Tom Cousins, the influential Atlanta real estate developer and philanthropist, died Tuesday at age 93 while hospitalized in Florida. Cousins was the visionary behind using golf to revitalize the East Lake community of Atlanta.
In 1995, he founded the East Lake Foundation and bought East Lake Golf Club, the home course of Bobby Jones, which had fallen on hard times and was surrounded by a dangerous neighborhood. Cousins, who also was a member at Augusta National, persuaded local corporations to buy into his plan to turn East Lake around. Millions of dollars were raised and invested into the development of caddie programs and after-school golf clinics designed to introduce local boys and girls to the game – and keep them out of trouble at the same time. The project, which included mixed-income housing and a YMCA, resulted in one of the most successful urban renewal projects in decades and a model that has been replicated elsewhere.
East Lake GC began hosting the Tour Championship in 1998 and became the tournament’s home in 2004. The Tour Championship has contributed more than $63 million to Atlanta-based nonprofits, including the East Lake Foundation, Purpose Built Schools Atlanta, Focused Community Strategies, the Grove Park Foundation and the First Tee — Metro Atlanta, among others.
“It’s difficult for me find words that adequately pay tribute to a man who, throughout his 93 years, sought to make a difference and improve the lives of those around him,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Mr. Cousins was a visionary and a man who had the unique ability to imagine what something could become and then make it happen. Our partnership with Tom and the East Lake Foundation will have a lasting impact and we look forward to honoring and celebrating him at this year’s tournament. We will miss Tom greatly and will cherish the memories we have of him. We grieve with his family and share our condolences.”
East Lake Golf Club also annually hosts the East Lake Cup, a prestigious men’s and women’s college golf tournament. At the event’s conclusion, organizers present the Tom Cousins Award to one male and one female student-athlete from a participating team who best exemplify civic, community and philanthropic qualities.
Tom Cousins was the original owner of the Atlanta Hawks
Cousins’s transformative impact on the city’s sporting community stretched beyond golf. Cousins was the original owner of the Atlanta Hawks, playing a pivotal role in bringing the franchise there. Cousins, along with former Georgia Governor Carl Sanders, purchased the team in 1968, relocating the franchise to Atlanta from St. Louis.
Born Dec. 7, 1931, in Atlanta, Cousins graduated from the University of Georgia in 1952. Six years later, he started his own residential real estate business, Cousins Properties. In 2002, the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame inducted Cousins, with the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame bestowing the same honor on Cousins in 2018.
“Tom Cousins was a giant in life and in golf. His inspirational vision for East Lake Golf Club and the East Lake Foundation – guided by his golf with a purpose mantra – has transformed the lives of a generation of children and families in the city of Atlanta,” said East Lake Foundation board member and Versant CEO Mark Lazarus. “Tom’s impact will be felt for decades to come and his incredible contributions to the community through his passion for golf will never be forgotten.”
