In 1887, at a Chamber of Commerce meeting, James Kingsbery and about a hundred other men agreed to buy Benjamin Walker's 190-acre farm north of town for $38,000, according to the Atlanta History Center. They called themselves the Gentlemen's Driving Club, after the horses and carriages they meant to drive there.
The land went on to host the 1895 Cotton States Exposition, and in 1904 the club sold it to the city, which paid $98,000 and made it Piedmont Park. The club kept a clubhouse at the park's edge, and it is still there.
A Club Tied to the City's History
The Atlanta History Center, which holds the club's records, notes that it hosted Presidents Taft and Cleveland, Enrico Caruso, and Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, and that both the Atlanta Debutante Club and the Atlanta Junior League were organized there, in 1911 and 1916. Its dining terrace was designed by member Philip T. Shutze.
That history includes exclusion, and it is part of the record. In January 1977 Time reported that the club barred Black and Jewish members, as two of President-elect Carter's appointees, Griffin Bell and Bert Lance, promised to resign their memberships. The club admitted its first Black member in 1994, and the History Center's collection includes the application file for Michael Russell, the member in question.
Membership and Cost
The club's website is mostly a member login. It publishes no categories, process or fees. The best recent description is in Buckhead.com's January 2026 overview, which says membership reportedly requires twenty-plus referrals. The word “reportedly” is doing real work there.
On cost, the figures online, such as an initiation of $80,000 to $90,000 and dues of $15,000 to $20,000, come from sites that call them rumors or estimates. The last credible published figure we could find is nearly half a century old: Time's 1977 article put the initiation fee at $4,500 and annual dues at $750, with about 1,000 members.
What is public today is the club's IRS filing as a nonprofit social club. It reports about $38.4 million in total revenue for the year ending April 2025. That shows the scale of the operation, two campuses with golf, racquets, pools and dining, but not what anyone pays to join. Our guide to how club costs work explains the pieces to ask about.
The Clubhouse and the Golf Course
The in-town club is at 1215 Piedmont Avenue NE. According to its Wikipedia entry, facilities include tennis, padel, squash, swimming, fitness, massage and casual and fine dining.
The golf course is several miles away on Camp Creek Parkway: an 18-hole championship course by Rees Jones plus an executive par-3 course, opened in 2000. A member who wants golf drives to it; a member who wants the city walks to the clubhouse. Where you live depends on which you will use more.
The Homes Around the Clubhouse
The clubhouse sits at the edge of Ansley Park, and four of the city's most sought-after neighborhoods are within about a mile and a half of it.
- Ansley Park. Early-20th-century homes on curving streets, home to Ansley Golf Club. Our guide puts typical luxury pricing at $1.5 million to $7 million and up.
- Midtown. High-rise and townhome living around the park and Peachtree. Our Midtown guide puts luxury homes at roughly $800,000 to $5 million and up.
- Virginia-Highland and Morningside. East of the park, with walkable commercial streets. See our Virginia-Highland and Morningside guide.
Ansley Park is a National Register historic district. If you are considering renovation, read our guide to what historic designation does and does not restrict first.
Before You Buy
- Treat membership as a long-term possibility, not a reason to buy now. Nothing about the process is public.
- Choose between the clubhouse and the golf course. They are miles apart.
- Buy for the neighborhood. Ansley Park and Midtown stand on their own, with or without the club.
For the other clubs in the city, see our Atlanta country club communities guide.
The Short Version
- Founded in 1887, it sold the city the land that became Piedmont Park in 1904.
- Two clubhouses: the in-town club beside the park and a Rees Jones golf course on Camp Creek Parkway.
- No current fee has been credibly reported. The last published figure is from 1977.
- Its history includes exclusion, documented by Time in 1977, and its first Black member in 1994.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to join the Piedmont Driving Club?
The club does not publish its fees, and no credible outlet has reported a current figure. The numbers online, such as an $80,000 to $90,000 initiation, come from sites that label them rumors or estimates. The last figure we could find in a credible publication is historical: Time reported in 1977 an initiation fee of $4,500 and annual dues of $750. The club's IRS filings show its finances but not what an individual member pays.
Why is it called the Piedmont Driving Club?
It was founded in 1887 as the Gentlemen's Driving Club, and the name referred to driving horses and carriages, according to its history. It took the Piedmont name from the land it bought, which later became Piedmont Park.
Did the Piedmont Driving Club create Piedmont Park?
In part. The founders bought a 190-acre tract in what is now Midtown for $38,000 in 1887, according to the Atlanta History Center. The land hosted the 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition, and in 1904 the club sold it to the city, which made it Piedmont Park. The clubhouse still sits beside the park.
Does the Piedmont Driving Club have a golf course?
Yes. In 2000 the club opened a Rees Jones-designed 18-hole championship course and an executive par-3 course on Camp Creek Parkway, several miles from the clubhouse. The in-town clubhouse offers tennis, padel, squash, swimming, fitness and dining.
How do you join the Piedmont Driving Club?
The club does not describe its process publicly. Buckhead.com's January 2026 overview of the area's private clubs says membership reportedly requires twenty or more referrals. Treat that as an indication rather than a rule, and expect the realistic path to begin with existing members.
What neighborhood is the Piedmont Driving Club in?
The clubhouse is at 1215 Piedmont Avenue NE, at the edge of Ansley Park beside Piedmont Park, and is usually described as Midtown. Ansley Park, Midtown, Morningside and Virginia-Highland are all within about a mile and a half.
Disclaimer: The Luxury Realtor Group is not affiliated with the Piedmont Driving Club. Membership terms, fees, categories and waitlists are set by the club and change over time; confirm them directly with the club. History is drawn from the sources linked in the text. Home price ranges are general market observations, not appraisals.
