Peachtree is one of those truly special places that you must play if you have the opportunity. The story is that Bobby Jones was playing at East Lake one day and became so frustrated with the pace of play that he got fed up and decided to build a new course. So, along with Dick Garlington and Robert Woodruff (of Coca-Cola fame), they set out to build a course as much like Augusta National as possible and perhaps even better. Their first step was to hire Robert Trent Jones to be the architect of their new course.
The next challenge was to find the ideal piece of property on which to build their course. They ended up picking a 240-acre tract that had been the location of a former nursery (coincidentally, Augusta National is also on the site of a former nursery). Finally, all they had to do to make the new course a reality was raise the money to build it. This is where Bobby Jones showed how much clout he had. He assembled a group of his friends and influential Atlantans and basically told them “We have picked out the land and Trent has created the layout and we’d like to buy it. So, I’ll need a check from each of you by Monday.” And he got the money.
I could go on and on about the history of the club, but I would be remiss if I did not mention that the building that currently serves as the clubhouse was once the old Cobb Caldwell mansion built in 1857. It was one of the few buildings to survive Sherman’s march through Atlanta because that is where he and his troops spent the night.
Here is the view from the 1st tee. The hole is a gentle dogleg to the right and the bunkers you see are the only fairway bunkers on the course other than on the 18th hole.
This is the 2nd tee, which is the signature hole at Peachtree.
I believe this is the 10th tee
Final thoughts: Peachtree is without a doubt my favorite course that I have played in the US. It is also one of the tougher courses to access if you don’t know a member. However, if you do have the chance, you should move heaven and earth to play it.
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