CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Golf is bringing in big business to the Carolinas.
The Queen City is getting ready to host the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club in just a few weeks. The course hosted the Presidents Cup last fall, which brought an estimated $175 million to the area.
Just across the border, South Carolina is getting a prestigious worldwide honor for its golf courses also. It's a hole-in-one for a local start-up caught in the middle of a golf renaissance in both states.
When North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper attended the Presidents Cup in 2021, his office cited a 2017 study claiming golf brings in $4.2 billion and 53,000 jobs to North Carolina's economy. The study also found that visitors will spend another $1.1 billion off of the course.
The off-course spending is the market that Beach Putt founder Anthony Garofalo is trying to corner.
"By accident one day, I was fooling around grabbing something out of a beach bag when a golf ball came rolling out", said Garofalo, sharing how Beach Putt came to life.
It's his passion as he looks to expand his company. In one of the best golf economies anywhere in the world, Garofalo says Beach Putt is perfectly positioned to take off.
"It is the perfect spot," he said of the region. "We have a lot of amazing courses here in North Carolina and South Carolina."
Contact Colin Mayfield at cmayfield@wcnc.com or follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.