You’ve seen them. Those glowing, saturated shots of the 15th green reflecting in the water at sunset. Honestly, east lake golf club photos have basically become the unofficial wallpaper of the PGA Tour’s postseason, and for good reason. But there is a massive difference between a grainy smartphone snap from the gallery and the iconic imagery that defines this Atlanta landmark.
East Lake isn’t just another private club; it’s a living museum. When you look at the architecture through a lens, you’re seeing the ghost of Bobby Jones. Most people don't realize that the course they see in photos today is actually a radical departure from what it looked like even ten years ago. It’s been overhauled, stripped back, and reimagined.
The 2024 Andrew Green Restoration Changed Everything
If you are looking at east lake golf club photos from 2022 and comparing them to 2025, you might think you’re looking at two different planets. Seriously.
The club brought in Andrew Green—the guy who worked magic at Oak Hill—to perform a "sympathetic restoration." This wasn't just a mow and a blow. He went back to the 1930s aerial photos and realized the course had lost its bite. The bunkers had become these soft, round shapes that looked fine on TV but lacked soul.
Now? The photos show rugged, jagged edges.
The topography is way more dramatic. Green moved an incredible amount of dirt to restore the natural "ribboning" of the fairways. When you see a high-res shot of the new 18th hole, you’ll notice the bunkers look like they were carved out by a storm rather than a landscaped garden. This "golden age" aesthetic is what photographers are currently losing their minds over. It photographs better because the shadows are deeper and the contrast between the sandy waste areas and the lush turf is much sharper.
Why the 15th Hole Is the Most Photographed Spot in Georgia
Forget the clubhouse for a second. The 15th at East Lake is the superstar. It’s a par three that plays over water to a peninsula green.
It’s iconic.
👉 See also: LeBron James Without Beard: Why the King Rarely Goes Clean Shaven Anymore
From a photography standpoint, it’s a cheat code. You have the reflection of the Atlanta skyline in the background, the shimmer of the lake in the foreground, and the high-tension drama of the Tour Championship happening right there. Professional sports photographers usually camp out here with 600mm lenses to catch the ripples in the water. If you're scrolling through east lake golf club photos, the ones that stop you are almost always taken from the low angle near the water’s edge on 15. It captures the sheer isolation of the green.
The Secret History Hidden in Vintage East Lake Images
You can’t talk about the visuals of this place without going back to the black-and-white era. The club was founded in 1904, making it the oldest in Atlanta.
When you dig into the archives, the old photos tell a story of a neighborhood that almost died. By the 1960s and 70s, the area around the club—East Lake Meadows—became a center for crime and poverty. The club itself was struggling. There’s a famous photo of Bobby Jones playing there in his prime, looking perfectly composed, while just decades later, the course was nearly abandoned.
Tom Cousins, the real estate mogul, is the reason we have modern east lake golf club photos at all. He bought the club in 1993 and used it as the engine to revitalize the entire community. It’s why the motto "Golf with a Purpose" actually means something here. The photos of the renovated Tudor-style clubhouse aren't just about luxury; they represent one of the most successful urban renewal projects in American history.
The Lighting Challenge: Atlanta’s Golden Hour
Ask any pro: East Lake is notoriously hard to shoot at midday. The Georgia sun is brutal. It washes out the greens and makes the fairways look flat.
The best shots—the ones that get shared millions of times—are taken during the "Golden Hour." Because the course is relatively open since they removed hundreds of non-native trees during the restoration, the light hits the grass at a low angle. This brings out the "tiger stripes" in the mowing patterns.
- Early Morning: Mist rising off the lake near the clubhouse.
- Late Afternoon: Long shadows stretching across the 18th fairway.
- Tournament Week: The primary colors of the corporate tents clashing with the deep greens.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Clubhouse
People see the photos of the big, imposing building and assume it's the original. It’s not. The original clubhouse burned down in 1925. The current one, designed by Philip Trammell Shutze, is a masterpiece of Atlanta architecture, but it’s been renovated multiple times to handle the massive crowds of the Fed Ex Cup.
✨ Don't miss: When is Georgia's next game: The 2026 Bulldog schedule and what to expect
Inside, the photos are strictly controlled. You’ll find the "Jones Room," which is essentially a shrine to Bobby Jones. It houses his trophies and memorabilia. Most fans never see this because it’s tucked away, but the photography allowed in there reveals a room that feels more like a 1920s study than a locker room.
Capturing the "New" East Lake: A Guide for Fans
If you’re heading to the Tour Championship and want to take your own east lake golf club photos, don't just stand behind the ropes on the 1st tee. Everyone does that.
Go to the 6th hole.
It’s a par five that offers some of the most underrated vistas on the property. The way the fairway bends allows you to get "compression" in your photos—making the hazards look like they are stacked on top of each other. Also, look for the details. The "E" logo on the flagsticks, the bronze statue of Jones, and the unique wooden bridges. These are the textures that make the course feel real rather than just a patch of grass on a screen.
The reality is that East Lake is constantly evolving. What looks like a finished masterpiece today will likely be tweaked again in five years. That’s the nature of championship golf. The course is a living thing, and these photos are just a way of pinning it down for a second before the next season changes everything.
How to Use These Images for Course Analysis
Serious golfers don't just look at east lake golf club photos for the vibes. They use them to study the slopes.
If you look at the drone shots from the 2024 renovation, you can see the drainage patterns and the "sub-air" systems that keep the greens firm. You can see why certain players struggle; the greens at East Lake are famously slanted from back to front. A photo from behind the green looking toward the fairway shows the true severity of the elevation changes that TV cameras often flatten out.
🔗 Read more: Vince Carter Meme I Got One More: The Story Behind the Internet's Favorite Comeback
The "crested" fairways are a huge talking point right now. In many of the new photos, you can see that the center of the fairway is actually higher than the sides. This means a ball that lands just a yard off-center will catch a slope and end up in the rough. It’s visual proof of why accuracy is more important than distance at this specific venue.
Actionable Steps for Exploring East Lake Imagery
If you want to go deeper than a Google Image search, here is exactly how to find the high-value stuff.
First, check out the State Library and Archives of Georgia. They hold the original glass-plate negatives of the course from the early 20th century. Comparing those to modern satellite imagery is a trip. You can see how the lake has shifted and how the forest has been managed over 120 years.
Second, follow Andrew Green on social media or look up his portfolio. He often shares "before and after" shots that are much more technical. They show the bunker liners, the irrigation pipes, and the raw dirt before the sod was laid down. It’s the best way to understand the "why" behind the "what."
Finally, if you are a photographer yourself, pay attention to the bentgrass vs. bermuda transitions in the photos. East Lake has experimented with different turf types over the years to survive the Atlanta heat. The color palette of the grass changes significantly depending on whether you’re looking at photos from the spring or the late summer tournament dates.
The story of East Lake is written in these images. From the ruins of a burning clubhouse to the pristine, multi-million dollar cathedral of golf it is today, every frame tells you something about the resilience of the game and the city of Atlanta itself.
To truly appreciate the layout, start by looking at the overhead routing maps from the 1940s and overlaying them with the 2024 renovation photos. You'll notice that the par-70 layout has been stretched and pulled, but the "bones" remain exactly where Bobby Jones left them. It’s a rare instance where the modern version actually honors the past instead of paving over it.