East Lake Golf Club
The home course of Bobby Jones, East Lake is a Donald Ross design that opened in 1915 and was restored to the Ross plan by Andrew Green in 2024, now a par 71 of about 7,455 yards. The permanent host of the TOUR Championship and one of the most historic clubs in America.
Photo via Google, contributed by John Hackbarth.
The verdict
East Lake is hallowed ground in American golf. It was the home course of Bobby Jones, the greatest amateur the game has known, who learned to play here as a boy and won the first and last of his major titles in the East Lake colors. The course took its modern Donald Ross form in 1915, and after decades of decline the surrounding neighborhood and the club were famously revived through the East Lake Foundation, whose work the club's profits still support.
Our verdict: this is a course where history is the headline, but the golf earns its place too. Andrew Green's 2024 restoration to the Ross plan stripped out trees, widened fairways and restored the downhill 14th to its original par 5, sharpening the test for the PGA Tour's season ending TOUR Championship. For the wider region, see our guide to golf in Georgia.
East Lake Golf Club at a glance
- Opened
- 1915
- Designer
- Donald Ross
- Restored
- Andrew Green 2024
- Par
- 71
- Yardage
- About 7,455 yds
- Host event
- TOUR Championship
Designer, opening year, restoration and tournament setup verified June 2026 from East Lake Golf Club and PGA Tour records: a Donald Ross design opened in 1915, restored to the Ross plan by Andrew Green in 2024, playing a par 71 of about 7,455 yards for the TOUR Championship, with the 14th returned to a par 5. East Lake is a private club with no public daily fee play, so there is no published visitor green fee; access is by member invitation. Always confirm details directly.
The holes worth the trip
The most distinctive feature at East Lake is the finish. Unusually, the course ends on a par 3, the long 18th playing across the lake to a green beneath the clubhouse, a dramatic and demanding closing hole that has decided more than one TOUR Championship. The lake and the Donald Ross green sites are the constant defenses, and Andrew Green's restoration brought back the width, the angles and the firm, contoured putting surfaces the original design intended.
The 2024 work removed a great many trees, added fairway and reintroduced more sand and water, returning a strategic variety that decades of growth had muffled. The downhill 14th, restored to a par 5, and the testing par 4s give the course its modern bite, while the routing around the lake keeps the Atlanta skyline and the club's deep history always in view. It plays firmer and more interesting than it has in a generation.
On a Georgia golf trip East Lake is the historic anchor in Atlanta, and it pairs with the game's ultimate wishlist course nearby at Augusta National and with the coastal resort golf of the Sea Island Plantation Course on the Georgia coast.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | A private club whose profits support the East Lake Foundation; there is no public daily fee play, and the practical route for a visitor is to play as the guest of a member |
| Green fee | No published visitor green fee; guest play is arranged through a member, so confirm any fee and policy directly |
| The TOUR Championship | The season ending FedExCup finale is held here each year, and attending as a spectator is the most accessible way to see the course |
| On the day | Note the rare par 3 closing hole across the lake, and take in the Bobby Jones history in the clubhouse and locker room |
| Getting there | In the East Lake neighborhood of Atlanta, about 15 minutes east of downtown and close to Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport |
| Best months | Spring and fall are ideal in Atlanta; the TOUR Championship is played in late August |
Access details verified June 2026 from East Lake Golf Club and PGA Tour information. As a private club, policies are set by the membership and can change; always confirm access arrangements directly before planning a visit.
Where to stay nearby
Visitors playing East Lake as a member's guest, or attending the TOUR Championship, base themselves in Atlanta, where the lodging runs from downtown and Buckhead hotels to options near the airport. Atlanta is a major hub with easy connections, which makes it a natural start or finish point for a wider Georgia and Southeast golf trip.
The Southeast rewards an ambitious itinerary, so anchor a couple of nights in Atlanta for East Lake, then add a Masters visit to Augusta and the resort golf of Sea Island on the coast.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts around Atlanta and Georgia.
Build a Georgia golf trip
East Lake is the historic Atlanta anchor we love to build a Georgia golf trip around when access can be arranged, alongside a Masters visit and the Sea Island coast, with the tee times and lodging booked for you. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
East Lake Golf Club questions
Who designed East Lake Golf Club and when did it open?
East Lake is a Donald Ross design that opened in its current form in 1915 in Atlanta, Georgia. Architect Andrew Green completed a major restoration to the Ross plan in 2024.
What is the par and length of East Lake?
After the 2024 restoration East Lake plays as a par 71 of about 7,455 yards for the TOUR Championship, with the downhill 14th restored to a par 5 as Ross intended.
Can the public play East Lake Golf Club?
No. East Lake is a private club and is not open to public daily fee play. Its profits support the East Lake Foundation; the practical route for a visitor is to play as the guest of a member.
Why is East Lake Golf Club famous?
East Lake was the home course of Bobby Jones, the greatest amateur in golf history, and is the permanent host of the PGA Tour's season ending TOUR Championship.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, opening year, restoration and tournament setup verified June 2026; East Lake is a private club and access policies are to be confirmed with the club. Last reviewed June 2026.