Welcome to the Two Down Press golf newsletter!

We have a big week of private club news in today’s newsletter! As one of the oldest clubs in town prepares to reopen, rumors are percolating about a new kid on the block South of town. We also have updates on last week’s U.S. Mid-Amateur, where 2 locals made a splash only to be ousted by the same competitor. Enjoy this Friday edition of 2DP and if you’re enjoying what we do around here, be sure to click that forward button!

THIS WEEK’S HEADLINE

News broke last week of a new private club project down in South Charlotte, the details of which are still sparse and only discoverable by seasoned internet sleuths. The highlights, which were shared on Instagram by Bethpage Black Metal (great follow by the way), include a Gil Hanse-designed golf course called “The Trail,” a rudimentary routing plan, and an estimated location in Indian Trail near courses like Emerald Lake and Charlotte National.

Union County zoning documents originally revealed that the project was being developed by Long Road Partners LLC, a company whose only listed officer is Madison Capital Group Founder & CEO Ryan Hanks. Hanks himself cleared up any speculation by commenting on BBM’s post, confirming his involvement as well as that of Hanse.

Hanks, Hanse, and Hanse’s design partner Jim Wagner previously worked together at High Grove, a high-end private club in Venus, Florida routed through an old citrus farm. Per Hanks’ comment on Instagram, his goal with The Trail is to “build High Grove 2.0 in Charlotte,” which will have “absolutely no housing” and will be a “pure golf club.”

In an interview with Golf Digest, Hanse called High Grove, which opened in 2025, “one of the most interesting and unique properties we have seen throughout our travels around the world.” While I haven’t laid eyes the site in Union County, it’s unlikely to have quite the same natural characteristics, which will require Hanse and Wagner to flash their creativity in order to build something truly great.

Online speculation is that The Trail will have a small membership and a big price tag, which is no surprise given the land acquisition and development costs for a site just outside the 485 beltway. Regardless, it’s fun and interesting to have a Gil Hanse project so close to home, so we’ll stay on the story and continue bringing you all the latest as this one develops.

PRESENTED BY TWILIGHT GOLF CLUB

The Twilight Golf Club tournament calendar culminates each fall with the Club Championship at Holly Ridge Golf Links. This 27-hole event starts with a series of flighted 9-hole matches before flight winners square off in a 3-hole aggregate playoff for all the marbles.

Defending champion Andrew Furr and 63 other members are set to compete for the title on October 15th. We can’t wait for another amazing day of fall golf!

Want to learn more about TGC events? Visit the website for more details.

TOURNAMENTS

Full Scoring

Cedarwood’s John Eades and Longview’s Matt Schall, former University of Maryland teammates and U.S. Four-Ball partners, both had strong showings in this past week’s U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at Sand Valley. Both players comfortably qualified for match play and logged victories against a couple notable names.

Schall shot +1 in stroke play qualifying to lock up the 35-seed for the match play portion. His reward was a matchup against Justin Hueber, a recently reinstated amateur who made the Quarterfinals of his first U.S. Mid-Am in 2025. Despite falling behind his big-name opponent early, Schall played holes 8-16 in -3 to take a commanding lead and win the match 4 and 2. A win in his second match would have set up a Round of 16 contest against Eades, but Schall ended up getting knocked out in the Round of 32 by eventual champion Andrew Bailey of Ohio.

Eades finished the stroke play portion at -1, earning the 19 seed in the 64-man bracket. After beating Charleston’s Josh Fickes in his first match, Eades took down the reigning Canadian Mid-Am champion Garrett Rank in 19 holes. In the Round of 16, Eades also came up against Bailey in what was the second round of a 36-hole day. Despite losing the match 4 and 3, he clearly displayed that he belongs on the national stage with his stroke play performance and win against Rank.

Congratulations to both John and Matt for representing Charlotte golf well and balling out on the national stage!

STORIES TO TRACK

Charlotte Country Club Nears Reopening Date: CCC hosted Golf Night earlier this week, where architect Andrew Green and other members of the golf staff presented to the membership about the newly restored Donald Ross course. The club posted a great flyover of the 6th hole narrated by Green (account is private, try telling them you’re a 2DP subscriber!), while Oak Stump Strategy, a local marketing firm that has been helping document the project, released some great stills of the construction process and the finished product.

Local Architect Zinkand Builds “The Scurry” at Chechessee Creek: Zinkand, who is based in Charlotte and previously worked for Coore & Crenshaw, designed the new 12-hole course at the lowcountry destination club. The Scurry features par 3s, short par 4s, and some beautiful bunker shaping. Cool to see a Charlotte-based architect getting some original design work in a world where new-build projects are hard to come by!

Carolinas Golf Magazine Releases Fall 2026 Edition: Stories include profiles on a couple turf industry leaders in the Carolinas, Peter Millar and Johnnie-O founder Chris Knott, and a Pinehurst local building and restoring hickory golf clubs. As always, the publication comes complete with beautiful photography from members of the Carolinas Golf Collective.

QUICK LINKS

Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe for free below for news and perspectives on golf in Charlotte and across the Carolinas.

New to 2DP? Check out the full newsletter archive on our website.

Want to partner with or sponsor 2DP? Reach out.

Do you have recommendations for future newsletter content? Send them our way.