page_title: East Lake Golf Club
section_title: Early years
hierarchical_section_title: East Lake Golf Club / History / Early years
caption_attribution_description: English: A circa 1912 photo of professional golfer Stewart Maiden in the downswing. Source http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&amp;GRid=92779536 Author Unknown Date c. 1912
context_page_description: East Lake Golf Club is a private golf club located approximately 5 miles east of downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1904, East Lake is the oldest golf course in the city of Atlanta. East Lake was the home course of golfer Bobby Jones and much of its clubhouse serves as a tribute to his accomplishments.
  Since 2004, East Lake has been the permanent home of The Tour Championship, the culminating event of the PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedEx Cup. The Tour Championship was first played at the course in 1998. The 2019 Tour Championship and FedEx Cup champion is Rory McIlroy.
  All proceeds from operations at East Lake Golf Club—more than $20 million to date—go to support the East Lake Foundation, which has helped transform one of the nation's worst public housing projects into a thriving community.
context_section_description: The Atlanta Athletic Club (AAC) was formed in 1898 and due to its popularity it gained 700 members in only four years. The director of the club's athletic program was John Heisman, the famous football coach for whom the Heisman Trophy is named. In 1904 the AAC bought property at East Lake to build a country club which included a golf course. Course architect Tom Bendelow was asked to lay out the course.
  The course's first holes were built in 1906 and were initially only seven holes, then nine. In the summer of 1907, the course was expanded to 17 holes, and later that year the 18th hole was built to complete it. Also in 1907, the first significant tournament was hosted at East Lake, the Southern Amateur, won by Nelson Whitney. In 1908, Tom Bendelow opened his "No. 2" course at East Lake.
  In 1913, famed golf course architect Donald Ross redesigned the course at East Lake.  The new plan provided for each of the nine holes to conclude at the clubhouse. Ross also redesigned the No. 2 course in 1928.
  A tragic fire destroyed the original clubhouse at East Lake in 1925.  Following the fire, famed architect Philip Shutze, who is known for constructing the famous Swan House in Buckhead, was hired by the club to build East Lake's present day two-story Tudor style clubhouse.
  Golfer Bobby Jones is said to have played his first and last games of golf at East Lake. Jones won golf's Grand Slam in 1930, claiming the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open, British Amateur and British Open titles in the same year. Jones's father, "Colonel" Robert P. Jones, served as the president of East Lake from 1937–42 and as a director for 38 years. Bobby Jones himself also served as president of East Lake on 1946–47.
  Other notable East Lake players around the same time were amateurs Watts Gunn, Perry Adair, Charlie Yates and Alexa Stirling Fraser many of whom were assisted by East Lake's golf professional Stewart Maiden.
  In 1963, East Lake hosted the 15th biennial Ryder Cup where Arnold Palmer served as the playing captain of the winning US Team.
caption: Stewart Maiden golfing at East Lake
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