Welcome to Clubhouse Eats, where we celebrate the game’s most delectable food and drink. Hope you brought your appetite.
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A smashburger is inherently appealing. Its seared beef patty with crispy edges covered in melted cheese is equal parts comforting and decadent. The sandwich’s connection to classic diners also renders it an unmistakable symbol of Americana. The only thing better than a delectable smashburger is one that comes with a compelling story; and that’s exactly what’s served at Mac’s Shack, the unofficial name of the halfway house at East Lake Golf Club.
This snack bar of sorts takes its moniker from the name of a longstanding employee at the club, Mac Tomlinson, who is described in East Lake’s written history as “a purveyor of refreshments.” When the club broke ground on a significant restoration/renovation project of its heralded layout just after the Tour Championship in 2023, the club concurrently began work on the construction of a new venue at the turn. When its attention turned to the construction of the halfway house’s menu, decision-makers at the club soon settled on the understanding that Mac’s Shack needed a crave-worthy burger.
Legend has it that the burger that Mac originally served at East Lake was to die for — so much so that members and guests would make visits to the club just for lunch. Although details of those legendary sandwiches are hard to come by, East Lake’s staff at least knew where to start: a griddle-cooked patty topped with American cheese and some sort of special sauce.
The club held a competition open to any staff member who daily wore an apron, and of the dozen entries submitted, two stood out — one for its preparation and style, the other for its secret sauce. (Truth be told, the sauce isn’t really that secretive.) In the end, the Waggle Burger was born from the combination of those two entries. It features a Wagyu beef patty, melted American cheese, and the aforementioned Waggle Sauce (recipe below), which is an aioli concocted by Chad Parker, the club’s president and general manager, who in his spare time competes in serious barbecue competitions.
Perfectly replicating the Waggle Burger at home might be a tough order, so we asked the club’s Director of Food and Beverage, Lauren Rosenzweig, for tips on making an exceptional smashed burger, no matter what components or condiments are used. As we learned, it starts with the cooking surface. If you don’t have a commercial-grade flattop at home — and who does? — use a cast iron pan. Just make sure you get it smoking hot.
“To get the perfect consistency,” she says, “you have to smash the beefy patty very firmly and quickly on an extremely hot surface, creating a very crispy outer crust while keeping the inside nice and juicy.”
You might think the meat is the most important ingredient in a smash burger, but you’d be wrong. Sure, patties made from locally sourced Wagyu beef will never hurt, but using the wrong type of cheese always will. “It needs to melt well,” Rosenzweig says, “and, more importantly, fast.” For those reasons, she says you can’t go wrong with American cheese.
As for the number of patties, East Lake’s director of food and beverage believes a true smash burger is always a double. “One patty is too thin,” she says, “and it gets lost in the bread.”
On the topic of bread, East Lake relies only on three-inch potato rolls, which are softer and a little sweeter than a traditional burger bun. Plus, according to Rosenzweig, “they’re the perfect size for a grab-and-go bite at the turn.”
No matter how you choose to make and dress up your own smash burgers at home, if you can follow Rosenzweig’s explanation of what makes the Waggle Burger so successful, you’ll never go wrong. “It’s simply good quality ingredients,” she says, “coming together to make a great tasting product.”
Waggle Sauce Recipe
Courtesy of Chad Parker
Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp. ketchup
1 tbsp. yellow mustard
1 tbsp. Sambal or Sriracha
1 tbsp. sweet relish (recommended: Wickles Pickles Relish)
1 tbsp. spicy dill pickles, roughly chopped
1 tsp. spicy dill pickle juice
1 pinch Kosher salt
1 pinch fresh cracked black pepper
