MARIETTA, GEORGIA | The Atlanta Country Club has been out of the public eye for nearly a generation. With a nearly completed multimillion-dollar renovation of the golf course, that’s about to change.
“A lot of people aren’t familiar with our club,” club president David Birdwell said. “We think this is a good chance to re-introduce ourselves.”
The Atlanta Country Club, located in suburban Cobb County northwest of Atlanta, was founded in 1964 and brought championship golf to the area in 1967 when it began and hosted the Atlanta Golf Classic. The tournament, played under various titles, became a fixture on the PGA Tour. It even hosted the first Players Championship in 1974, which was won by Jack Nicklaus.
The tournament was one of the most popular venues for the players, who enjoyed the Willard Byrd-designed course and the Southern hospitality poured out during the week. Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Lee Trevino were regulars. Later it was Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite. And players of that era were universally disappointed when th...
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