Atlanta Athletic Club

Atlanta Athletic Club
Club information
LocationJohns Creek, Georgia, U.S.
Established1898 (1904 for golf course)
TypePrivate
Total holes45
Events hosted
WebsiteAtlanta Athletic Club
Highlands Course
Designed byRobert Trent Jones, back 9
Joe Lee, front 9
Rees Jones (2006 & 2016 redesigned)
Par72
Length7,613 yards (6,961 m)
Course rating77.0
Riverside Course
Designed byRobert Trent Jones
Rees Jones (2003 redesign)
Tripp Davis (2022 redesigned)
Par71
Length7,152 yards (6,540 m)
Course rating76.2
Par 3 Course
Par27

Atlanta Athletic Club (AAC), founded in 1898, is a private country club in Johns Creek, Georgia, a suburb 23 miles north of Atlanta. The original home of the club was a 10-story building located on Carnegie Way, and in 1904 a golf course was built on Atlanta's East Lake property. In 1908, John Heisman (the Georgia Tech football coach for whom the Heisman Trophy was named) was hired as the AAC athletic director.

While it was downtown, its team placed third in the 1921 Amateur Athletic Union National Basketball Championship defeating Lowe and Campbell Athletic Goods 36–31 in the third place game.[1] At the time colleges, athletic clubs, and factory-sponsored clubs all competed in the same league.

It built 3 9-hole golf courses in 1967, in a then-unincorporated area of Fulton County that had a Duluth mailing address and would eventually become Johns Creek in 2006. In 1968, the AAC sold the East Lake property. The vacated East Lake site became East Lake Golf Club and was refurbished during the 1990s. It is now the home of The Tour Championship, the final event of the PGA Tour.

AAC hosted the 1950 U.S. Women's Amateur and 1963 Ryder Cup at East Lake, the 1976 U.S. Open, the 1981, 2001 and 2011 PGA Championships, and the 2021 KPMG PGA Women's Championship on its Highlands Course, and the 1990 U.S. Women's Open on its Riverside Course. The AAC used both of its current regulation courses to host the 2014 U.S. Amateur, with stroke-play qualifying on the Riverside and Highlands Courses and match play on the Highlands Course. The Riverside course, renovated by Rees Jones in 2002, was recognized among the top 10 new private courses in 2004 by Golf Digest. It as renovated again in 2022 by Tripp Davis.

AAC has hosted many non-golf events including the first two Southeastern Conference men's basketball tournaments in 1933 and 1934. In 1984 and 1985, AAC hosted the U.S. Open Badminton Championship. During the 1990s, AAC hosted the AT&T Challenge, Atlanta's ATP professional tennis stop.

AAC has two 18-hole golf courses, a fitness center, indoor and outdoor tennis, a par-3 course, Olympic-sized pool, as well as dining.

Famous members of AAC include golfers Bobby Jones, Charlie Yates, Alexa Stirling, Watts Gunn, Dot Kirby, and Tommy Barnes; tennis players Nat Thornton and Bitsy Grant; and basketball player Bob Kurland.

In the 2004 film Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius, many of the golf scenes were filmed at AAC.

Pictures

  • Statue of Bobby Jones at the entrance to Atlanta Athletic Club.
    Statue of Bobby Jones at the entrance to Atlanta Athletic Club.
  • The 15th green on the Highlands course.
    The 15th green on the Highlands course.
  • #17 on Highlands.
    #17 on Highlands.
  • Behind the 17th green on the Highlands course.
    Behind the 17th green on the Highlands course.
  • Back of the clubhouse from the practice putting green.
    Back of the clubhouse from the practice putting green.

Key dates

  • 1898 – First organizational meeting and granting of club charter
  • 1899 – Official opening of 56 Edgewood Avenue facility
  • 1902 – Move to new clubhouse at 37 Auburn Avenue
  • 1924 – Purchase of Carnegie Way property (10 story downtown club)
  • 1926 – Opening of Carnegie Way property
  • 1930 – Winning of Grand Slam by Bobby Jones Jr.
  • 1963 – Purchase of River Bend property in Duluth
  • 1967 – Opening of the new 27-hole golf course at River Bend
  • 1968 – Vote by stockholders to sell East Lake Country Club
  • 1969 – Selection of Atlanta Athletic Club Country Club as name for River Bend
  • 1971 – Decision to sell Carnegie Way town club
  • 1973 – Destruction of Carnegie Way town club
  • 2003 - Second redesign of Riverside, by Rees Jones
  • 2016 – Second redesign of Highlands, by Rees Jones
  • 2022 - Third redesign of Riverside, by Tripp Davis

Scorecards

Atlanta Athletic Club – Highlands Course
Tee Rating/Slope 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In Total
1976 U.S. Open -- / -- 455 450 460 205 540 440 175 420 415 3560 370 480 510 390 415 215 410 205 460 3455 7015
1981 PGA -- / -- 456 458 469 210 546 445 185 422 419 3610 374 470 510 390 415 215 410 213 463 3460 7070
2001 PGA -- / -- 430 471 469 204 541 425 183 463 416 3602 439 454 547 364 442 227 441 207 490 3511 7213
2011 PGA -- / -- 454 512 475 219 565 425 184 467 426 3727 442 457 551 372 468 260 476 207 507 3740 7467
Par U.S.Open & PGA 4 4 4 3 5 4 3 4 4 35 4 4 5 4 4 3 4 3 4 35 70
Champ 77.0 / 152 446 543 478 219 567 426 197 470 429 3775 436 457 555 391 468 260 485 210 576 3838 7613
Gold 75.9 / 149 442 540 475 194 548 425 183 446 426 3679 421 443 523 387 451 227 409 207 557 3625 7304
Blue 73.9 / 141 398 512 445 165 541 403 179 421 407 3471 405 421 495 364 413 204 373 186 528 3389 6860
Tournament 72.6 / 142 398 471 407 142 541 403 179 376 407 3324 379 393 474 364 365 204 373 154 528 3234 6558
White 71.3 / 134 368 471 407 142 501 370 162 376 372 3169 379 393 474 339 365 175 336 154 500 3115 6284
Green 68.8 / 127 324 448 363 128 469 330 135 349 351 2897 362 339 448 307 335 145 296 124 462 2818 5715
SI Men's 13 3 5 15 1 9 17 7 11 12 6 2 14 8 16 10 18 4
Par 4 5 4 3 5 4 3 4 4 36 4 4 5 4 4 3 4 3 5 36 72
SI Women's 9 3 7 15 1 13 17 5 11 6 8 2 12 10 18 14 16 4
Green 74.5 / 142 324 448 363 128 469 330 135 349 351 2897 362 339 448 307 335 145 296 124 462 2818 5715
Tournament 73.3 / 136 310 441 324 128 436 330 135 295 351 2750 353 339 389 292 323 145 296 124 397 2658 5408
Black 71.6 / 131 310 441 324 92 436 296 90 295 307 2591 353 318 389 292 323 103 266 103 397 2544 5135
Silver 70.1 / 129 310 399 289 92 405 296 90 253 273 2407 353 318 389 266 283 103 266 95 358 2431 4838


Atlanta Athletic Club – Riverside Course
Tee Rating/Slope 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In Total
Gold 74.9 / 141 602 444 168 398 584 197 481 215 488 3577 407 179 554 417 311 440 456 243 567 3574 7152
Blue 73.2 / 137 571 421 155 370 555 179 446 192 462 3351 384 165 529 403 389 430 440 217 544 3401 6752
Tournament
White 70.6 / 133 547 398 125 348 540 148 397 160 423 3086 362 141 499 370 276 409 390 181 508 3136 6222
Green 67.5 / 125 490 358 104 316 472 121 348 135 381 2722 330 115 454 319 249 369 340 153 445 2774 5496
SI Men's 5 4 3 4 5 3 4 3 4 35 4 3 5 4 4 4 3 5
Par 5 4 5 4 4 3 4 3 4 36 4 3 4 5 4 4 4 3 5 36 71
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Green 73.6 / 130 480 367 461 320 336 122 332 133 372 2923 322 113 370 418 301 346 317 154 449 2790 5713
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Black 64.9 / 122 450 295 80 260 424 102 325 122 338 2396 298 95 416 273 225 312 305 131 405 2460 4857

Major tournaments hosted

Year Tournament Course(s) Winner
1950 U.S. Women's Amateur East Lake Country Club Beverly Hanson
1963 Ryder Cup East Lake Country Club USA - Arnold Palmer
1976 U.S. Open Highlands Jerry Pate
1981 PGA Championship Highlands Larry Nelson
1990 U.S. Women's Open Riverside Betsy King
2001 PGA Championship Highlands David Toms
2011 PGA Championship Highlands Keegan Bradley
2014 U.S. Amateur Riverside (stroke play)
Highlands (stroke and match play)		 Gunn Yang
2017 Arnold Palmer Cup Highlands U.S. 19.5–11.5
2021 Women's PGA Championship Highlands Nelly Korda

References

  1. ^ Lowell & Campbell – nba.com – Retrieved September 11, 2009

34°00′14.40″N 84°11′34.96″W / 34.0040000°N 84.1930444°W / 34.0040000; -84.1930444