In his 1998 novel A Man in Full, Tom Wolfe captured how some see the architecture of Atlanta’s social order with a single observation about the Piedmont Driving Club: “You might have the grandest house in all of Buckhead and the summer place on Sea Island and the biggest private jet and the ranch or two in Wyoming, every toy a man could possibly long for—and yet your failure to make the roster of the Piedmont Driving Club would always be hanging over you, like a reproach.”
Nearly three decades later, that sentence still lands a punch. I don’t subscribe to Wolfe’s worldview—I don’t belong to any private clubs and have no particular desire to join one, beyond the occasional pang of jealousy at members’ easy access to racket sports. But dismissing the influence these institutions hold would be naive. Whether or not you care about making anyone’s roster, Buckhead’s private clubs shape the neighborhood’s culture, business networks, and philanthropic landscape in ways that ripple far beyond their membership rolls.
Past the boutiques of Buckhead Village, beyond the high-rises of Peachtree Road, exists another layer of the neighborhood—one accessed not by GPS coordinates, but by introductions, referrals, and occasionally, a secret phone number. These clubs span a remarkable spectrum: from institutions with century-long legacies to speakeasies that didn’t exist five years ago. Whether you’re a longtime resident curious about what lies behind that unmarked door you’ve passed a hundred times, or a newcomer decoding how this city works, here’s your guide.
The Old Guard
The Capital City Club, chartered in 1883, counts among its earliest members Robert Woodruff and Bobby Jones. The downtown clubhouse remains a temple of old Atlanta elegance, while its Brookhaven location offers championship golf. The Buckhead Club, perched 26 floors up in the Sovereign building, represents the city club tradition with panoramic skyline views and curated networking events.
If any single institution anchors Buckhead’s private club culture, it’s Cherokee Town and Country Club. Founded in 1956 when a group of young couples decided Atlanta’s northwest quadrant deserved a social club of its own, Cherokee now operates two locations: the Country Club with a golf course along the Chattahoochee River in Sandy Springs, and the Town Club on West Paces Ferry Road—the geographic and symbolic heart of Buckhead. The Town Club occupies the Grant Estate, a residence built in 1917 that has been greatly expanded over time as membership grew (another significant expansion is in process). Today, Cherokee sits just down the road from the Governor’s Mansion, named the “Very Best Private Country Club” in America, its membership invitation-only and its waitlist measured in years.
Just beyond Buckhead’s borders sit two clubs whose influence on Buckhead is substantial.
The Piedmont Driving Club in Midtown, founded in 1887 as the Gentlemen’s Driving Club—named for members who “drove” horse-drawn carriages on the grounds—sold the adjacent land that became Piedmont Park in 1904. PDC maintains the exclusivity Wolfe documented; membership reportedly requires twenty-plus referrals. Many of Buckhead’s most prominent families (and the heirs of those who were once prominent) hold memberships, making PDC’s reach considerable.
Ansley Golf Club, also in Midtown with a second location in Roswell, was founded in 1912 and earned designation as a Five-Star Platinum Club of America—the most respected ranking in the private club industry. Sports Illustrated rated its historic nine-hole Midtown course second-best in America among nine-hole layouts, while the Settindown Creek championship course in Roswell ranks among Georgia’s top ten. Membership requires five sponsoring members and board approval following a 60-day review period. Known as the most family-oriented of Atlanta’s elite clubs, Ansley draws heavily from Buckhead families seeking a more relaxed atmosphere without sacrificing prestige. The waitlist is currently several years long.
Behind the Unmarked Doors
Lions Head, tucked away on East Andrews Drive adjacent to Yebo Beach Haus, takes privacy to its logical conclusion. Founded by restaurateur Justin Anthony—a former professional soccer player from Johannesburg who arrived in Atlanta in 1996 and pivoted to hospitality after a career-ending knee injury—this members-only club requires a referral just to apply, with applications reviewed monthly by a membership board. Upon entry, staff place a sticker over your phone camera. Photography is strictly prohibited.
Those who’ve visited describe sophisticated warmth inspired by Anthony’s South African roots. The club’s name references Lion’s Head mountain in Cape Town. The wine program draws on Anthony’s connections to South African vineyards—he co-founded King of Clubs wine with Robert Mondavi Jr.—offering members rare allocations typically unavailable elsewhere. True Story Brands, Anthony’s hospitality group, is expanding Lions Head to Ponte Vedra Beach, described as offering “an elegant, discreet and intentionally curated experience.”
The Club at Chops operates behind an unmarked door within Chops Lobster Bar, accessible via magnetic keycard. Buckhead Life Restaurant Group founder Pano Karatassos opened it in 2000 as a private space for cigars and conversation as Georgia’s smoking laws tightened. What started as a small lounge has evolved into a networking hub for approximately 650 members.
Inside the humidor room—resembling a private library with sliding track ladders—brass nameplates mark personal cigar boxes of members who reportedly include a certain NBA analyst and one of Napa’s most celebrated winemakers. More than 100 whiskeys line the bar. Live jazz plays five nights weekly. Karatassos himself approves every new member, and the waitlist has a waitlist.
Warhorse Investments, perhaps the most enigmatic entry, is run by Unsukay (Muss & Turner’s, Roshambo, Local Three). Opened July 2017 at 3290 Northside Parkway, its website offers one sentence: “This website is only accessible to the members of Warhorse Investments.”
What filters through Atlanta’s culinary rumor mill paints a picture of an old-Hollywood steakhouse where recognizable names prefer not to be photographed—Robert Downey Jr. is most frequently mentioned. The Unsukay partners describe it as “Atlanta’s most audacious private club.” The Arbitrage Room hosts 24-person dinners occasionally auctioned for charity through The Giving Kitchen, which the Unsukay partners co-founded.
The New Wave
The Perlant opened January 2025 in nearly 10,000 square feet at Two Buckhead Plaza. Founded by Christian Ries, it centers on wine—Elizabeth Dames oversees a cellar with 10,000-bottle capacity. Ries told Buckhead.com, “We are committed to building a community of individuals who want to come together to spend time and share wine. Our criteria is built on our core tenants of being Humble, Generous and Kind, rather than occupation or zip code.”
Intown Golf Club, also at Two Buckhead Plaza, represents the most ambitious Buckhead-born club concept currently scaling nationally. The idea germinated in 2018 when serial tech entrepreneur David Cummings installed a golf simulator in his basement. After testing the concept in a boardroom at Atlanta Tech Village—the Buckhead startup hub he founded—Cummings recognized an opportunity. He partnered with tech executive Michael Williamson and golf industry veteran Clint Jarvis to launch the flagship Buckhead location in 2021. Tennis legend Andy Roddick and actress Brooklyn Decker joined as early investors.
Cummings, who sits on the Buckhead Coalition board and has founded ten companies including Pardot and SalesLoft, sees Intown as addressing a generational shift. “The millennial generation—brought up on Instagram and Twitter and Snapchat, and more so for those living in urban areas—they want that live, work, play, and walkability component to it,” he told the Atlanta Business Chronicle. “Traditional golf is typically a six-hour endeavor.”
The 12,000-square-foot Buckhead club features ten TrackMan simulator bays where members can complete 18 holes in 45 minutes, playing St. Andrews or Augusta without leaving Peachtree Road. A full restaurant, locker rooms, steam room, and pro shop complete the experience.
The model has proven remarkably scalable. Ranking #204 on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies, Intown now operates clubs in Charlotte, Columbus, Philadelphia, Nashville, and—as of December 2025—Houston. Raleigh opens in 2026, with Dallas and Austin on deck.
“We’ve never done any marketing, but we have huge waiting lists,” CEO Williamson noted. “We think most cities in America need more accessible golf options and new ways to discover the game.” For Cummings, the vision extends further: “Our goal is to bring the golf club camaraderie and experience to every major market across the country and eventually the world.”
The Speakeasy Circuit
Red Phone Booth requires a secret code dialed from an antique London phone booth. Himitsu operates by reservation only. But The Bureau, hidden behind the open kitchen at KR SteakBar in ADAC West, represents a different philosophy entirely—one that eschews the membership model in favor of simple hospitality.
Celebrity chef Kevin Rathbun opened The Bureau in late 2015, about two years after launching KR SteakBar at 349 Peachtree Hills Avenue. The space features a baby grand piano, full bar with round booths, and seating for more than 50—all tucked behind the kitchen with its own entrance and no signage. For nearly a decade, it’s operated as Atlanta’s open-secret speakeasy: no membership required, just knowledge that it exists.
Rathbun has watched the membership club trend closely. He’s considered joining it. He hasn’t.
“I’ve seen the Warhorses do well. I’ve seen Justin Anthony—he seems to have done well with Lions Head,” Rathbun told me. “But my speakeasy is more catch as catch can. I think if you come, you spend money with me, you love it, you come back. That’s how I feel about it.”
His hesitation isn’t financial—he acknowledges the model generates “hefty, hefty dollars per year.” It’s philosophical. “I’ve always been a proponent of good hospitality. If I can put you in the back room, that’s cool—I’d love to have you.”
Getting In
The path forward varies dramatically by venue—and so does the price of admission.
Based on information shared by current and former members (these details were not confirmed by the clubs themselves, which typically do not disclose membership costs), the traditional country clubs command the steepest entry fees. Initiation fees at establishments like Capital City Club, Cherokee Town and Country Club, Piedmont Driving Club, and Ansley Golf Club range from approximately $50,000 on the low end to $200,000 at the high end, with annual dues typically running into the tens of thousands per year. Many offer reduced rates for younger members, and some maintain multi-year waitlists regardless of ability to pay.
The newer establishments and dining clubs operate differently, with some charging modest annual fees in the hundreds to low thousands—though securing a referral often remains the real barrier to entry.
What all these clubs share is recognition that in an age of infinite digital access, scarcity holds value. In Buckhead, where the handshake still carries currency and the right introduction opens doors that don’t officially exist, the private club endures as more than anachronism. It’s infrastructure. And whether or not it hangs over you like a reproach, it’s not going anywhere.
Contact individual establishments directly for current membership information.
