Charlie Yates Golf Course, Atlanta, GA

Charlie Yates Golf Course is the public 9-hole “in-town” companion to East Lake. The property began as East Lake’s No. 2 course, which opened in 1930, and in 1998 it was transformed into today’s Charlie Yates course, designed by Rees Jones and named for East Lake legend Charlie Yates (1938 British Amateur champion).

I’ve photographed the course twice, and my favorite shots all seem to come at sunrise—standing behind the 5th green, looking straight down the lake as first light stretches across the water. Quiet reflections, soft color, and the stillness before Atlanta wakes.

PHOTOGRAPHED IN 2017 & 2024