The Atlanta Athletic Club (AAC) members have overwhelmingly endorsed capital funding for a long-term master plan to update and renovate key operational areas of the club. Over the next seven years, the investments will touch most areas of the club, including golf, tennis, athletic and dining operations. Among the more significant changes will be the renovation of the famed Highlands Course, site of numerous major championships and other prestigious events.
Atlanta Athletic Club is Located 25 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta. It is a private 36-hole club founded in 1898. In 1969, the Club relocated to its current location.
Along with the golf course, the focus during this period is on modernizing and elevating a wide array of facilities, including the Men’s Grill, which will have a new patio, the Tennis Center, which will have a new outdoor viewing pavilion, the Aquatic Center, which will have year-round family casual dining, locker rooms in the fitness and tennis complexes, and the Jones Teaching Center. Construction of the Men’s Grill and new patio will commence this fall.
“Few other clubs in the country have the rich history and legacy of Atlanta Athletic Club. We’re also fortunate to have a membership that understands the need to maintain our infrastructure, key features, and our championship golf legacy,” said Club President John Stakel. “It is our responsibility to be good stewards of club assets, just as past generations did the same for current members.”
Andrew Green, president of AH Green Design, Green Golf & Turf, has been selected as the renovation golf course architect for the Highlands Course. Planning for the renovation will start over the next several months and construction is expected to start early in 2028. Over the past decade, Green has been responsible for some of the most notable renovations of major championship venues, including Inverness Club (Toledo, Ohio); Oak Hill Country Club’s East Course (Rochester, New York); Congressional Country Club’s Blue Course (Potomac, Maryland); Interlachen Country Club (Minneapolis, Minnesota); Scioto Country Club (Columbus, Ohio); and East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
“There are few organizations in the United States that mean this much to the game of golf. Atlanta Athletic Club has produced so many great players and has contributed immensely to growing the game,” said Green. “I am tremendously honored to have the opportunity to build on Atlanta Athletic Club’s legacy of greatness. The Highlands Course occupies some intriguing ground. We look forward to maximizing the opportunity for unique golf that can test the world’s best while providing a canvas to enjoy the game every day at the highest level, no matter your skill level.”
Highlands hosted the 1976 U.S. Open Championship, three PGA Championships (1981, 2001, and 2011), the U.S. Women’s Open Championship (1990), the 2014 U.S. Amateur Championship, and, most recently, the 2021 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
“We spoke to many of the top architects in the world and concluded that Andrew is the right individual to renovate Highlands,” said Stakel. “Working with an architect of his extensive pedigree ensures the variety of golf experiences and enjoyment for our existing and future members, as well as for championship play. We are excited that the fully renovated Highlands Course will be ready for the 2030 U.S. Amateur Championship.”
In 2022, AAC renovated its Riverside Course under the direction of architect Tripp Davis, who re-envisioned the routing, playing strategy, and visual quality. In 2023, his work earned second place nationally in the Best Transformation category in Golf Digest’s annual rankings. The U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship will be contested on the Riverside Course from July 14 to 19, 2025.
AAC will host its second U.S. Amateur in 2030, utilizing both courses, marking the 100th anniversary of Bobby Jones’ completion of the “Grand Slam” (victories in the U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur, British Open, and British Amateur). Jones was a former president and an active member of AAC until he died in 1971. The U.S. Women’s Amateur will be contested on the Highlands Course in 2035.
Located 25 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta, the AAC is a private 36-hole club founded in 1898. In 1969, the Club relocated to its current location.
