As part of an overwhelmingly endorsed long-term capital funding master plan by its membership, fabled Atlanta Athletic Club will renovate its famed Highlands Course, site of numerous major championships and other prestigious events.
Noted golf course architect Andrew Green, president of AH Green Design, Green Golf and Turf, has been selected to handle the renovation. Planning will start over the next several months and construction is expected to begin early in 2028. Over the past decade, Green has been responsible for some of the most notable 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 (Bethesda, Maryland); Interlachen Country Club (Minneapolis, Minnesota); Scioto Country Club (Columbus, Ohio); and East Lake Golf Club (Atlanta, Georgia).
“There are few organizations in the United States that mean this much to the game of golf,” Green said. “Atlanta Athletic Club has produced so many great players and has contributed immensely to growing the game. 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 U.S. Open (1976), three PGA Championships (1981, 2001 and 2011), the U.S. Amateur Championship (2014) and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (2021).
In 2022, AAC renovated its Riverside Course under the direction of architect Tripp Davis, who re-envisioned the routing, playing strategy and visual quality. In 2023, his work earned second place nationally in the Best Transformation category in Golf Digest’s annual rankings. The U.S. Girls Junior Championship will be contested on the Riverside Course in July.
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.
Located 25 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta, the AAC is a private 36-hole club founded in 1898. In 1969, the club relocated to its current location.
BOCA WOODS' REASON TO CELEBRATE
Boca Woods Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida, celebrated the grand opening of its newly Rees Jones redesigned Woods golf course in December 2024. The ribbon cutting marked the culmination of a well-received $9 million transformation.
Highlights of the renovation included: redesigned greens — completely rebuilt to provide smoother, truer and more consistent putting surfaces; enhanced bunkering — strategically repositioned and reshaped to create visual appeal and challenge; improved drainage — a state-of- the-art drainage system has been implemented to ensure optimal playing conditions year-round, even after heavy rainfall; and new tee boxes — multiple tee boxes have been added and repositioned on each hole, providing players of all skill levels with a fair and enjoyable challenge.
"The Woods course is now a true championship layout, playing to a maximum yardage of 7,043 yards," said Jeff Gullett, director of golf. “Rees Jones has incorporated a combination of green complexes and bunkering that will test every golfer’s ability."
The Jones team added nearly 400 yards to a layout originally known as the South course, a 1991 Joe Lee design. "[Design Associate] Bryce Swanson and I are pleased that the Woods Course at Boca Woods reopened on time and on budget," Jones said. "The redesign of the golf course enhanced the course’s playability, strategy, and variety."
THE SOCIAL ASPECT
The first phase of work at Golf de Fontainebleau is under way.
Frank & Hendrik are overseeing the renovation of bunkers on 5 holes restoring Simpson's famous lacy edges. We shall be exposing more of the rocks that adorn the site and, over time, intend to regenerate more heather.… pic.twitter.com/A6ZZLVpF8I
— Clayton, DeVries & Pont (@cdpgolf1) March 20, 2025
RENOVATION IN PLAN FOR KATKE-COUSINS
Chris Wilczynski and his team at C.W. Golf Architecture have been retained by Oakland University in suburban Detroit, Michigan, to master plan the renovation of the school’s Katke-Cousins 18-hole golf course, one of the university’s two championship golf courses and home to the Golden Grizzlies men’s and women’s golf teams.
"It’s a privilege to work with Oakland University on the enhancement of the prestigious Katke-Cousins Golf Course, and to be involved with a property that has such a distinct history," Wilczynski said. "The course infrastructure needs a general upgrade given its age, so we are in the process of reimagining the course to amplify its architectural intent, aesthetics and playability to meet the standards of today’s golfer as well as future golfers."
Tucked into the undulating terrain of Rochester Hills, Katke-Cousins is part of the Meadow Brook estate and resides next door to the farmhouse and nine-hole layout once owned by auto titan John Dodge. That nine-hole spread was shuttered in 1919. Five decades later, supporters Marvin Katke and Harold Cousins donated the money to build a new 18-hole golf course, designed by Robert Beard in 1976. Katke-Cousins opened for public play in 1977 and has been the venue for many significant regional tournaments, including the Hall Financial Michigan Open in 2023 and 2024, an event that draws the state’s best pros and amateurs.
"We’re thrilled to be working with Chris on this project," said Nick Pumford, Oakland University's golf general manager. “He’s a seasoned professional with an impressive track record of revitalizing many great golf facilities. Our team has met several times to discuss the vision and pending plans. We enjoy Chris’ process and his collaborative approach, and we look forward to continuing to work together to develop a roadmap to enhance and preserve the history and beauty of this storied facility.”
Course improvement work will commence once the vision is completely articulated and the master plan is approved.
