ABOUT THE CLUB

Lookout Mountain, GA | Nestled atop Lookout Mountain, just minutes away from downtown Chattanooga, the golf course property of the Lookout Mountain Club was originally founded as the Fairyland Golf Club in 1925, as part of Garnet Carter’s dream for an exclusive resort colony called “Fairyland.” It so happened that Lookout Mountain resident Scott Probasco Sr. had made an acquaintance with the noted golf course architect Seth Raynor in 1923, and upon Mr. Probasco’s request, the great architect was hired to design this great course.

Great things were going on in the mid to late 1920’s across the United States and Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain were no exception. Chattanooga native Adolph Ochs, then owner of The New York Times, was especially generous in his efforts to enhance Lookout Mountain. Thanks to his generosity Garnet Carter and O.B. Andrews planned an exclusive resort colony on top of the Mountain called “Fairyland.” This resort would be compared to Pinehurst, The Greenbrier, and The Homestead, and, obviously, a world-class golf course was an integral part of the plan.

As luck would have it, Scott L. Probasco, Sr., an avid golfer, attended the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut, and he made a donation to his alma mater during a redesign of their nine-hole course in 1923. The architect on this redesign was C.B. McDonald’s former engineer and protégé, Seth J. Raynor. Through this connection, Mr. Probasco convinced Raynor that he should meet Mr. Carter, and the plan for the Fairyland Golf Club was in the works.

Tragedy struck as Mr. Raynor died of pneumonia at the young age of 51 while working in West Palm Beach, FL. With our course nearing completion, LMGC became Raynor’s last work. Charles Banks, an English teacher at Hotchkiss, left the school to join Raynor’s design team as a full partner. Banks, also known as “Steamshovel” because of his talent for moving dirt, did an admirable job in completing construction in 1927.

As the course approached completion, there was only one course in the USA more costly to build: Yale University’s course, which was another great Raynor design. The uniqueness of our “mountain-links” course would live on, although the course was not finished according to Raynor’s original plan. Some say they hit rock and completion became too expensive, and others contend that violent storms washed grass seed down to the valley necessitating balance of money to reseed. However, regardless of the challenges, nothing compared to the recession just around the corner, which put a sudden stop to the great plan called “Fairyland.”

Following the Great Depression, the return to normalcy established what became the private Lookout Mountain Golf Club as a wonderful course with camaraderie within the membership. Whether it was a competitive round of golf within groups such as the Bubble, Balloon, Whisperers, Elders, or Ladies, or a Club event run by the Golf Professional staff, the Club had something for everyone. There were also some wonderful social happenings that brought the membership out for some great times. The showcase annual event most talked about is the popular member-guest tournament called the Swing Ding.

With its physical location in Georgia, Lookout Mountain Club is a member of the Tennessee Golf Association, PGA, and the Chattanooga District Golf Association. As an active Club with a great Seth Raynor course, we have hosted many Championships over the years including the Tennessee State Amateur, Tennessee PGA, Tennessee Women’s 4-Ball, Chattanooga Amateur, the Women’s Southern Amateur and Dale Morey Senior Amateur. In addition, the Club hosts the annual William Bryan Memorial event for junior golfers. This event was most likely the catalyst for the AJGA JR tour which funnels players to colleges and on to professional golf. Although it is now a local event conducted for the CDGA, the Bryan event lives on.