antithesis of what we're about." Members can pay for access to events and merch but aren’t charged any annual dues or other fees. Kalwarovski is open about the fact that Queen City Golf Club is registered as an LLC and is trademarked, but he's deliberately not chasing profit. Merch stays reasonably priced by design, even when people push him toward pricier options. "I grew up in a farm town," he said, "so spending $100 on one piece of merch just kind of drives me crazy."

As QCGC continues to grow, Kalwarovski and other members are constantly looking for new ways to engage the expanding community. The current roadmap includes hosting clinics and organizing more handicap tournaments, while additional future events could include a 6-month league competition, pop-up simulator events at local breweries, and an adult Drive, Chip, and Putt competition complete with live music and food trucks.

The bigger goal is one Kalwarovski keeps returning to: putting on events that feel different from a typical golf tournament and give people who've never played competitive golf a chance to try it out in a low-pressure way. "Let's get the 28 handicaps out," he said. "Let's do something for the people who just are weekend hackers."

For Kalwarovski, the appeal was never really about golf for golf’s sake. "There's just a loneliness epidemic," he said. "I think this is a good route for people who have a hobby to connect with people and get a brand-new group of friends."

Live in Charlotte and curious to learn more about QCGC? Head to QueenCityGolfClub.com and jump into the Discord - it’s free, and it always will be.

PRESENTED BY TWILIGHT GOLF CLUB

The 7th Annual Twilight Open will take place on Tuesday, August 4th at Reynolds Park Golf Course in Winston-Salem! The Twilight Open is TGC’s signature event and annually attracts 120+ players for an evening of casual golf (pick your group and starting hole, play in groups of 8+), food, and fellowship.

The event begins at 5:30 PM and runs until dark, with putting, par 3, and long drive contests beginning as the sun starts to set. $60 to participate, with proceeds going to support the First Tee - Triad chapter. The Twilight Open raised $10,000 for the First Tee at last year’s event - will 2026 top that goal?!

Register here and join us for what should be another awesome night.

TOURNAMENTS

Hannant, who is currently ranked 1,371th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, took down #3 seed Anna Iwanaga of Japan in the round of 16 to secure a spot in the final 8. Hannant’s quarterfinal match against Missouri’s Anna Bell gets going this morning at 8 AM at Old Chatham Golf Club in Durham, the private Rees Jones joint that also hosted the 2019 U.S. Senior Amateur.

Despite Hannant’s World Ranking, she is no stranger to junior golf appreciators in the Carolinas. She popped up on the 2DP radar when she finished runner-up to Elizabeth Rudisill at the recent Carolinas Women’s Amateur at Grandfather Golf & Country Club, and anyone who saw the CGA’s reel of her warmup routine will instantly see that she has a great move.

Follow live scoring here as the only Carolinian left in the field tries to get it done on the biggest stage!

STORIES TO TRACK

BJ Boyce Shoots Final Round 63 to Win Carolinas Amateur: What a charge from the rising senior at UNC Greensboro! His 9-under par round matched the competitive course record at the Governors Club and saw him come from 5 shots back to claim one of the most prestigious trophies in Carolinas golf. Local rooting interest Aston Lee’s final round 71 wasn’t enough to hold off Boyce, while 54-hole leader Tanner Cadieux slipped on Friday with a score of 76.

QCGC Shares Local Course Aeration Updates: More QCGC love today, but I loved their Instagram post earlier this week with intel on aeration schedules at local courses. They contacted 26 Charlotte-area courses and put together a tracker to tell who when courses punched and when they should be fully recovered. Great resource for those seeking a weekend tee time and a smooth roll.

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