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Royal Calcutta Golf Club affectionately known as the "Royal" is synonymous with the game of golf in this country. Founded in 1829, Royal is the oldest golf club outside the British Isles, the oldest being the Royal and Ancient, St. Andrews in Scotland, the home of golf. The Royal truly has a history that would be a treasure for the archives of the game of golf...
History
Royal
Calcutta Golf Club
Originally located near the Calcutta airport, the club moved to the Maidan and finally to its present location at Tollygunge in 1910. Meant exclusively for the use of gentlemen, ladies were very reluctantly admitted to the club in 1886, when the committee voted 43 against 13 on the condition that female members be allowed to use the course only in the mornings. In 1911, the club was honored by King George V and Queen Mary, who conferred on it, the title of "Royal" to commemorate their visit to Calcutta. Much of the memorabilia connected with the history of the club is still preserved in the club house.
The country
Greens at Royal are quite large by modern standards and their undulations make them tricky and there is a little nap. Its strength lies in its par fours and to score, requires good, long and medium irons. The Royal Calcutta also has a Bowling Green section, founded in the early 18th century. Bowling has become a very popular sport and numerous competitions are now staged attracting a large number of participants. Here members can indulge in their woods along the grass in an attempt to get close to 'jack' the little white ball immortalized by Sir Francis rake. No records are available until 1874. After that, however all records have been preserved. Cups, Medals and Trophies were presented to and exchanged between the Royal and Golf Club of Madras, Bangalore as well as other clubs abroad. Notable among them are the Silver Cashmere Cup presented to the Royal and Ancient St. Andrews where the first Calcutta Cup was played in 1885. The epithet "Royal" was conferred upon the Calcutta Golf Club by George V at the Delhi Durbar in 1911. In a minute dated 8th February, 1876, it is recorded that playing for the Royal Blackhealth Medal, a Cup valued Rs.25/- and a golf set priced at Rs.9/- were given away as prizes. The expenses for running the club were Rs.720/- as salaries for servants for twelve months, Rs.100/- for sundry expenses and the estimated stock of liquor at the closing of accounts was Rs.200/- which must have represented quite an extensive cellar.
The Maidan Pavilion was opened some time
in January, 1885 and a fine
Royal is essentially a golf club and maintains that character even while affording facilities for other sports like tennis, etc. Today Royal is considered to have one of the finest golf courses anywhere in Asia. Dotted with the famous ponds, the course has seen tremendous improvement over the last few years with redesigning and up gradation in progress. The 72 par course is both inviting and a challenge. The Royal has been the shared venue of the All India Championship since 1958 and has played host to some of golf's all time greats, both Indians and Internationals such as I.S. Malik, H.S. Malik, Major P.G. Sethi, Walter Hagen and Pamela Barton to name but a few.
Contact Details Royal Calcutta Golf Club, 18, Golf Club Road, Tollygunge, Kolkotta - 700033, West Bengal, India.
The Tollygunge Club If you are looking for a unique, scenic area to enjoy your vacation, come to Tollygunge Club and make the place your home away from home. The Club is located in Tollygunge , a southern suburb of Kolkata only 9Kms from the centre of the town & 20 min. drive from Chowringhee Road. The club grounds cover an area of 100 acres.
Prior to the locality being named
Tollygunge it was known as Russapugla, a densely forested area abounding
in Sundari, Byne and Garjan trees which even today make up the bulk of
the Sunderbans, the estuary of the river Ganges. The name Russapugla
stems from two unique trees which grew here and also from Pugla Pir (the
Sufi saint with remarkable powers) who meditated and died in the
neighborhood. It was renamed Tollygunge after Col. William Tolly was
permitted to dredge the adjoining canal connecting the Ganga with the
Matla and Vidya rivers and collect toll on all ships travelling from
Calcutta to destinations in erstwhile East Bengal (present day
Bangladesh).
Over the years Committees have continued with overall improvements to the Club and accelerated the introduction of new facilities. The atmosphere at Tolly is relaxed and peaceful in the midst of nature – it is an oasis in the heart of Kolkata. It offers facilities for golf, tennis, squash, indoor and outdoor swimming, riding and amateur equestrian sports. Indoors, it has a bridge room, a billiards room, a pro-shop, a cosy reading room & a cyber cafe. Sports apart, the Club offers members and guests a wide range of entertainment the year round from open-air theatre and cinema to music and dancing. Excellent cuisine is available at its restaurants, lawns, pavilions and wellstocked bars. The club has 66 air-conditioned suites and residential rooms, each with an attached bath, while separate conference and banqueting facilities offer a choice of rooms accommodating between 25 and 100 persons. There is abundant provision for parking. A country club that is truly an oasis of greenery and quietude in the midst of Kolkata’s bustling southern residential district, the hallmark of Tolly – as it is often affectionately called – is its warm, leisurely and friendly atmosphere.
Other Facilities
Contact Details Tollygunge Club Ltd. 120, Deshapran Sasmal Road, Kolkatta - 700033, India.
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affectionately known as the "Royal" is synonymous with
the game of golf in this country. Founded in 1829, Royal is the oldest
golf club outside the British Isles, the oldest being the Royal and
Ancient, St. Andrews in Scotland, the home of golf. The Royal truly has
a history that would be a treasure for the archives of the game of golf.
over
which the Royal Calcutta course is laid, was originally paddy fields,
and the course is consequently very underrating. Successive committees
have built mounds and planted thousands of trees and shrubs. But the
Royal's conspicuous features are its strategically located water tanks
and natural water hazards. The most significant are the two large tanks
across the seventh fairway, a 457 yards, par four hole. From the tee,
the tiger line is over the first tank and must carry all of 230 yards
safer route to the right which leaves a very long second shot over the
second tank, a good 100 yards wide, to a small undulating green wickedly
trapped all around. The out-of-boundary wall dangerously hugs the entire
left flank of this hole.
bowling
green was laid down in 1887-88. The first Amateur Golf Championship of
India was held at the Royal during Christmas in the year, 1892 with
players from Ceylon, Burma, Penang & Singapore taking part. While the
registered office of the Club continues to be at the Maidan, the work on
the course at the present location, started in 1908 and all 18 holes
were opened for play in 1912. Membership of the Club stood at 420 in
1892, 1770 in 1931 and stands at over 2900 today. A milestone in the
Club's history was the election of the first Indian Captain in the
persons of Kamal Kumar Mitra in the year 1963. One of the most
prestigious clubs in Calcutta, the Royal being the first golf club in
India is virtually the founder of the game of golf in the country. Royal
has encouraged the local lads working as caddies to become some of the
best professionals in the country. Royal has produced the best Amateurs
in India. Some of them might have their beginnings elsewhere but they
have matured into champions playing their formative years at the Royal.
The
Tollygunge Club was founded by a Scottish banker, William Dixon
Cruickshank to provide facilities for games, sports and pastimes in the
neighborhood of Calcutta, and to afford to its members all the usual
privileges, advantages, conveniences and accommodation of a residential
and Gymkhana Club. The Clubhouse and surrounding areas carry a rich
store of legends, anecdotes and memories and the Club has inherited a
tradition of sports from its inception in 1895. Cruickshank partially
leased and partially bought some of the property surrounding an 18th
century Palladian garden house once used by its owner, Richard Johnson
an employee of the East India Company and subsequently by Prince Gholam
Mohammed Shah, the 11th son of the Ruler of Mysore, Tipu Sultan. The
Club house is now over 225 years old and the Club has just turned 113
years of age.
