East Lake Golf Club

Established in 1904, East Lake Golf Club is Atlanta's oldest golf course and the historic home of Bobby Jones, who grew up playing the course as a boy. The original layout was designed by Tom Bendelow, then completely reworked by Donald Ross in 1913. Ross also designed a second course that opened in 1930.

East Lake hosted the 1963 Ryder Cup and the 1950 U.S. Women's Amateur, but by the 1980s the course and surrounding neighborhood had fallen into severe decline. In 1993, developer Tom Cousins purchased the club and launched a transformative revitalization. Rees Jones restored Donald Ross's original design in 1994, and the East Lake Foundation was created to uplift the surrounding community.

Since 1998, East Lake has been the permanent home of the TOUR Championship, the season-ending event that crowns the FedExCup champion. The course has hosted legends from Tiger Woods to Rory McIlroy in dramatic finales.

East Lake is a classic Donald Ross parkland course set among rolling terrain and mature hardwoods in Atlanta. The layout stretches to 7,346 yards from championship tees and features Ross's trademark crowned greens, strategic bunkering, and natural terrain contours.

The course has a distinctly old-school feel with tree-lined fairways, gentle doglegs, and greens demanding precise iron play. Water comes into play on several holes, and the atmosphere is steeped in Bobby Jones history.

Ross's crowned greens are the key defensive feature. Approach shots must be precise, as anything missing the green rolls off the convex surfaces into collection areas. Aim for green centers rather than chasing pins on edges.

The course rewards patience and course management. The par 4s are long and demanding, so making pars there and capitalizing on birdie opportunities at the par 5s is the formula for success.