Inside the Iconic Clubhouse at East Lake Golf Club
(Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR)
East Lake Golf Club
East Lake’s Tudor Clubhouse has stood the test of time. As a young boy Bobby Jones was in attendance when the first Clubhouse opened in 1908. Only a decade after the first Clubhouse burned down in 1914, a second Clubhouse burned down in 1925, taking with it many of Jones’ golf clubs, trophies and the original US Amateur trophy, the Havemeyer trophy, which was replaced with its current design the following year. Yet, while the world may know the image of East Lake’s iconic exterior, the inside holds grand rooms that have entertained its members and guests for almost a century.
Take a look inside:
Great Hall
The main entrance of the Clubhouse leads into the Great Hall. Prior to an expansion which added a ballroom in 2008, the Great Hall was the largest room in the Clubhouse and was used for banquets and ceremonies throughout the years.
The room is flanked with ornate columns and trophies from the tournaments and champions of East Lake’s past. The 1963 Ryder Cup and the Havemeyer Trophy have solitaire displays in the center of the room. But the crown jewel lies in Bobby Jones’ Grand Slam trophies (the US Open, US Amateur, British Open and British Amateur trophies) which encompass an ornate central fireplace and painting of East Lake’s No. 1 fairway.
But there are more memories than relics in this room. The story goes that when the Atlanta Athletic Club decided to move from East Lake to the north side of town, the members were split over the decision and fist fights broke out in the Great Hall.
Bobby Jones Room
In honor of Bobby Jones, during his lifetime, East Lake’s members renamed what used to be the Club’s dining room after the great champion. Today the room serves as a lounge whose walls and cabinets are filled with photos and memorabilia honoring Jones. The room is covered in intricate wood carvings by famed wood carver Herbert Millard, whose work also survives in the State Department and White House. More recently, several scenes from the movie, “The Founder” were filmed in both East Lake’s Bobby Jones Room and Terrace Room.
Terrace Room
Just beyond the Bobby Jones Room lies the Terrace Room, whose large arched windows overlook East Lake’s 18th green and 10th tee. Yet while picturesque scenes may be a pivotal draw to this room, it is rumored that the Terrace Room’s real claim to fame is that Chick-fil-a’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich was first imagined during a meeting within these walls.
Locker Room
On the second floor of the Clubhouse lies East Lake’s locker rooms. While East Lake actually has four locker rooms, the main Men’s Locker Room is the largest and most used. The famed piece of the East Lake locker room experience is the ginger snap. Said to be Bob Jones’ favorite cookie, East Lake uses Jones’ mother’s recipe for ginger snaps to fill jars in every locker room with this classic treat for all of its golfers to enjoy.
During the TOUR Championship, the locker room is the most exclusive location in East Lake’s clubhouse. Only players and their closest family and associates have access. Unlike other PGA TOUR events, during the TOUR Championship, East Lake’s locker room is particularly roomy. The small field of only 30 allows players to spread out and use multiple lockers.
Back in 2009, when East Lake member Stewart Cink won the Open Championship, he kept his Claret Jug in his locker. During the TOUR Championship that year, the 2008 Open champion, Padraig Harrington, thought it would be funny to play a prank on Cink. When Cink came back and couldn’t find his trophy, he found it in Harrington’s locker. It seems Harrington wasn’t quite ready to give it up from his back to back wins.