East Lake Golf Golf Club – Played March 2022
- Rankings: Golf Magazine #63
- Location: 2575 Alston Drive SE, Atlanta, Georgia
- Year: 1904
- Original Architects: Tom Bendelow & Donald Ross
- Additional Work By: George Cobb, Greg Muirhead, & Rees Jones
- Course Access: Private
- Walking Rules: Caddies Available
Score Card Information:
- Black: 6,920 yards, Par 72, 74.0 Rating/137 Slope
- Blue: 6,501 yards, Par 72, 72.2 Rating/132 Slope
- Combo: 6,328 yards, Par 72, 71.1 Rating/130 Slope
- Green: 6,006 yards, Par 72, 69.1 Rating/125 Slope (Men’s), 75.1 Rating/138 Slope (Women’s)
- Gold: 5,205 yards, Par 72, 66.0 Rating/121 Slope (Men’s), 72.0 Rating/131 Slope (Women’s)
East Lake Golf Club holds a firm position in the history of American golf. It was the childhood golf home of Bobby Jones, the game’s greatest amateur.
The club also hosted the 1950 US Women’s Amateur, 1963 Ryder Cup, and since 2005 the Tour Championship. The competitive golf history at East Lake Golf Club is rich, but the larger story of the club is more interesting.
I won’t get into it all here, but I suggest checking it out more at the club’s website. The neighborhood’s lifecycle is both sad and inspiring. When I visited this past March, the area seemed to be thriving.
We got a bluebird day to see the course. Getting to play in March meant that the rough is still in it’s dormancy and not nearly as punishing. I thought this made the day more enjoyable. Don’t fret though, East Lake Golf Club is still plenty difficult and you’ll soon see why.
Hole 1 – 493 yards – Par 5
The opener is not overly long, but the out of bounds down the left is certainly in play. Once you get to the green, however, you see the real challenge. Devilishly fast putting surfaces keep you on edge all day.
Hole 2 – 170 yards – Par 3
On the second hole you are greeted with some Bobby Jones history. Two holes in ones with the same club!
The hole is made more difficult by the uphill slope. Missing anywhere but short makes for a hard par.
Hole 3 – 369 yards – Par 4
At this length, all you need is something in the fairway to attack the green.
Good drives should leave a short club into the green. Be careful not to go above the hole or over the green.
Hole 4 – 366 yards – Par 4
This hole is even more uphill than it looks. Even so, a good drive should have you in a decent position to approach the green.
Hole 5 – 403 yards – Par 4
Keep your ball on a string on this dead straight downhiller. Otherwise you’ll need tricky recovery shots.
In the photo below you get a good sense to the green contouring and the grain.
Hole 6 – 471 yards – Par 5
Nothing is hidden on this tee box. The entire hole unfolds before you as it curves to the right and rises all the way to the green.
Putts from above this hole are truly terrifying.
Hole 7 – 418 yards – Par 4
This is another straightaway downhill test. Unlike five, the trees are more substantial on each side.
Going over the green is almost a certain bogey or worse.
Hole 8 – 373 yards – Par 4
Left misses will punish you on this hole. There is ample room to bail to the right if you want.
This used to be the 17th for the Tour Championship. It was the site where Bill Haas hit his famous shot from the hazard in 2011 during the playoff. He went on to win the tournament and the FedEx Cup.
Imagine making par from the water on the other side of this green.
Hole 9 – 207 yards – Par 3
The second par three used to be the finisher before the club flipped the nines. Coming into this green with a long club can be a challenge. You need to be below the hole to not have a defensive putt.
Hole 10 – 394 yards – Par 4
I missed getting a tee shot photo, but the fairway is wide and it plays downhill. The approach plays to this elevated green where misses most likely will end in the sand.
Hole 11 – 164 yards – Par 3
As someone who misses left the majority of the time, I was keeping an eye on the tee box you can see. Funny enough, the group behind us had to yell fore at us when we got to that tee.
Hole 12 – 372 yards – Par 4
If you can manufacture a fade on this tee that certainly helps. You can see the green in the distance.
This putting surface is one of the flatter ones on the course.
Hole 13 – 387 yards – Par 4
The test on this hole comes on the approach to an elevated green. As such, pushing your drive as far down the fairway as you can will serve to lessen the difficulty of the approach shot.
Hole 14 – 526 yards – Par 5
This long hole bends to the right and drops quite a bit downhill. If you can get your drive far enough, it will take the slope and shorten the hole greatly.
If you couldn’t get home in two, like me, the approach is still a green light.
Hole 15 – 150 yards – Par 3
This tee shot is much easier from this tee than where the pros play. Theirs is a much longer carry over water.
There is a large back section of this green that makes for tough pin positions.
Hole 16 – 365 yards – Par 4
The club had some construction work going on for this hole. You want to fit your drive up the right side for the best angle. The left side is fine, but it forces you to be more precise with your approach.
Being in the proper section of the green is crucial with all this slope.
Hole 17 – 322 yards – Par 4
For us, this hole was quite interesting. If you challenge the tree on the left you could have a very short second shot. A sensible play up the right with less than driver also worked well.
Either way, you need to be good with your distance control into this green.
Hole 18 – 551 yards – Par 5
This tee shot goads you into swinging hard. The pros easily get down the hill and have mid irons into the green. Not so for me as I played up the left side and down the tenth hole.
The nontraditional route.
The green is pushed up slightly but you have options with short grass sections around it.
I found East Lake Golf Club to be quite playable and fun. It might not be an architectural stalwart like some of the top echelon courses and it has certainly been derided in architecture circles. Personally, I think that’s a bit unfair. Some holes on the front can get a bit repetitive, but the good holes are very good and the back nine is wonderful. Don’t turn down an invite to play under any circumstances.