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The Royal Calcutta Golf Clubis indeed the ‘Home of Indian Golf’. Better known as the RCGC, this magnificent facility, set in the heart of the ‘City of Joy’, holds the distinction of being the second oldest Golf Club in the world, and the oldest outside of the British Isles. Incidentally, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews is the oldest. Established in 1829, the RCGC was designed by none other than the legendary five-time British Open winner, Peter Thomson. The RCGC has hosted innumerable golf events since, including several editions of the prestigious Indian Open. In addition to the fact that golf in India teed off on this course, the RCGC has given India some of the best exponents of professional golf. The legendary Ali family, including 1998 Indian Open winner Feroz Ali, Rezwan Ali, Rafiq Ali and Chini Ali, hails from this facility. World-renowned golfers such as Walter Hagen, Pamela Barton, Peter Thompson, Payne Stewart, Charles Schwartzel, and Louis Oosthuizen, not to mention our own Arjun Atwal, JeevMilkha Singh, AnirbanLahiri, Jyoti Randhawa, and Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia, have pitted their skills against the challenging golf course.
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The par-72 Course, measuring to 7,101 yards of the Championship Tees, was constructed over paddy fields. This makes it relatively undulating and the innumerable trees and bushes lining its fairways, leave little or no scope for error. However, the greatest challenge posed by the course comes in the form of both natural and man-made water bodies that lie waiting to catch even a marginally misguided shot. Add to this the fact that the par-4s on the facility are long and tricky and the greens large and undulating; playing it safe can drastically affect one’s scoring. The par-4 seventh is by way of being the hardest hole at the RCGC. The golfer, after executing an accurate tee shot, is expected to target an elevated green over a menacing water-body. Adding to the challenge is a deep bunker bordering the green. A pin positioned at the top of the green makes it a serious test of accuracy and temperament. In addition to golf, the RCGC boasts a state-of-the-art gym, a 25-metre swimming pool, billiards tables, and tennis courts. Last but not least, the facility hosts a 340-yard floodlit driving range with 17 bays and a newly designed 18-hole putting green spread over 1000 square metres.
The Tollygunge Club lies across the road from the Royal Calcutta Golf Club. A smaller and more compact facility, the Club was founded in1895 as a meeting ground for British merchants and bankers. The locality Tollygunge was earlier known as Russapugla, a thick forested area peppered with Sundari, Byne, and Garjan trees which even today make up the bulk of the Sundarbans. The name Russapugla stems, quite literally, from a unique tree which gave shade to PuglaPir (the Sufi saint with remarkable powers) who meditated and died in the neighbourhood. The golf course itself is a smaller unit than its big brother across the road. A par-70 facility, the Tolly stretches across 6240 yards from the Championship tees.
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Tight as it is, accuracy is paramount for success on the course, which has a fair sprinkling of well-positioned water-bodies and bunkers dotting its landscape. The 16th hole is the hardest to negotiate on the course. An Out-of-Bounds fence lines it right side while a mammoth water-hazard waits to gobble up the errant shot on the left of the fairway. The Club itself has a number of facilities to offer its members including Riding facilities, a Swimming Pool, Lawn Tennis Courts, Billiards Tables, Squash Courts, a Bridge Room and a state-of-the-art Gym. In addition, there is a Cyber Cage, a Salon and an Ayurveda Centre.
