FEATURE STORY

East Lake Golf Club helping to revive Atlanta, Georgia

By Tim McDonald,
Contributor

Atlanta's storied East Lake Golf Club - host of this year's Tour Championship - fell on hard times amid the late-20th-century decline of America's inner cities, but a determined public-private effort has restored the golf course's glory and is spearheading a community's comeback, and Atlanta's revival.

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Golf is difficult enough without crazed drug addicts trying to rob you of your wallet and maybe put a cap in you.

That's the kind of talk you hear from people familiar with East Lake Golf Club, perhaps the most bipolar golf club in America, and definitely the most uplifting.

East Lake was once the cat's meow in Atlanta golf, an upscale private club in founded around the turn of the 20th century in a ritzy, well-heeled neighborhood.

The club hosted a variety of prestigious events, including the 1963 Ryder Cup. It was Bobby Jones' home track (he played his first and last round here). The course was top-notch, the membership exclusive, the neighborhood the envy of the South.

Then a funny thing happened, or a not-so-funny thing. It happened slowly, over time, as Atlanta started its inevitable and astounding growth outward.

The wealthy homeowners began migrating to the suburbs. Part of the club property was sold and, in 1970, turned into public housing. Crime soared. The East Lake area became a case study in urban decay: If you could afford to get out, you did. If you couldn't, you stayed and dodged the bullets.

East Lake's crime rate was 18 times the national average and ranked highest among Atlanta's 56 neighborhoods. City police called it "Little Vietnam" as the area became infamous for its drug trade. Membership at East Lake dwindled to a hard core.

Then lifelong member Tom Cousins stepped up.

A well-known local developer, Cousins teamed with a charitable group to buy the club in 1993. He announced plans to improve not only the course but the community around it as well.

The new owners wanted to tear down the houses around the course and let the Housing Authority build new ones, letting residents move back in with no additional cost.

Not surprisingly, the locals were skeptical. But the East Lake group stuck with it.

"We had to earn their trust," Carol Naughton, executive director of the East Lake Foundation (ELF), told PGA.com. "We made little promises and kept them. After a while, we made bigger promises and kept them.

"And more than anything, we kept showing up. When discussions got heated and tempers were flaring, we would not leave. We had to show them we were sincere in our efforts."

Slowly, working with residents and public and private organizations, they brought East Lake back.

Violent crime has plummeted; East Lake is now rated Atlanta's 11th safest neighborhood. In 1996 the average home price was $45,000; today it's more than $280,000. All residents aged 17 to 54 are either working or in a life-skills program run by ELF.

East Lake Golf Club (404) 687-8955 Web: eastlakegolfclub.com

East Lake is now a solidly mixed-income community, and a redevelopment model for other urban areas. It still isn't the best neighborhood in Atlanta - some dodgy blocks remain - but at least you don't have to worry about armed robbery when you're walking the fairway.

As for the course, it was restored to its former glory via a 1994 Rees Jones renovation. Golf Digest has rated it third among Georgia courses, behind only Augusta National and Ocean Forest on Sea Island. It's the permanent home of The Tour Championship and the final stage of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup.

There has been innovation in other ways. As part of its community outreach, the club started the East Lake Golf Academy, which inspired the nationwide First Tee program. Future profits of the program, now called First Tee of East Lake, are slated to go to the foundation.

September 21, 2007

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.