The Royal Calcutta Golf Club
| Open |
Round the year |
| No. of Holes |
18 |
| Par |
72 |
Yardage |
7,044 yards from Championship tees |
| Club Facilities |
Tennis, Restaurant, Bar, Swimming Gym, Indoor
Games |
Golfing Facilities |
Driving Range, Putting Green, Academy |
| Accommodation |
In the City |
|
 The
Royal Calcutta Golf Club, established in 1829, is not
only the oldest golf club in India but the oldest in the world
outside Great Britain. Originally located near the Calcutta airport,
the club moved to the Maidan and finally to its present location
at Tollygunqe in 1910. Meant exclusively for the use of gentlemen,
ladies were very reluctantly admitted to the club in 1886. In 1911 the club was honoured 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 over which the Royal Calcutta course is laid was originally
paddy fields, and the course is consequently very flat. 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
out-of-bounds boundary wall dangerously hugs the entire left flank
of this hole. Greens at Royal are small by modern standards, but
undulations make them tricky, and there is a little nap. From
the tee the course looks deceptively easy, but its strength lies
in its par fours, and to score requires good long and medium irons.
The
most significant are the two large tanks across the tenth fairway,
the 457 yards par-4 jinx hole. From the tee, the tiger line is
over the first tank and must carry all of 230 yards. The after
route to the right 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 Royal Calcutta Golf Club
also has a Bowling Green section, founded in the early 19th century.
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