The Story

The Bobby Jones Golf Course, completed in 1933, was built as a public course by the City of Atlanta with the intention of honoring the golfing legend. Following the Great Depression, the formal clubhouse was completed in 1941. The course played an integral role in Atlanta’s early Civil Rights history when in 1951, Alfred “Tup” Holmes, a talented African-American amateur golfer, attempted to play a round of golf at the then segregated club. When he was denied entry, he brought suit against the City of Atlanta. The case eventually went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that all of Atlanta’s public courses were to be desegregated.

The Threat

A recent plan for Atlanta Memorial Park recommended that the course be dramatically altered and converted into a nine-hole course and driving range. This plan would not utilize the clubhouse, and both it and the course are in danger of being drastically altered or demolished.