Course Review - East lake Golf Club

With the European Tour taking a break before next week's Ryder Cup, the final leg of the playoffs takes centre stage as the Top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings make their way to East Lake Golf Club for the Tour Championship.

East Lake is just 15kms from downtown Atlanta and was originally a Tom Bendelow design that opened in 1908. Five years later iconic architect Donald Ross reworked the layout into a configuration close to what we see today. East Lake's place in golfing history is secure as it was the home course of legend Bobby Jones; the club thrived for many years in the wake of Jones' unparalleled exploits.

The peak of East Lake's reputation came in 1963 with the hosting of the Ryder Cup, However, just a few years later the local economic climate changed and East Lake and the surrounding area succumbed to urban decay. Fast forward to 1994 and courtesy of a charitable trust funded by a group of Atlanta businessmen, the Open Doctor Rees Jones renovated the course, restoring Ross' design and shot values.

Since 1998 East Lake has hosted the Tour Championship 11 times, and has been the permanent home of the event for the past eight years. Tall oaks and pines are scattered around this pretty parkland setting that at 6700 metres, is one of the longest par 70's on the US PGA Tour. Although length off the tee will be at a premium, it is on the slick undulating Bermudagrass greens that the battle will be won. If the weather cooperates putting speeds will pass 12 on the stimpmeter and some almost inaccessible pin positions will add to the mix.

The round begins with a 390m par 4 that requires a pinpoint approach to a well-protected green. East Lake's signature hole is the 150m 6th, a par 3 that plays from an elevated tee to a diagonally angled peninsula green. This particular green complex existed on the original Tom Bendelow course, where it served as the green at the par 5 16th and was one of the first island greens in America. The final three hole stretch is pure drama and theatre – two long and difficult par 4's and a rare par 3 finish in the shadow of the imposing Tudor-style clubhouse.

A Golf Weather
Editorial