Club Times: July/August

condition—that as long as Scott was president of the club, he would renew the loan.” On June 3, 1937, the club hosted a testimonial dinner to honor Hudson’s many years

eventually grow again. The club that emerged from the Depression was strong and vibrant, and golf was now clearly the main focus. Resources were once again poured into improving the facilities, but the growth was temporarily halted during World War II. The members, however, did their part for the war effort. In 1942, the Club

of tireless service. Colonel Robert P. Jones, Bobby Jones’s father, succeeded Hudson in 1937, and he continued to reduce the club’s long-term debt while enhancing the properties in the midst of the Great Depression. The Colonel joined the AAC in 1902, and served as a director for more than thirty years. In June 1938, Jones began a newsletter to aid in communication between the members, the officers, and the staff, naming it the Club Times. Member Merriell Autrey described another important innovation: “Somewhere after 1930, they put in slot machines, which were legal. My good friend Alva Maxwell told me that when he left the club as treasurer in 1948, the club did not owe any money and had $350,000 in government bonds and about $250,000 in cash. He said the slots did it.” The creativity and fierce loyalty that Hudson, Jones, and other members showed to the AAC helped it survive and

Times reported, “There will be no dances for the balance of January. This gives members an opportunity to get rest from holiday activities and to use money that they might have spent at club dances for Red Cross subscriptions or Defense Stamp and Bond purchases.” The board also encouraged members to carpool to help ration gas and tires. By the end of the war, the club was in solid financial condition, and in 1950, a new wing, designed by the architectural firm Stevens and Wilkerson and built by J. A. Jones Construction Company, added a modern locker room and grill for men and a new terrace for dining and dancing to East Lake. The renovation was prompted by the U.S. Women’s Amateur slated to begin at East Lake on September 12, the club’s first, but not last, national championship.