Courtesy of Hunter Public Relations
The members of Atlanta Athletic Club have 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 Highlands Course.
Located 25 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta, Georgia, the AAC is a private 36-hole club founded in 1898. In 1969, the Club relocated to its current location.
“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,” club president, John Stakel said. “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 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,” Green said. “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 has hosted the 1976 U.S. Open Championship, three PGA Championships (1981, 2001 and 2011), U.S. Women’s Open Championship (1990), 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,” Stakel said. “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. The U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship will be contested on the Riverside Course, July 14-19, 2025.
AAC will host its second U.S. Amateur in 2030, utilizing both courses, which will mark 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 his death in 1971. The U.S. Women’s Amateur will be contested on the Highlands Course in 2035.
The 2025 U.S. Girls' Junior will make AAC the first club to have hosted the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open, the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Women’s Amateur, and the Junior Amateur and Girls’ Junior.
