Indrajit Bhalotia runs the Academy at the Tollygunge Club and is himself is prolific golfer. He is now engaged in growing the sport among young children in the eastern region.
The Tollygunge Club golf course, which was first an Indigo plantation, came into being in the early 1900s. Tournaments like the Punjabi’s Challenge Cup and the Jacksons Cup are 100 years old and have a history of winners who have excelled nationally and internationally.
[highlight] The Tollygunge club historically has club tournaments which are 100 years old and have been played every year other than the two gaps during the World Wars I and II. [/highlight]
India is the first country after Britain to have a golf course. Golf was played in India 59 years before USA even had a course. And Tollygunge Club golf course remains steeped in that history, being one of the oldest in the country. It was one of the founding clubs of the Indian Golf Union which has since been promoting golf throughout India.
The golf course used to be a lot longer but with the induction of the metro railways, Tolly lost a lot of land. As a result the golf course suffered. The Tollygunge club historically has club tournaments which are 100 years old and have been played every year other than the two gaps during the World Wars I and II.
The golf course, though is now 6231 yards from the blue tees, it is still by no means a pushover. Pro tournaments have been taking place here from the 1980s with its golden years being between 1989 to 1993 where as many as 3 PGA tournaments namely Sarda Plywood Masters, Grindlays Open and Warren Open took place. The tournament course record being 60 (and held by me in 1994) still holds and the lowest 4 day total in a pro tournament has been 18 under proving once again that the course is no pushover. The golf course with five par 3s, 3 par 5s and 10 par 4s is one of the narrowest in the country. And the finishing holes number 16, 17 and 18 are probably the toughest finishing holes in the country.
