Club Times: July/August

1930-1950 The Lean Years In 2023, Atlanta Athletic Club will celebrate its 125th anniversary. The club was founded in 1898 by a group of 65 Atlanta businessmen who enjoyed playing sports and social activities. This article is the ninth in a series entitled “125 Years: The Legacy of Atlanta Athletic Club.” The purpose of the series is so that members may become familiar with the history and heritage of the great club to which they belong.

Portraits of Former Club President, Scott Hudson

In 1928, one year before the start of the Great Depression, the AAC bought an undeveloped tract of rolling land across Second Avenue from East Lake and hired Ross again to build the No. 2 course. It opened to much fanfare on May 31, 1930, but the growing financial crisis quickly made it apparent that the AAC, like most clubs in America, was going to have to struggle to remain solvent. Membership declined from 1,250 to 500. Dues were reduced to seven dollars, but few members could afford to eat at the club. Many credit former club president Scott Hudson, who served as a director from 1915 to 1946, with the club’s survival. Under Hudson, the board began a “spark plug” program to help generate new membership by “scouring the city for eligible men who might become new members and help hold the club together.” Lewis F. Gordon, chairman of the new membership committee, had a regular feature in the Club Times highlighting the committee’s successes. But there were significant losses as well. Paul C. Maddox claimed to be the only member to join the club twice: “I joined at a time when all businesses were at risk for failure. I figured that instead of having a good time at the club, I needed to work even harder

at my business, so I resigned. Once things became better, I knew I could always come back.” Born in Danville, Kentucky, in 1870, Hudson became a member of the AAC at the age of forty-one and dedicated his life to the club. In the midst of the Depression, the AAC found itself with new properties, a decreasing membership, a million-dollar debt, and barely enough money to furnish the new downtown club on Carnegie Way. Hudson became more of a club manager than president and found numerous ways to save money. The May 1940 issue of the Club Times reported: “The Pencil Committee has insisted that all pencils be cut in two and that only one be allowed to a foursome, which they say shall result in a savings of 87%, or $1.98 for the year.” Gene Branch once said of Hudson, “He actually saved the Atlanta Athletic Club. During the Depression, it would have undoubtedly disappeared.” This conclusion certainly is reflected in a story that J. Ross Hanahan told of Hudson: “He went down to C&S Bank and told Mr. Henry Heinz, who was a member and vice president of the bank, that they couldn’t pay. Mr. Heinz extended the loan on one