Atlanta Country Club completes comprehensive renovation

Atlanta Country Club announced the completion of a comprehensive renovation project led by golf course designer Beau Welling and his firm, Beau Welling Design.

The renovation includes significant infrastructure updates, design alterations to the course, enhanced practice facilities and additional off-course amenities. As part of the renovation, Welling and senior designer Scott Benson revitalized the Willard Byrd-designed championship layout to increase playability and foster a communal golfing experience while modernizing the course.

“Our team is very proud of the work we’ve done to reinvigorate both the golf course and the larger campus while preserving the longstanding ideals of which Atlanta Country Club is rightfully proud,” Welling said. “For many years, Byrd’s design challenged the game’s greats as a prominent venue for championship golf. With this renovation, Atlanta Country Club will no doubt continue to be a true test for the elite player, but I’m even more excited about what this will do for the membership and their guests who will enjoy the elevated playability and sense of community that we hope to inspire with all of our designs.”

One of the primary changes to the golf course maintained by superintendent Scott Lambert and team is the installation of the Hydronics temperature control system underneath each green. The subsurface water pumps and piping allow the new 007XL Bentgrass putting surfaces to continue to thrive year-round, including during the heat of Georgia summers. Other agronomic improvements include a change from Bermudagrass in the fairways to Zorro Zoysia and an overhaul of the drainage and irrigation systems across the entire property.

Based on feedback from the membership during the project master planning and initial surveys of the property, BWD added 13 forward tees throughout the course, including multiple elongated and winding “ribbon” tee complexes to offer more optionality for tee placements and an increased variety of shot selections. While many holes feature design enhancements that sought to honor the beloved original Byrd design, the par-3 third and par-5 11th holes were substantially redesigned in the renovation.

The redesigned third hole at Atlanta Country Club

“As a membership, we are excited that the exceptional golf and overall experience at Atlanta Country Club is getting even better,” said Larry Nelson, a World Golf Hall of Famer, three-time major champion and Atlanta Country Club member. “We recognized now is the right time to look toward the future and how this renovation can help us achieve our goals as a club, and we could not be happier with the work Beau and his team have done to cement our legacy as stewards of the game for generations to come.”

Numerous fairway and greenside bunkers were also adjusted to recalibrate the bunkering strategy and now feature Bunker Solutions technology designed to improve drainage and create a more visually compelling appearance. Several existing cart paths were also rerouted to promote proper drainage and increase course aesthetics.  

Around the clubhouse, the BWD team redesigned the practice area, including a 40 percent larger driving range and the addition of a multi-green short game area, as well as a new practice putting green.

Founded in 1968, Atlanta Country Club hosted the PGA Tour’s Atlanta Classic for 30 years, the 1968 USGA Men’s Senior Amateur Championship and the 1971 USGA Women’s Amateur Championship. Atlanta Country Club was also the site of the site of the first Players Championship, won by Jack Nicklaus in 1974.